wooden boat centre

If you love boats and wood this is a must visit. The craftsmen ship handed down over 100s of years impresses me. I am amazed that humans got around in wooden boats for 1000s of years, good for nerds like me who admire beautiful craftmenship.

The displays are interesting and the tour through the workshop is very informative with information on various techniques, woods and fixings.

The centre runs short tours, on an unscheduled basis, through the workshop for $9 per person. The guides provide information on timber species, hull design, manufacturing methods etc. The commentary is pitched between the casual interest of a non boat person up to the novice who knows a little of the basics. For those with more in depth questions there is usually a qualified shipwright on hand who is happy to explain the details. There are some spectacular examples of very fine craftsmanship in timber. About 1 hour is probably enough to set aside for the centre.

Franklin is a pretty area but we discovered the Wooden Boat Centre by talking to locals. Well worth a stop to see how wooden modern day sail boats are made by hand - you can even enrol in a course. Very interesting

I took my husband to the boat centre recently as he is a small boat sailor from way back. This is actually a boat building school as well and students build a timber boat from scratch. Our guide took us through and spent a lot of time with us answering all our questions and we got to get up close to all the boats. I was very impressed as well even though boats are not my thing, and it was great to see a tradition being continued.

A great opportunity to be able to see up lose the time, effort and craftmanship that goes into building a wooden boat. I have built fibreglass boats so it was a privilege to see this very "old School" approach being taught and passed on. If I had the time I would certainly enroll for one of the courses. It is well worth taking the tour and seeing this up close. There are also some interesting vessels moored at the neighbouring jetty.

Stopped in Franklin at the Wooden Boat Centre really just to help pass the time. We did the tour and were so impressed with what we saw. It is both a School , to ensure the old craft of wooden boat building is passed on, as well as a boat building enterprise, and run by the local community. It was great to learn just what is involved in producing a beautiful timber boat. We were able to see a group of students working alongside their mentor, as well as with the woman who had commissioned the construction of the boat, working alongside as a student herself. A community volunteer conducted the tour, and she was so passionate and enthusiastic about it all.

We were so thankful to arrive just in time to catch the last tour of the day on our drive to Hobart from Dover, via several hours at the Tahune Air Walk. We'd fallen in love with the beauty of Franklin on our trip south a couple of days before, then heard about this place and really wanted to take a look.The glorious aroma of timber draws you in to a wonderful workshop where volunteers and craftsmen share the secrets of clinker-built boats, local timbers and some history & information surrounding their operation. There is plenty to see and do, and the almost unbearably picturesque location can keep a photographer entranced for hours. If we were young & free the temptation to attend this centre and learn from these artisans would be almost irresistible !I agree with Peter B that this was a privilege.* Just a note re an earlier review - this is not a tourist attraction, this is a business & training centre which opens its doors to allow the public the privilege of seeing their beautiful work.

I feel quite privileged to have happened upon this place - an attraction for sure, in that this is one of a handful of places in the world offering this level of tuition, that's right - its a school & a workshop, and as such should be approached with due respect.For the price of a sandwich one gets a tour of the workshop and an understanding of the technology . As an amateur boatbuilder its fascinating as a father its a worthy example of that 'working of an art' for the sake of custom.Peter B

we dropped in on our way to see Hastings caves after another tour we were on recommending we drop in we were pleasantly greeted by a lovely lady at the desk and led into the visitors centre to look around the display before they showed us around inside the workshop we were then greeted by one of the volunteers (Grahame) he was a charming older man with a wealth of knowledge and passion for the old craft of making timber (wooden) boats he showed us around in great detail of each step of the tour was of great interest even my wife found it very interesting enough we will return one day to see the old steamer at the docks returned to its former glory of having its original Steam engine refitted

The main part was closed for winter break when we visited but we were nonetheless shown boat-building in progress and given explanations about the same. The Centre has had an affect on the Franklin community which was inspiring to learn about.

Very interesting place..the artistry and talents of the local wooden boat makers are awesome. We love looking at the boathouses specially docked near the centre. The views are a bonus as well- tranquil waters and peaceful surroundings.

A wonderful insight into the history and importance of boating on the Huon River. It is a recommended stop for everyone, not only for boating enthusiasts.

Soooooo interesting.Loved the tour though the workshop seeing the boats under construction. I now I want to sign up and make my own boat!!!

My husband a keen sailor loved this place. He loved the tour we did around the wooden boat building school. Informative tour with lovely exhibits of wooden boats being built on site.