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As we gear up for the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival, we’re excited to share stories from one of our long-time exhibitors, Boatcraft Pacific. Known for their cutting-edge marine products and enthusiastic participation, Boatcraft Pacific has been a wonderful supporter of our festival for over a decade.
In his own words, Boatcraft Pacific Director Edward Phillips reflects on the joy of being part of the festival, the incredible community of wooden boat lovers they’ve connected with, and the fun-filled moments that keep them coming back year after year. From memorable boatbuilding competitions to product demonstrations that have inspired countless visitors, Boatcraft Pacific’s experience is one worth sharing.
We love going to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival!
Every two years we make the trip to Hobart, and every time we are lucky to witness the harbour full of classic wooden boats and exhibitors, and crowds of wooden boat enthusiasts, all enjoying a yarn or two and sharing their experiences and ideas.
"Simply the Best!"
Counting back the years from our first attendance, we’ve made sure to be there for every year, and while I have only been at the most recent festival in 2023, as part of the BoatCraft Pacific product display and demonstrations, every other festival I’ve been to, Geelong, Goolwa, Paynesville and Davistown have all made an impression on how our community is growing and changing with the newest technology and materials.
Over the last ten years or so, and at as many festivals that will let us, we’ve also run the Quick and Dirty/ Rough and Ready Boatbuilding Competitions, which enable entrants of all skills and abilities, to join with others to let their marine dreams become reality.
Tasked with a few sheets of plywood, some lengths of hoop pine, and our Epox-E Glue, the teams create a “seaworthy” vessel, in just a few hours, and within 24 hours the boats are ready to launch!
The contestants then have the momentous task of not only floating it with all members aboard the next day, but competing in a race that never fails to be the centrepiece of anywhere it’s held, with a wide assortment of propulsion methods and infrequent “discouraged” cheating, the victors, and victims receiving cheers and trophies for their efforts, style, eco-friendly approach and sportsmanship.
When we talk about the reliability of our products, we mean it.
When you are on the water and something goes wrong, land can seem a long way away, that’s when you need something easy, safe and reliable, and that’s something you can count on with our range.
Earlier this year, Brendan, our showroom manager, suffered an unexpected rapid disassembly of the tiller on his trailer sailor, and was saved through having a jar of Epox-E-Glue on board.
Being such a simple product, he was able to mix it, in-situ, and have it cure with enough durability and light bracing to temporarily berth at a local dock, where he could shore it up with further reinforcement material, and some Bote-Cote.
We never leave the shore without it.
At the last AWBF in 2023, we gave away a full kit of our own “Joey” Rowing and Motor Dinghy, and the winner, Campbell Douglass from Buderim in QLD, became the newest sailor in his family, having never built a boat in his life. He even got some hands on advice from the designer of the boat, Dr. Bruce McConkey.
We are doing the same again this year.
Come and visit us at our stand in Princes Wharf 1 to enter to win the Boatcraft Pacific ‘Joey’ Rowing and Motor Dinghy kit.
It’s free to enter, and while you’re here, we’d love to hear more about what you’re working on, or what other things you might be interested in.
The kit includes all of the same materials that would be expected, Bote-Cote Epoxy, Filler Powders, Epox-E-Glue and Aquacote of your
choice to finish.
The whole thing can be built in just a matter of weeks, and is now fully CNC cut, taking a lot of the time and difficulty more commonly associated with kit boats out of the equation.
Free entry for all attendees over 18, –
you could win a ready to build Dinghy
or Canoe Kit with everything you
need to complete the job.
Just visit our stand and fill in an
entry form.
However, you get there, be it sailing, rowing, flying, driving or walking, we’ll see you there, and we hope you all have a great show.
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Edward Phillips
Director
Boatcraft Pacific
