Twenty years ago, as a teenage apprentice learning traditional wooden boatbuilding, Will built a stunning clinker rowing skiff entirely by hand.

Over six months, he crafted every part of the boat using heritage techniques that trace back through Victorian Thames skiffs to the clinker-built vessels of Viking history.

This wasn’t just a training exercise.

It was his first complete boat.

Every detail reflects that craftsmanship.

The hull is clinker-built from sustainably sourced sweet chestnut, fastened with hand-driven square-cut copper nails. The oak frames were sawn and clenched together, a more demanding technique than steam bending, requiring precision and skill well beyond his years.

The gratings and sole boards were made from Scottish larch, and the entire boat was finished with ten coats of traditional Epifanes varnish, complete with gold leaf detailing and hand signwriting.

When it was finished, it didn’t just launch — it was recognised.

It won a Young Preservation of the Year award, presented by Prince Michael of Kent, and was showcased at major events including the London Boat Show and on the Classic Boat stand.

For ten years, it was displayed at the River and Rowing Museum as a living example of traditional craftsmanship.

Then, like many apprentice-built projects, it moved on.

Will never expected to see it again.

But now, twenty years later, the boat has unexpectedly resurfaced for sale.

For the first time since he built it as a teenager, he has the chance to bring it home.

The asking price is £7,500 — currently out of reach.

Today, Will is a father.

His daughter, Talula, nearly 8, is already showing an interest in learning the craft from her dad.

This boat represents something rare.

Not just craftsmanship.

Not just history.

But a chance to connect generations.

Will dreams of taking Talula out on the water in the very boat he built as a teenager and one day passing it on to her, along with the skills behind it.

The boat doesn’t need restoring. It has been beautifully preserved.

All it needs is to come home.

We’re raising funds to reunite a craftsman with the boat he built and to help turn it into a living legacy.

If you can donate or share this story, it would mean everything.

Let’s bring her home.