The Boat Beacon - safeguarding wooden boats

Aim

To create a heritage centre in Scotland for traditional wooden boats, safeguarding the endangered craft of traditional wooden boatbuilding.

The Boat Beacon

Your support will help create a unique heritage centre in Galloway, Scotland, bringing to life the heritage of traditional wooden boats and the endangered craft of traditional wooden boatbuilding. The Boat Beacon will house a collection of traditional wooden boats for visitors to enjoy, raising awareness of the heritage of the craft both locally and nationally. 

There will be an exciting programme of short courses, workshops, exhibitions and events celebrating traditional wooden boats and the stories they hold about their communities and their shores. 

This Crowdfunder is to support the creation of the Boat Beacon. All funds raised are going directly to The Boat Beacon CIC; a new company formed by traditional wooden boat builder Gail McGarva and a board of directors.

Craft: Bringing the craft to life

Traditional wooden boatbuilding is now classified as an endangered craft. The Boat Beacon will deliver a programme of short courses for participants who would like to develop their skills and knowledge of traditional wooden boatbuilding, including an introduction to clinker construction, restoration and oar making. There will be courses specifically designed for young people as the passing on these endangered skills to the next generation is vital in safeguarding a future for the craft.

Heritage: Bringing the heritage to life

Many of the traditional wooden boats along the coastline of Britain are under threat and the heritage they hold is being lost. The Boat Beacon will offer a range of activities for the local community to gain experience of conserving the boats in the Boat Beacon's collection and learn about their history.

Stories: Bringing the stories to life

The stories and memories traditional wooden boats hold are being lost as the generations pass.The Boat Beacon will bring their stories to life through talks, exhibitions and audio/visual installations. There will be sessions specifically designed for children engaging with the stories of the boats and their treasures of the sea.

The Boat Beacon will be a vibrant celebration of traditional wooden boats and their stories. All boats have a story to tell.

The Boat Beacon CIC

The Boat Beacon is a Community Interest Company (SC902937) with a board of directors who are passionate about preserving the heritage of boats. The founder of the Boat Beacon is traditional wooden boatbuilder Gail McGarva, ‘builder of boats, teller of stories, keeper of memories’. www.gailmcgarva.com

Gail’s services to traditional clinker boatbuilding have been recognised in 2014 with a British Empire Medal and in 2024 with the Heritage Crafts President’s Award for Endangered Crafts. 

The Boat Beacon CIC is dedicated to safeguarding the future of traditional wooden boats, their heritage and the craft of traditional wooden boatbuilding.

Funding

Crowdfunder target £25,000

The funds raised will support the build, fitting out, equipping and setting up of the Boat Beacon.
Estimated costs for building the wooden barn (the Boat Beacon) : £31,300

Estimated costs for tools, insurance, equipment, fit out and set up of the Boat Beacon: £7,700

Total funds needed: £39,000

We are pleased to announce we have already secured £14,000 of this total, so this Crowdfunder is to raise the remaining £25,000. A big thank you to the five charitable trusts/organisations and individual supporters of the Boat Beacon who have generously backed its development prior to launching this Crowdfunder campaign.

If the target is exceeded, the additional funds will go towards the further acquisition and safeguarding of boats of significant heritage.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd November 2026 at 7:00pm