John J McShea Boatbuilder & Craftsman

John McShea is a skilled craftsman based in Frogmore in South Devon who has been offering boat building and boat restoration services since 1998.

My career in boat building and restoration started on the Thames whilst working for Peter Freebody’s and co and later on sailing dinghies, launches and yachts in the South West.

Boatbuilding is the foundation of all products from my workshop.

The finest craftsmanship with unique creative flair and attention to detail.

I have been producing work professionally and have restored and re-built many boats from dinghies to yachts.  Specialising in the highest quality woodwork with a creative and original touch.

Dinghies

Salcombe yawls have been a regular on my workshop floor being rebuilt, restored or re- decked for two generations of the Stones family. 

These beautiful boats can be seen racing very competitively throughout the summer in the Salcombe estuary and as a fleet are are recognised as being one of the countries finest examples of traditionally built clinker dinghies.

Yachts

Yachts by their very nature require care and upkeep especially as they age. 

Repairs and alterations that are carried out on them needs to be appropriate to the style they are built in and for the changing structural needs that they may have as they mature.

A whole keel may need replacing, or just a few cabinets making for a galley, either way I believe that a boat should look as though no new work has taken place; that the new cabinets, keel, or winch block had always been there.

New Builds

Building new boats gives me the opportunity for to express my own distinct style of woodwork that has been developed over the years through various influences.

This can be seen in finishing details such as edges, use of curves, timber choice, and in signature construction methods.

Along with his boat building and boat restoration work John also excels in bespoke woodwork and design along with wooden artwork and sculpture. Take a look at his website to find out more.