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.

Sadly, Peter passed away in December 2010. His wife Elizabeth and all of the Freebody family would like to thank Peter's many friends, colleagues and customers for their kind thoughts and prayers. Peter's legacy will live on through the continuation of the family business under the stewardship of Richard, his sisters and family, and the team at the boatyard.

Richard Way, a close friend of Peter, wrote a moving eulogy to Peter that was shared at his funeral. We reproduce this eulogy here (with many thanks to Richard), as it captures so much of Peter's rich and colourful character and life.

Peter Freebody and wooden boatbuilding have become synonymous, and he is famous throughout the traditional boatbuilding world. This determination to maintain the ethos of craft boatbuilding at Hurley has been so successful, that it has provided a foundation for the general revival of boatbuilding in The Middle Thames. His passion for the centuries-old tradition of the Freebody family trade on the river at Caverham & Henley drove him to strive to ensure that the business would survive for the next generation. [click here to read more about Peter...]