ABOUT US

We, the Freebody family, can trace our links with the River Thames back to the 13th century with records showing ancestors earning a living as bargemen and ferrymen, and more recently during the 1800's and early 1900's at our previous site at Caversham in Berkshire.

When Peter took over the boatyard at Hurley from his grandmother in 1963, GRP built boats were coming into fashion. Peter was instrumental at that time in regenerating the interest in the building and restoration of traditional wooden launches.

With four family members now involved in the business, we take great pride in our heritage and are keen to move forward into the future with a continued commitment to keeping the tradition of quality boatbuilding & restoration alive on the River Thames.

PRESS COVERAGE

BEST OF BRITISH [Country Life] May 20th 2009
Reproduced with kind permission by Country Life
Photograph (this page) by Brian Moody
Words by Tessa Waugh

Viewing the collection of wooden boats on the moorings outside Peter Freebody and Co’s workshops in Hurley, Berkshire, many of which pre-date the use of fibreglass in boat building, you might have a sense of stepping back in time.

Mr Freebody (right), aged 74, is still very much at the helm of the boat-building company—building and restoring wooden boats—that he took over from his grandmother in 1963, and his family can trace their presence on this stretch of the Thames for 300 years.

‘As a family, we’ve tended to build for rivers and lakes. Gentle things.’ His father and grandfather were also boat builders: ‘As a small child, I used to “dolly up” [hold a weight behind the head of the nail] for my grandfather.’

Mr Freebody learned his trade in the 1950s, building sailing dinghies for the River Thames. ‘At the end of the 1950s, boat builders were beginning to experiment with plywood, fibreglass and other materials, and there was a dip in demand for my kind of work.’ Despite this decline, Mr Freebody has never suffered a shortage of work and, as a younger man, worked long hours to earn the reputation he holds today.

His two daughters are also much involved in the business, and his son has followed him into the trade. ‘There’s a lot of genetics involved in our type of craft. Learning goes a long way, but unless there’s a talent, too, there’s nothing to back it up.’ These days, he shares his enthusiasm for wooden boats with a new generation of customers.

‘There is a large pool of people who have a dormant love f old things, and they like to satisfy this love by patronising someone with an old skill.

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DOWNLOAD LIBRARY

Country Life (2009) May [download the article]
As part of their 'Best of British' series Country Life features Peter Freebody & Co in the category of boat builders.

Water Craft (2007) Issue 64 [download the article]
'Mr Freebody's Subtly Superior Slippers' is the title of this article about our approach to maintaining traditional qualities in our new build slipper launches.

Yachting Classic (2005) Issue 27 [download the article]
A French yachting magazine's article about what we do best. If you're French ins't up to it, don't worry, the pictures in this article do all the talking.

Classic Boat (2000) Issue 150 [download the article]
BB of St Tropez is a magnificent Riva Aquarama reputedly once owned by Brigitte Bardot and fully restored at our yard in Hurley.

Motor Boat Yachting (1997) Issue 2732 [download the article]
An article following the story of two new slipper stern launches commissioned from our yard.

Classic Boat (1992) Issue 50 [download the article]
An article about the steamship 'SS Alaska' built in 1883 which we had the pleasure of restoring.

Classic Boat (1991) Issue 32 [download the article]
Recounts the story behind the Electric launch 'Luella' that was commissioned by a client in upstate New York.

Classic Boat (1990) Issue 37 [download the article]
The fascinating story of the restoration of 'Herring Gull' a Camper & Nicholson yacht tender built in 1926 and restored by us.