Maiden voyage for new form of traditional Bristol Channel boat

A NEW style of flatner has been launched by Watchet Boat Museum, only the second to be designed and built in a decade in what was the town’s Old Goods Shed.
The Somerset flatner was a traditional style of simple-constructed shallow draft boat which was once common in the Bristol Channel but which has since almost died out.
The new flatner boat is a brand new design using features found on various types of traditional flatners which can be seen in the museum
It was built single-handedly in the museum by curator John Nash and is designed to be inexpensive at around £250, using readily available materials, and easy for one person to construct.
Mr Nash said: “I did not do it this way to show off, just to prove that one person really can do it.
“I am most certainly not a boat designer, carpenter, or oarsman, so if I can do it - you can, too.”
He said the 12 ft 8 in boat was suitable for calm waters such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, and could take three people on board.
A successful maiden ‘voyage’ took place in Watchet’s harbour marina, where Mr Nash said the boat behaved ‘beautifully’.
The flatner was designed in consultation with the museum’s president, Commander G.I. Mayes, and was constructed from stock timber sizes with more than 90 per cent of the materials bought locally.
Mr Nash now intends to sell copies of the flatner plans and instructions for building one, to raise funds for the museum.
He said: “We cannot build the boat and sell it - EU regulations are very stringent - so, we hope to sell lots of the plans.
“If you follow the instructions, it really is simple to build and a joy to row.”
The new boat has been named after John Short, a renowed Watchet shantyman known as ‘Yankee Jack’, and the new class has been called ‘The Short Flatner’.
More details are available from John Nash by telephoning 01984 633117 or emailing jmn@wbm.org.uk, or by visiting http://www.wbm.org.uk/.
Watchet Boat Museum is run entirely by volunteers. Entry is free and it is open Easter to September, from 2 pm to 4 pm, but is closed on Mondays and Fridays.

• Our photograph shows John Nash preparing to launch the new flatner (top) and rowing on its maiden ‘voyage’ around the marina (below). Photos by Bruce Scott.