• Carpenters and apprentices at work on the keel of the Aurelia.
  • Foreman carpenter in the boatshed, with sternpost of the Aurelia.
  • A completed frame, with the planking underway.

History

Although the current boatshed dates from around 1900, its site has been a place for boatbuilding and repair since the 1820s.

The first boatshed at the head of the slipway was built in 1844 by Hay & Company. Until then all boats had been made outside.  The shed meant carpenters could work all year, regardless of weather or poor daylight, making boatbuilding more profitable for Hays.

Together with the summer herring curing business, the shed provided year-round employment in skilled trades serving the fishing industry and became the hub of the company’s operation.

To keep the sheds in business, timber and spars, ironwork, cordage, nails, sailcloth and paint had to be imported. Shipwrights, carpenters, sawyers, blacksmiths, sail makers, riggers and labourers built the boats that, in turn, provided work for coopers, gutters, carters and more labourers.

David Leask was the boatshed foreman for more than 40 years, and supervised the building of his biggest and last creation, the Fifie Swan in 1900. John Shewan followed him, creating many craft, including the Maggie Helen (now Loki) in 1904 and the motor-powered Venture in 1909.

Boatbuilding slowed down dramatically from the 1920s, although repairs kept its tradesmen busy. Through the 1930s, Shetland’s RNLI lifeboats were overhauled annually in the shed.

Up Helly Aa galleys were built in the boatshed until 1939. From the 1940s, the shed fell silent and was used mainly as a timber store for the next 50 years, before being renovated and incorporated into the Museum and Archives.