Boatbuilding as we know it is not a sustainable process. The dawn of mass production GRP boats from the 1960s onwards fuelled an explosion in sailing participation and boat ownership. Rather than building each boat from scratch, as wooden boats have been since time immemorial, GRP boats can be laminated and popped out of a mould at speed, their fair lines cloned from one single plug tens or hundreds of times. The cost of buying boats tumbled and allowed many to get on the water for the first time, and for that, fibreglass is to be lauded – a miracle material that is immensely strong, light, robust and virtually maintenance free.
Boat building is big business, with an estimated six million leisure boats now bobbing around in Europe and 10,000 new
