Builders & Restorers of Bespoke Wooden Craft

Founded by Tim Loftus, Tim Loftus Boatbuilding provides comprehensive wooden boat services, from complex new builds to simple repairs.

Our new builds offer you the opportunity to own the boat of your dreams. Being involved with the construction of a wooden vessel is a rare and wonderful thing. It imparts a sense of ownership and achievement that will remain with you forever.

Our restoration and repair services give lasting solutions to old problems. If a boat can be saved we will be able to save it! In response to the demands of our DIY motivated customers, we offer a full consultancy service to guide homebuilders and restorers around the pitfalls along the way. Above all we are passionate about the special qualities of wooden boats; they have a heart and soul which grows with every minute spent aboard.
See some of what is possible for us to build on our Design Ideas page. Read more about the ever popular Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters.

Why a Wooden Boat ?

When I return home to visit my parents, I sit in an ancient spindle-backed wooden armchair. I feel instantly comfortable, relaxed and safe within its familiarity. It's an unassuming, fairly rustic chair with a few scars picked up after a couple of hundred years of service, yet it provides so much more than its obvious role as a seat. I compare this to sitting on a new plastic and stainless steel chair. Both are seats, both entirely functional, yet one is special, the other cold and impersonal. A well built wooden boat has this special quality which goes beyond functionality and current market trends. Many wooden craft afloat today are over 100 years old, which represents exceptional longevity.

Traditionally constructed craft are readily repairable and classic designs have low rates of depreciation, factors that make wooden boats a very sound investment. Whilst other construction methods seek to cover up as much of the boats interior as possible, the inside of a wooden boat has inherent beauty and can be left on display. Wood has fine natural insulating properties which greatly reduces condensation and noise. Finally, timber when carefully managed is a sustainable resource. We make a pledge to source our materials from responsible suppliers and we will plant new trees to replace those used in construction thus keeping our environmental impact to a minimum.