Cardiff boat museum

[stuckinthemud]

Hi everyone, I just got my dream job managing the soon-to-open boat museum in Cardiff, South Wales (yay me!); thing is this the museum is a completely blank slate; I have a small display area, classroom, cafe and working shipyard (restoring a 29m loa schooner and various small craft), pontoons but no slipway.
Sooo, what I would love from you guys is suggestions about what you think I can do here in the way of groups/clubs/and especially activities I could use to really make the place buzz.

Thanks in advance

[skuthorp]

Congratulations in spades stuckinthemud, though it seems your tide has well and truly come in. Hoist the main and set off!
Get the local schools involved and find a small boat builder who will help. "Friends" groups can be a great resource for a museum if there isn't one already.

[stuckinthemud]

Cheers S, still cant believe it. Yes I really want to get the schools involved, just not totally sure how - school visits and workshops for sure, just not certain best way to get ahead - I am a primary teacher by training and also a semi-pro woodcarver (I'll be doing the figure-head and decorative carvings on the schooner), so carving sessions (e.g. making blocks) could be on the agenda, but also need to develop a suitable education programme, to be honest my head is spinning a bit but in a good way...

[Peerie Maa]

Hi,
Talk to these people about setting up a Friends organisation: http://www.bafm.org.uk/ A lot of the stuff you ask about in your first post will spin out of a Friends organisation.

I guess the local schools history and technology tutors should be approached to see how you could marry up with their curricula, but you knew that anyway.

These are worth contacting http://www.nationalhistoricships.org...o-for-you.html

As you are running a shipyard, you are going to have to get up to speed on things like Health & Safety legislation, have you discussed a gap analysis and training with your new employers?

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks for those links, they will be very useful; there is a manager in for the 'yard so I'll be able to get up to speed with legislation via him; as the Council are a partner organisation we'll have to be super-squeeky clean on all that side of things, but things may get complicated if groups need/want to use the 'yard facilities, for instance if we were to join the coastal rowing project.

[jimkeen]

Congratulations and WOW what a responsibility to the community. I would suggest learning as much as yo can about this program and what they do.
http://www.buildingtoteach.com/about...out-joe-youcha
If you want it to be integral to the community you have to involve the youth and offer something different.
A basis kayak building class may be a easy start to get some traction and some revenue going.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[Phil Y]

Awesome! You got any funding? My dad is very much involved in an organisation called the Living Boat Trust in Franklin Tasmania. They are amazing. Well engaged with local schools through an "On the water" program, teaching kids to sail, work as groups etc. They have boatbuilding classes, oar making classes, a Raid. A very valuable and successful thing is the Tuesday evening workshop. A bit of "men's shed" in some ways, without trying to be. And it includes women. Basically looking after the boats, building new boats, learning skills, teaching skills, getting together for a chat and a meal. They'v built a great little community and a focus for what was a decaying small country town.

See more here. http://www.lbt.org.au/Welcome.html

[David Cockey]

Is this the museum with boats which were formely at Exeter described in http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk...n-cardiff-bay/ ?

[Larks]

Congratulations, I'll look forward to seeing some posts of how you go about setting things up, though I suspect that once you get going in earnest you'll be busier than ten men.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

...the soon-to-open boat museum in Cardiff, South Wales (yay me!);.....

1 - Congratulations on the new job.

Where and when? - Cardiff isn't a big place, but it's big enough to hide a museum quite effectively.

What kinds of boats do you intend to focus on.

[skuthorp]

The Armfield Slip in Goolwa, Sth Australia is a century plus boatbuilding yard now operated by volunteers and retired boat buiders to teach volunteers the skills of wooden boat building and repair. It involves the local High school wit a course that build several boats during the year including a couple every two years to raffle as part of financing the program. Here's the building,

More pics,
http://mysay.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/p...to_id=1291.jpg

And contact,
Rick Eylward
20 Billabong Road, Goolwa, 5214
Ph: 0428 254 821

There is a US forumite whose name escapes me who runs a school program building mostly canoes, but what canoes.
I'm sure someone will know who I mean.

[Hwyl]

Is this the museum with boats which were formely at Exeter described in http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk...n-cardiff-bay/ ?

I was going to suggest you get some stuff from the Exeter museum, Val Howells folkboat "Eira" is over here somewhere. The Menai Straits ferry "Nantlys" is (or was) in Caernarfon ..... lots of stuff.

35 years ago I met an old sailor in Bangor, who had sailed mostly in the slate trade, he knew shantys that were specific to the Welsh coast.

