Boat building - a dying craft

The craft of boat building is dying out as other materials replace timber, and it would be a great pity if the trade is not passed on to new generations, Charles Vella said.

Mr Vella, a keen sailor who regularly takes part in international races and teaches boat building, suggested that the trade be taught at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology or at MCAST's Maritime Institute.

Mr Vella was born literally by the water's edge at Haywharf, close to the former Excelsior Hotel in Floriana.

His father, Paul, known as 'ta' Munita' was a master boat-builder who together with his brother Joseph was contracted to the British services stationed in Malta.

Paul Vella used to build the dghajjes tal-latini (boats with lateen sails) which were a regular form of transport between Malta and Gozo before the introduction of marine engines.

His workshop at Haywharf, where it still stands, was next door to the Royal Malta Yacht Club before the RMYC moved to Manoel Island in the 1970s.

Charles Vella's baptism of water was when he was seven, when he stealthily rigged a wooden crate after he careened it as best he knew, fitted it with a sheet he nicked from his mother's laundry and 'set sail' in Marsamxett Harbour, ending his jaunt near the propeller of the supply ship Ausonia that was moored near Lazarett, the quarantine hospital on Manoel Island.

Mr Vella's father used to employ five boat builders and was known for his ingenious touch - one time he converted airborne lifeboats into dinghies.

The airborne lifeboats were used during World War II when they were released by aircraft to assist crew to reach the coast.

"The Maltese are known for their skill as crewmen. A 16-foot open dinghy in the early 1950s used to cost about £65. Only the well-off could afford to buy such a craft but they often took on crewmen.

"Today, a 25-foot to 30-foot yacht second hand in good condition could set you back upwards of Lm7,000. Maintenance would cost about Lm800 annually and a further Lm300 in berthing fees.

"A brand-new yacht of the same size could fetch about Lm20,000 but boats depreciate substantially price-wise. Those who would rather not go to such expense would have to fork out about Lm3,000 for a sailing boat equipped with an outboard engine ," Mr Vella said.

Mr Vella recalled how his father used to wake up at about 5 a.m. when he was due to shape the main body of the boat he was building.

If there was no wind, he would fill a metal container with water and heat it up by burning logs, bringing the water to the boil. He would then leave the wood in the boiling water to soak for about two hours and then shape it while applying heat by a blow-lamp.

Once the body of the boat was finished, it was careened and caulked.

Mr Vella's father died aged 43 and Charles Vella lost no time to follow in his father's footsteps. Aged 14 he was building dinghies.

With the money he saved during the school holidays, he used to go to the UK to Jack Holt, the boat builders, where he honed his skill in boat building.

Officers in the Royal Navy who used to frequent the RMYC used their good contacts to get him other apprentice placements in the UK.