Eight bells for renowned boat builder and designer Iain Oughtred

Laura Hodgetts

In addition to the his popular Caledonia Yawl, Ness Yawl, Grebe, Tammie Norrie and the Acorn skiff designs, Iain Oughtred was well known for his St Ayles Skiff

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Tributes have poured out across the internet for renowned boat builder and designer Iain Oughtred, who passed away aged 84.

Iain, of Oughtred Boats, grew up in Sydney and sailed, built and designed fast sailing dinghies from an early age. He moved to the UK and started learning about traditional boats.

The vessels he designed in the UK were of Scottish working boat descent and well known for being beautifully proportioned.

In addition to the his popular Caledonia Yawl, Ness Yawl, Grebe, Tammie Norrie and the Acorn skiff designs, Iain was well known for his St Ayles Skiff, which was the result of a Scottish Fisheries Museum design brief in 2008 to create a boat for four rowers and a cox, to be made from a kit by Jordan Boats. His 15ft Elf Faering was based on a historic Norwegian design.

The Scottish Coastal Rowing group said: “All of us who row in St Ayles Skiffs owe a quietly spoken Australian boat designer a big debt of gratitude.”
The spokesperson added: “He introduced thousands of people to the pleasures of building traditional boat designs in clinker construction, but the St Ayles is his most successful design with 400 built so far.
“For the last 23 years Iain has lived in Isle of Skye, north west Scotland. Many of us have met him at St Ayles Skiff World Championships, Portsoy Traditional Boat Festival and Toberonochy Small Boat Muster. He was a good shanty singer and fond of poetry as well as a fine draftsman and a superb boatbuilder.
“His philosophical stance was aligned with the Quakers. Perhaps unexpectedly he was also fond of fast planing dinghies, the wooden Mosquito aircraft and classic cars. In the evening of 21 February 2024, in Broadford, Skye, he slipped away on his last voyage.
“Rest in peace Iain, we will miss you.”

Iain Oughtred steers his Ness Yawl design Albannagh through the Jamestown Canal during the first Lakelands & Inland Waterways Ireland Sailing Raid. Location: Shannon River, Ireland

Iain Oughtred steers his Ness Yawl design Albannagh through the Jamestown Canal during the first Lakelands & Inland Waterways Ireland Sailing Raid. Location: Shannon River, Ireland. CREDIT: Nic Compton/Alamy

Pioneering concept

Author Nic Compton, who wrote the book, Iain Oughtred a life in wooden boats, said: “Back in the 1980s, Iain pioneered the concept of building traditional boats in glued-clinker construction. His designs combine sweet lines with a meticulous attention to detail and a delightful drawing style. He achieved a lasting legacy, but always remained modest about his achievements.”

Nic added: “Iain died peacefully in hospital on the Isle of Skye on 21 February. Iain’s sister Liz paid tribute: ‘Iain you have lived a life true to your passion, as best you could. We love and honour your memory. Go well with peace and love. Old souls will be waiting to welcome you. Our love surrounds you as you leave us.'”

John Fairfax, a spokesman for the Australian Classic Dinghy Network group on Facebook, said: “Iain was a champion sailor in a number of Australian dinghy classes and Australian Champion twice in the Gwen 12 class with Clementine and Mary Jane in the early 1960’s before deciding in later life to move to Scotland to explore his roots there. He became one of the greatest designers of traditional sailing dinghies and his plans were so beautifully drawn that they were considered works of art in their own right.”

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WoodenBoat magazine said: “A gentle and creative soul, Iain was an absolute force in the advancement of wooden boat building—and especially the adaptation of traditional small boat designs for glued-lapstrake-plywood construction. In the 1980s, he was designer in residence here at WoodenBoat—a summerlong visit that’s still remembered fondly 40 years later.”

A North Berwick Rowing Club spokesman said: “Iain will be sadly missed in the boating world both in the UK and abroad, but his distinctive designs will live on as a fine legacy to his life’s work.”