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Brian R

Brian started rebuilding Land Rovers at 13.  At 16 his school arranged a week’s work experience at Henwood and Dean and Brian’s ambition

Brian started rebuilding Land Rovers at 13.  At 16 his school arranged a week’s work experience at Henwood and Dean and Brian’s ambition to become a boat builder was launched. He took ‘A’ Levels in Design and Technology, Physics and Photography. When he left school he worked for a haulage and road surfacing company as a welder/fabricator mobile mechanic and saved the fee for the 38 week course at the Boat Building Academy, which he joined in March 2013.  As part of his training Brian built ‘Bunduki’, a 16′ V-hulled jet ski powered boat, design inspired by a Donzi Sweet 16.  The boat was such a success that it featured in a number of magazine articles, including prestigious WoodenBoat magazine’s Small Boats 2015 (page 86).  As soon as the course finished Brian went back to Henwood and Dean as an employee.  Brian says ‘While at Henwood and Dean I’ve rebuilt a cabin cruiser including; upgrading to a diesel engine, planking, fitting a new transom, and totally renewing all systems. I’ve replaced all the timbers in a very early motor canoe and fitted an entire new bottom in an ‘Andrews’ slipper launch; entirely new planking, stem, keel, shaftlog, hog and replacement engine. I’ve replaced the framing and repaired the timbers in a traditional Thames skiff and am currently reconfiguring/refitting the cockpit of a wooden power boat.

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