Always on
This project successfully funded on 14th October 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Keep Lynher afloat and open for all to explore!
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Aim
The aim our the project is to keep Lynher well maintained and fully insured in order to be accessible to the public on the Exeter Canal Quay
Help Keep Lynher Shipshape and Open to All!
⛵ We need your support to ensure the historic 1896 Tamar sailing barge Lynher remains in top condition and accessible to everyone. Every donation directly supports the vessel’s insurance and ongoing maintenance which will help our dedicated crew of volunteers to provide safe, welcoming access for the public.
The Lynher, a Tamar sailing barge built in 1896, is one of the last surviving examples of a once-thriving class of working vessels that shaped the industrial, cultural, and maritime history of the South West. For over 60 years, she transported cargo, supported wartime efforts, and connected rural quays with coastal ports — from Plymouth to Penzance.
Today, our mission is to preserve the Lynher not merely as a static exhibit, but as a living heritage vessel — restored, maintained, and made accessible to the public through educational programming, training in traditional seamanship, and open-boat events.
By keeping the Lynher open to the public, we aim to ensure that future generations can step aboard, learn from her timbers, and connect with the vital maritime heritage of the River Tamar and beyond. With your support, we will secure her future afloat, provide access for schools and community groups, and offer the skills and stories of the sea to all.
🧭 The Lynher is more than a historic barge — she’s a floating classroom, a training deck, and a living link to the maritime heritage of the River Tamar. By restoring and keeping her open to the public, we provide hands-on education in traditional seamanship, celebrate South West working boat heritage, and offer an inclusive space where all ages can connect with our coastal past. Funding will help ensure her decks remain open, her story alive, and her future afloat.
🧒 Climb aboard the Lynher and step back in time! This unique Tamar barge, built in 1896, once carried stone, coal, and even served during the Second World War. Now, she’s a floating learning space where communities can explore history, science, and the sea — from tying knots to understanding tides. By keeping the Lynher open to schools and families, we bring maritime heritage to life for the next generation.
💙 For 60 years, the Lynher sailed the South West coast — now, she needs your help to keep her story alive.
Built in 1896 and one of the last of her kind, the Lynher has been lovingly restored not just as a piece of history, but as a working vessel open to the public. Your support helps keep her afloat, open for school visits, community skills training and heritage events. Help us keep her decks open — so everyone can walk where her crew once stood, and learn the stories carried by wind and tide.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made