Category Skiff Build

It gives me great pleasure to confirm that the skiff build team and various other Moidart Skiffies successfully turned Speireag yesterday!

Co-ordinating the available and willing muscle power was always going to be a challenge given the relatively confined working space, however the process was aided by an ingenious pulley system that helped ensure a smooth transition thankfully, as dropping the boat during the challenging manoeuvre would have been a disaster!

The time now comes for fitting out and with that a need for more skilled / semi-skilled woodworkers to complement the skiff build team and accelerate the club towards hopefully launching this season. If you think you can help or you know someone who may want to assist then please get in touch.

To the seas!

Mark

P.S. Thanks to Malcolm Fraser for the photograph!

All credit to members of our intrepid build team who have braved the less than hospitable cold weather of late, in our makeshift shed-cum-lean-to, in order to continue progress with our skiff. I am pleased to confirm that work on the keel of Speireag (Sparrowhawk) has been completed!

Might the summer of 2026 see the launch in Moidart of the first locally built skiff for generations I wonder?!

STOP PRESS – we have an announcement!  At the recent Moidart Produce Show Anne Widdop, co-chair of the new Moidart Coastal Rowing Club (or Moidart Skiffies as we call ourselves) gave this short speech… 

‘This is a proud moment for the club, and hopefully for Moidart and surrounding areas too, as I want to reveal the name of our brand new community skiff. After months of stretching planks, glueing and inhaling far too much epoxy, our skiff is nearing completion. It will soon be ready to fly across the water. 

Now, if you’re wondering why on earth the fuss about one wooden boat, it’s because – boats are in the blood of Moidart. For centuries, this place relied on them. From the sturdy birlinns of the Clanranalds to the launches that carried mail, passengers, and gossip up Loch Shiel and around the coast. Wooden boats connected people, brought supplies, and no doubt occasionally smuggled the odd thing or two, or so I’ve heard…

But somewhere along the way, the roads and cars came, and the boat building stopped. Until now. Moidart Skiffies are the first folk in living memory to build a wooden boat here in Moidart – and we’ve done it together, plank by plank, with much scratching of heads as we have figured how to do it, and more sanding than any of us ever thought humanly possible.

And what is the Moidart Coastal Rowing Club about? Well, it’s not just about rowing – though that does come in handy! It’s about bringing people together. It’s about giving young and old the chance to be part of something, to learn new skills, to get out on the water, and, most importantly, to laugh together when we row in perfect circles instead of in a straight line.

Now, building a boat is a bit like keeping a Highland cow. They’re beautiful, but they do eat money. So, if you are keen to see the Skiff club flourish, please think about sponsoring the boat, joining the club, or making a donation.

Every penny is put towards building the club, and we still have a lot to do. And if you join the club, you won’t just get a chance to row – you’ll get fitness, fun, friendship, and possibly forearms like Popeye.

So today, with pride and with a sense of history, I reveal the name of the boat as Speireag. I hope you will see her flying across the local waters with grace, with strength, and – if the cox steers us straight – maybe even in the right direction. Flying being a particularly apt description given Speireag means Sparrowhawk in Gaelic.

Community led clubs like the Moidart Skiffies matter. They bring communities together, and they make sure that in fifty years’ time, when people talk about the last wooden boat built in Moidart, they’ll say: ‘Ah yes – that was Speireag – built by hand by local volunteers.’ Finally, I’d like to say a huge thanks to Nino for letting us commandeer a shed to build the boat in. It’s been invaluable to help us get going.

Thank you, and let’s get rowing!

Kind Regards

Anne Widdop

It has been a busy time for the skiff build team of late however I am pleased to report great progress continues to be made. Towards the end of July the final plank was laid before the outer stem / sternpost were carefully planed prior to being glued into place.

This was then followed by work to apply epoxy filleting to both sides of the hull as well as attaching the bow and stern posts. Hopefully it won’t be long before we see that bow slicing through the waves!

