Barnacle Bill Magazine March 2016 issue 3 | Page 3

3 Recreating History Passionate about boats? So are we at IBTC Lowestoft The UK's premier boatbuilding college  Joinery  Boatbuilding & Restoration  Build your own boat  Restore your own boat  Moorings & hard standing available For full course details visit: www.ibtc.co.uk At the IBTC Lowestoft we like to involve our students in some of our special commissions, an example of this being the building of a replica of Ernest Shackleton's boat, the James Caird. The 22½ft, carvel construction boat, was lofted and built at the college using plans and measurements that were taken from the original vessel housed at Dulwich College. The original James Caird was built using Baltic Pine planking, American Elm keel and English Oak timbers with cotton caulking, however a slight substitution of materials had to be made in the construction of the replica, due to import restrictions. Great care was taken during construction to ensure the replica was as accurate as possible, down to its hand-made metallic fittings crafted at the college, which include the main mast clamp, rudder pintles and gudgeons. Attention to detail meant including all the alterations made by Shackleton to enable the vessel to withstand the harsh conditions of the South Atlantic. The IBTC students certainly demonstrated great skill and enthusiasm, launching themselves into this exciting project for Seb Coulthard, who has nothing but praise for the work they achieved. It's a great example of the level of commitment, skill, workmanship and enthusiasm evident amongst staff and students alike. The IBTC is now poised to launch into its next reconstruction project - watch this space! See us at stand G36 International Boatbuilding TRAINING COLLEGE Traditional skills, modern thinking LOWESTOFT: ESTABLISHED 1975 40 Years of Training Boat Builders Sea Lake Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 3LQ Telephone: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] l Web: www.ibtc.co.uk