July / August 2021

Denman Marine

Where craftsmanship meets conservation

Bruce Stannard

Andrew Denman began his professional career as an air-traffic controller. After studying boatbuilding at the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin, Tasmania, he opened his own business, Denman Marine, in 2004. The company is now one of Australia’s most diverse and respected wooden boat builders.

Andrew Denman is a wooden boat craftsman and a committed conservationist. His company, Denman Marine, situated at Kettering, on the shores of the picturesque D’Entrecasteaux Channel in the Australian island state of Tasmania, is internationally recognized for its outstanding workmanship across a wide range of boats and construction methods.

The five-man shop is diverse: It has built numerous small daysailers designed by Iain Oughtred; it represents and manufactures kits for the American companies Chesapeake Light Craft and Grain Surfboards; it sells boatbuilding supplies; and it has restored—and is the process of restoring—some of the most notable classic boats in Tasmania.

The growth and diversity of Denman Marine is all the more remarkable because Andrew Denman, at age 52, is relatively young. And 17 years ago, he was not an experienced boatbuilder. He was a disgruntled air-traffic controller.