But our legacy will live on

Since we opened our doors in 2015 we have trained over 100 students. Many have gone on to forge careers in boatbuilding, boat restoration, and allied industries; preserving traditional skills for future generations. We are immensely proud of their success and our small part in it.

The decision to close has been a very difficult one to make and has not been taken lightly. Rising costs and falling students numbers have made it impossible to continue. Our current students will graduate as planned, but no more students will be enrolled and the College will close completely in March 2023. We understand that this will be upsetting news for many who hoped to study with us in future years. We hope that you take comfort from knowing that there are still two excellent boatbuilding colleges in England; IBTC Lowestoft and the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis.

We are immensely grateful to Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, who rescued the College when it fell into financial difficulties in 2017. They have raised funds, invested in our team and provided practical support throughout the last five years. We wish to thank them and our amazing staff for all the hard work and dedication to traditional wooden boatbuilding that they have demonstrated.

Boathouse 4, the beautiful inter-war building where we are based, will remain open and continue to be an important hub for boat restoration and maintenance skills. Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust's team of brilliant volunteers and staff will maintain the Trust's world-class collection of historic boats in the building for years to come.