Puppets Community

Boat Gallery

Byker Boat

At 22ft Byker Boat is almost twice as long as our earlier boats.

This is our fifth community boat and this time we are linking into the Scottish coastal rowing circuit by building a a St Ayles skiff which is another Iain Oughtred design.

Click Byker Boat for more details.

The ApprenticeSHIP Project

the ApprenticeSHIP Project is one of PuppetShip's maritime themed workshop.

Over 10 weeks, a group of up to 10 fourteen year old students learn the skills necessary to transform a pile of timber and plywood into a beautiful and unique sailing dinghy.

The participants, (who may have been underachieving within their formal education) are offered this inspirational learning experience in the hope that they might re-engage with their study after realising their true potential.

-it works! We give teenagers more responsibilities and they act more responsibly.

Through this transaction the participants gain something they would rather not lose - respect.

Feedback from an AppSHIP1 participant

"The most surprising thing that someone has said was, “I’m proud of you!” and that they believed that I can do it because I didn’t believe I could do it until Alex…. He was like, “we will do it! I promise you, we will get it done!” I think that made us believe that we could."

See The ApprenticeSHIP Project for more

Ships and boats as community arts venues

This is a typical barge interior space which could be converted into a Puppet Theatre

The type of vessel we intended to convert from 2004-2007 was a Dutch Barge, this business plan is still very much achievable, although the large tidal range of the Tyne means that smaller vessels result in very steep gangway angles.

At the time we made representations to the Local Authorities that the Quayside pontoons installed for the Tall Ships Festival of 2005 should be retained as community facilities, however the pontoons and their important wheelchair access were dismantled after the Tall Ship fleet sailed off.

Pontoons which rise and fall with the tide are desirable for Quayside access to medium sized vessels 80-140ft (24-42m) and essential for public access to all smaller vessels. Maritime regeneration of the miles of unused regional quaysides relied upon these pontoons being re-installed. Larger vessels, over 140ft (+42m) are tall enough to allow a variety of gangway landing heights.

Ex-commercial barges would have carried 250-300 tons

and are large enough for two busses, to be placed end-to-end in their hold.