Have you seen this site http://freespace.virgin.net/r.cadwal...e/maritime.htm

[stuckinthemud]

Hi, yes it is the one from Wales online - World of Boats, Cardiff; located a stone's throw from the Norwegian Church as you proceed from there toward the Barrage footpath, behind the new Doctor Who exhibition. The exhibition space (indoor) is 400m2 (1000 ft2), so initially we will be concentrating on small/medium craft(sub 35ft) from all around the world though the list isn't finalised as yet, but we are also very keen to bring several larger vessels down for floating exhibits, including Silvery Light. Will post some pickies when things are a little more presentable, provisional opening date is somewhere around Aug. 15th.

[stuckinthemud]

Hi Guys, wanted to post some photos to update you on progress but the picture box is tiny with a cross on it. I'm trying to post from flickr using share and grab url then copying it to insert image and unchecking retrieve remote file. What am I doin wrong?

[Hwyl]

I think you just have to paste the "grab and share" url into the body of the message

[Duncan Gibbs]

Tres cool!

[Thorne]

You might try a tie-in with St. Fagans, if you can link or post signage from their nautical exhibits to your museum. You might also be able to do a temp exhibit in their outdoor / structure section if you get something showy that can handle being outside for a while.

Best of luck!

[stuckinthemud]

Hi all, thanks Duncan for finding/posting the pics., they are some of the boats stored in the 'yard waiting to go into the exhibition after cleaning; [IMG][/IMG]the boat-builders here are all smitten by the faering, but I like the Maltese water taxi best. Things are coming together quickly, but opening day is just a week away and things are looking a bit tight... some poor dabs have still got to lay 4km of mastic caulking in between the floor boards....
[IMG][/IMG]


How d'you like the view from our front window?

[IMG][/IMG]


The first of the boats going in. Video is working now, this shot was taken a few days ago while the screen protecters were still in place.


Wish us luck, will post again in a few days time.

[skuthorp]

Luck with the mastic, nasty stuff. I'll raise a jar to toast the opening.
Is that a reed boat in the background, 2nd pic #16?

[Vince Brennan]

Haloo, Stuck-In... by now you should'ae received me PM.

Looking for a reply.

Ball's in YOUR court, Lad!

[stuckinthemud]

One week to go, opening next Friday, everywhere's still a bit of a mess, but the end is definitly in sight. Thought u'd like to see the Gondola arriving

[IMG]



She's the longest boat on display with fabulous carved panels EVERYWHERE, but not the heaviest, the replica whaleboat from the Bounty gets that honour - over a ton and not the easiest to put into the display without a castor-bar or trailor.

/IMG]

[Full Tilt]

Hi Stuckinthemud,
Best wishes for you in your new job.
I would love to visit Cardiff and your museum since my family had a Chandlery and Sailmaking business there for over two hundred years. I have been trying to find out more about my ancestry and especially 'Tawton Brothers Sailmakers' which was located in what was once known, infamously, as 'Tiger Bay'. I understand there is a Sailmakers Guild of Cardiff that might have some pertinent records. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Mike

[stuckinthemud]

Hi Mike, Got to be honest, the Sailmakers Guild of Cardiff is a new one on me, never heard of it, but I'll ask around in work and see if I can find out anything for you. Give me a few days and if you don't hear from me send me a reminder. Regards

Incidentally, the museum is located on Porth Teigr - Tiger Gate - but much of the old Tiger Bay was cleared to make way for the Bay Redevelopment and barrage- lots of old houses removed, lots of new high rise offices and trendy flats constructed....

[Peerie Maa]

Try the Public Record Office
http://www.glamarchives.gov.uk/
They may have volunteers who will search on your behalf.

[stuckinthemud]

Mike, the sailmakers disbanded in 1938 and most of their records went to the Glamorgan archive but a small number of items were sent to the cardiff central library archive so they would be worth contacting too

[stuckinthemud]

The welsh maritime heritage site morol.eu should also be useful . Good luck

[Phil Y]

Boats from all over the world is pretty broad. Wouldn't it make sense to focus on local maritime history?

[stuckinthemud]

It is very broad, but there are very few local types beyond coracles, and we have examples of each of the major types. The exhibition has 30 small boats - all less than 23foot loa, except for the gondola - and is designed to give a history of boat development so it starts with dug-outs and reed boats then coracles, then canoes and kayaks and then more sophisticated craft such as the faering, jarring, etc. Still I have hopes that with enough volunteers and a certain amount of fundraising we may be able to reconstruct something like a Tenby lugger or Barry inshore pilot skiff....

[Hwyl]

The welsh maritime heritage site morol.eu should also be useful . Good luck

Needs some work.

[Full Tilt]

Mike, the sailmakers disbanded in 1938 and most of their records went to the Glamorgan archive but a small number of items were sent to the cardiff central library archive so they would be worth contacting too

Thanks Stuckinthemud and Peerie Maa, I'll give the Glamorgan Archives a try.
Mike