In August another milestone was reached as a busy team of volunteers helped with the sanding in preparation for the keel being attached, before faring, more sanding and finally painting. It won’t be long it seems before we will be having our boat turning party!

Well done to all involved in the progress made so far. After the boat turning party, I guess we can look forward to the boat completion party, followed by the boat launching party!

An update on the build process courtesy of Andrew and Colin.

Building a boat in a freezing cold shed in the winter, in Moidart in the Highlands is a challenge; we have only a few hours a week and (for my part) it can involve a 1,000-mile road trip to and from Bath to keep things moving along. There are times where we turn up at the shed and it’s cold and wet and we wonder what on earth we have let ourselves in for.

And then… the lights come on, the big heater roars into life, the banter starts, and I realise that I am indeed very lucky to be working alongside an amazing group of highly talented, motivated new friends. I swore I would never build another boat again but boy am I glad I said yes to this project. I now feel ‘rooted’ in my new home here and I’m excited to be involved.

Many of you will have seen images of the aprons and stems being laminated and fitted to the build jig (these are the inner and outer curved bow and stern timbers).

Since then, the Keelson (inner keel) has been scarfed (joined) and glued to the aprons and carefully shaped to take the planking (each plank joins the stem/stern at a slightly different compound angle and the structural members need to be shaped to achieve a good faying surface (the surfaces where the parts meet and are glued are called faying surfaces).

The first two planks to be hung are the Garboards, these lie along the keel and are a key structural part of the hull. The garboards are now in place and look fabulous – they are always tricky to fit and the process often involves a lot of swearing 😀 since they are almost vertical at either end where they join the stem / stern but near horizontal amidships where there is little deadrise (V shape in the hull).

The next four planks (two planks either side) can be tricky too, but these are now glued in place and the next two are prepared, Gains and Lands have been planed (gains are where the planks taper into each other as they enter the stem and stern), the overlap gradually disappears and gives a really stylish look to the hull if done well. Lands are where each plank ‘lands’ on the next and form an overlap to keep the water out. So, when these planks (eight so far) are in place, the hull will be well over half-planked. I think she’d float as she is… albeit with only four inches of freeboard (freeboard being the distance from the waterline to the Gunwale – edge of the boat where the oars rest).

Apologies for all the boatbuilding terminology, but it’s an important part of the romance and mystique of this exciting nautical adventure! 😀

It has been a little while since I last posted however a lot has happened in that time. The last couple of months have been particularly active for the build team who have been making steady progress. After making the shed wind and water tight again after Storm Ashley the mould was built (twice!) and this will be used to support the build of the boat around it.

Planing and fairing of the stem and hog lines has begun but there is still a wee bit to do before the first planking is glued. With the glue very much sensitive to cold weather the team will need to carefully time when to start glueing, and once all the planks are glued then a lot, and I mean a LOT of sanding will begin!

For our new members and hopefully future members I would heartily encourage watching this inspiring and fascinating video produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the St. Ayles skiff. Not only does it give an insight into the camaraderie of a skiff club and the skiff build process, but it also shows how widespread and accessible the sport has become for communities across Scotland and beyond.

At some point in the future we will also have to name our skiff however I dare say we won’t be using the two cheeky suggestions mentioned by Topher Dawson of Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club in the video!

Ably led by our illustrious build leader Pod, Moidart Skiffies have taken a big step towards being ready to build their first skiff. A team variously at times comprising of (if I remember correctly) Angus, Anna, Donald, Fiona, Frances, Karen, the two Marks, Peter and Pod have created a dry workspace. A number of whom have put in a significant amout of their time and effort which is greatly appreciated.

This was not an easy task given it was open to the elements only a few weeks ago and pretty much had a small burn running through it at one point, not to mention chickens running amok and leaving egg based surprises here and there!

Over the next few weeks Pod will direct efforts to improve the lighting and electrical arrangements and then the skiff build can begin in earnest.