About

BOATHOUSE 4 EXHIBITION

After a major refurbishment, Boathouse 4 has reopened and is now home to the International Boatbuilding College. Assisted by Portsmouth and Highbury colleges, this venture helps train a new generation of students in the techniques of traditional boatbuilding and other related skills, which are still very much required today to build and conserve wooden boats.

Overlooking the boat building college is a naval exhibition that provides visitors with the opportunity to discover the fascinating world of small boats - which were the backbone of the Royal Navy. Ships such as HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and The Mary Rose would not have seen the success they did had it not have been for the small craft ferrying their food supplies and troops from the docks.

This exciting new exhibition in Boathouse 4 tells the story of small craft, from wooden cutters that ferried Lord Nelson to and from his flagship, to powerful motorboats that helped win WW1. The exhibition features a range of innovative interactive exhibits which bring these small craft to life!

Take a seat in the activity boat and see if you can row in time with the other sailors. Test your strength on 'lift yourself’ and learn about how different weight distributions can make lifting even the heaviest of boats the easiest of tasks. Enter the boat theatre and learn the heroic exploits of the Coastal Forces and daring missions of the WW2 motor boats. For those visitors feeling extra courageous, you can put your wits to the test by scaling the amazing ‘Mast & Rigging’ experience to see if you've got what it takes to make it to the top of the crow’s nest! (small extra fee applies)

This mezzanine floor area, overlooking the college trainees busy at work, offers visitors of all ages the opportunity to explore the UK’s largest collection of small Royal Naval craft and find out about their role at the sharp end of naval operations.