Classic Boat

Admire the world's most beautiful boats, brought to life through breath-taking photography. Classic Boat offers a unique blend of yacht reviews, seamanship and restoration features, history and design columns, practical advice and coverage of the leading international regattas and events. Whether your interest lies in working on restoration projects or sailing in classic regattas; whether you're a wooden boat owner or simply an admirer of traditional marine workmanship, Classic Boat will have something for you.

And so it begins,

Classic Boat

BROADS RACER RETURNS • The Edwardian Broads racer Sparklet survived a war and an unsympathetic conversion, and is now back to her best

Classic Boat Awards 2025

BBA students' entirely ‘British wood’ builds

THE FIRST CONCORDIA • The hurricane of ‘38 wrecked 3,000 boats – but it also founded the legend of the Concordia yawls

Chris Craft raises the bar

The tender touch • A photo triggered some tippy memories

Heard mentality • Sam Heard, like his father and grandfather before him, is in the business of building no-nonsense yachts and workboats in GRP. He’s just built the hundredth Heard 28, and this one’s in memory of his father

HAUTE MOTEUR • Frantz Liuzzi was once described as a man who embodied the engeineering brilliance of Gordini and the style of Dior, as demonstrated by this, now fully restored, Lido runabout

HYERES TODAY… • Sam Jefferson narrates a salt-soaked trip through France’s Mediterranean islands aboard a Hillyard 4-tonner

LAST OF THE MELONSEEDS • Over 500 of the cult Melonseed Skiffs have been built, but now the builder has retired and their future is hanging…

RACE TO THE FINNISH • In the mid-1960s, amid a world split between conflict and global peace movement, and between wood and glassfibre, a new boat in build in Finland would change sailing forever

CANVAS OPINION • The world of sails in full colour, or should it be more black and white? We explore the options, uses and vagaries

Semantics to a soaking • An Atlantic sail & trouser crisis

Getting Afloat

Yard News

THE WAY OF THE FOX

DREAMS & TREASURES

Boatbuilder’s Notes

Traditional Tool

Letters

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Marina mind mush • A stormbound marina stuck on shore is all at sea, writes Dave Selby