“Ned Trewartha is one of the rare true artists. His boats have Soul. All good boats seem somehow to be more than the sum of their parts and Ned’s especially have a real quality which sets them apart. They make one think: ‘I want this boat!’

It seems as if every single piece is shaped from a board, a log, a tree, or a special pile of stored material, which is unique and does not simply come from a timberyard. Many are in fact recycled from other boats and artefacts which have served their purpose, and now live on in a new form.

Tasmania really does have some of the finest boatbuilding timbers in the world, and although the best of them are now rare, hard to find and expensive, Ned will not hesitate to use the best material for a particular job, in a particular boat, without a thought of the cost.

I wonder if Ned’s unique and extraordinary boats are truly appreciated for their real value. Certainly, for some of the fortunate owners they are. But I was surprised at the recent Australian Wooden Boat Festival that out of 130,000 visitors, he did not sell his superb Acorn 15 HELGA several hundred times over. Such an artist needs, deserves, to be adequately rewarded for the time, and for the skilled work he puts into his creations, so that he is able to continue unrestricted by uncomfortable practical considerations.

In other times, in more ‘primitive’ cultures, artists and craftsmen were truly respected and ranked high in the social order. Much of their work still lives on and is wondered at, hundreds and even thousands of years after it was done. Maybe we can be moving back towards this more enlightened attitude, when it is generally accepted that earning huge amounts of money is not the most important thing: may in fact be a dubious ambition, unfulfilling and not worthy of great respect at all.

And of course it’s not only the beauty, the craftsmanship in Ned’s boats that commands attention. I am full of admiration for his inspired imagination which has such a need to create beautiful things out of bits of dead boats, from offcuts of fine wood which can become something new, something unimagined and perhaps of straightforward practical use. Each piece is so finely shaped and beautifully finished, even when it’s plainly done just for fun. Wee leftover scraps which we would throw in the stove, Ned will likely see something lurking in there which is calling out to be revealed, to be brought to life!”

Iain Oughtred
March 2011