West System International (WSI) is proud to have supported Watercraft Magazine’s Amateur Boat Building Awards (ABBA) which was held at this year’s Beale Park Boat and Outdoor Show. Aiming to encourage people to have a go at building their own boats, WSI is delighted to have joined forces with its distributor, Robbins Timber, to reward every successful entrant to this years competition.
The competition for enthusiasts, which has been running under various names for over 20 years, attracts entrants from across Europe. It recognises excellence in home-built boats in three categories: boats which offer the most encouragement to beginners; boats which demonstrate innovation; and boats which look professionally built.
According to Pete Greenfield, editor of Watercraft Magazine, most amateur boat builders now use marine epoxy to create highly professional results. “Whether you’re using a pre-built kit or building from scratch using plywood or strip planking, marine epoxy is the perfect way to bond the components, fill any gaps and finally seal the craft. Boats such as Billie Bean, which won the ‘Most Professional-Looking Home-Built Boat’ category, show the results that can be achieved are often quite extraordinary.
“It is very appropriate that the competition is sponsored by WSI,” said Greenfield. “After all, one of the merits of using WEST SYSTEM® epoxy is that it is Lloyds approved which makes boats much easier to sell – should that day come. But it’s also a company that is very generous with its unique insight and knowledge. You can phone up people like Dave [Johnson] and Hamish [Cook] at WSI and immediately tap into a vast amount of marine epoxy experience which goes back over 50 years to when the Gougeon brothers first started using epoxy for marine use.”
Ian Oliver, Managing Director of WSI, said: “The Amateur Boat Building Awards is designed to encourage people to take up the challenge of creating their own boat by rewarding those that have already risen to the challenge. This year – as always – the results speak for themselves. Our sincere congratulations go to all those whose efforts have been rewarded.”
