© Clare Lallow Ltd, 2020
History
Clare Lallow’s was established in 1867 and has traded
continuously ever since. In that time the company has built
many different types of boat including dinghies, scows,
Jolinas, SCODs and dragons.
Early Boats
The company built ‘Britannia’, the double ended row boat
designed by Uffa Fox and used by John Fairfax when he
became the first person to row across an ocean (the Atlantic)
in 1969.
‘Brittania’ is now on view at the Classic Boat Museum in
Newport, Isle of Wight.
The boatyard also built many well known boats including
Clarion of Wight, Tiller Girl, Ambition a 5.5metre class, and
many X Boats. Lallow's is 1 of only 2 boatyards left with a
licence to build X boats.
The Daring class of boats was formed in 1960, based on a 5.5
metre hull. The company has fitted out more than thirty
boats over the years and continues to look after the fleet
throughout the year.
Morning Cloud / Opposition
In 1970 the yard was commissioned to build a yacht for the
then Prime Minister, Edward Heath. Morning Cloud II was
launched in 1971 and was so successful that his next boat was
also built by Lallow’s.
The company carried out a complete renovation of Morning
Cloud II over an eight month period in 2008 involving some
10,500 man hours. Painter Alex Nash who helped with her
original construction in the 1970’s came in to help with the
work and the boat continues to sail on a regular basis under
the name of ‘Opposition’.
Restoration - part 1
Restoration - part 2
Erida
Erida is one of the windfall boats, an ex-German navy boat
taken over by the occupying forces in 1945 and sailed to
England for training purposes. The 30m2 was allocated to the
Hamble and eventually fell in to disrepair. She was rescued by
Bob Gatehouse who found her in a derelict condition and
after some initial work in Poole, the boat was fully restored
at the Clare Lallow boatyard in 2009.
Refit Video - part 1
Refit Video - part 2
Virgo
Virgo was stripped back to bare timber and comprehensively
restored by the boatyard in 2014. Renovation work included
steaming in several new oak frames, fitting transom and bow
sections, new deck beams, new bulkheads and extensive
mechanical and electrical work. She is now a regular sight on
the Solent and its associated riverways and harbours.
For more information, see
http://www.virgopettersson.com/restoration.html
Splash
Splash is a great example of the sort of work we can do to
restore beautiful boats to their former glory. We removed
and replaced the original teak deck of the boat using
traditional techniques.
River Boats
As one of its latest projects, the boatyard has been working
on an exciting new venture building bespoke river boats
designed at the boatyard by the current owner, Laurie
Boarer. These have been designed to offer a very high level
of quality and space at a realistic and affordable price. The
boats are fully compliant with the rigorous design standards
for Thames-based craft and other waterways and interest in
the craft has been high since they were first announced. If
you would be interested in commissioning a new river boat,
please get in touch.
About the Owner
The boatyard is owned by Laurie Boarer and managed by him
and his wife, Pat. Laurie first started work in the yard when
he was an apprentice and was one of 28 employees at the
time. In 1978 he left the yard to further his career but
couldn’t resist the opportunity to buy the yard when it was
put up for sale in 1996.
In addition to turning around the marine part of the business,
securing jobs and developing traditional craftsmanship skills
through an effective apprenticeship scheme, Laurie has
developed a high quality joinery service as an important and
integrated part of the business.
The joinery service carries out all sorts of high quality work
and produces custom made doors, windows, conservatories
and staircases as well as bespoke marine and other furniture.
The company also supplies timber of all kinds.
For more information, please contact us directly or see
http://www.islandspecialisthardwoods.co.uk/
CLARE LALLOW - Boat Builders
3 Medina Road, Cowes. Isle of Wight. PO31 7BU
Tel: 01983 292 112. E-mail: lallows@lallowsboatyard.com