Dry Dock is a one-off product made from my local materials. I re-used unwanted teak from my childhood home, Steam Schooner ‘Asteroid’, which was built in 1887 and is now being scrapped.
This project involved extensive research and reclaiming of teak, and exploration of victorian boat joints and structure, patina and finish. I had to work with short sections of teak because the boat lengths were riveted every 400mm. I chose to make a coffee table because it is a centrepiece household item that suited the shorter lengths I reclaimed, and would work as a curved, boat shape.
Dry Dock takes its cue from its Victorian history in its joints, structure and material. The design works with the language of the original schooner, referencing boat ribs and a rubbing strake, along with a nod to a dry dock with the legs. It re-uses teak cut in the 1860s, to create an elegant living room focal point that re-finds the original beauty and feel of the wood.
My project has demonstrated that with creativity and design, beautiful items can be made from boat timber that is of high quality, timber that is being discarded from thousands of boats of all kinds that come to the end of their working life in the UK. These items can reference for the consumer the boat’s unique maritime history.
Dry Dock is a coffee table crafted from reclaimed teak of the 1887 steam schooner Asteroid.
This project showcases how creative design can transform high-quality, discarded boat timber into beautiful, functional art, preserving the UK’s maritime heritage and honoring the legacy of a special vessel.