John Wilkinson

Valkyrie Craft

Boat builder

Watercraft from another time

John is a maker of traditional skin-on-frame watercraft
He is based on the north coast of Northern Ireland
One of his boats was featured on HBO’s Game of Thrones

A school teacher by profession, John Wilkinson had a lifelong love of working with wood. His other passion was canoeing. In 2005, he combined these two activities by founding Valkyrie Craft – a boatmaking workshop specialising in building canoes, kayaks, paddles and wooden boating accessories. John focuses on producing beautiful and functional boats using age-old skills and designs, mostly with simple human-powered tools. His canoe designs originate from North American indigenous craft, his kayaks are made using Inuit heritage techniques, and the currachs and coracles he builds are inspired by traditional Celtic boatbuilding. John handcrafts his boats from start to finish, binding them with artificial sinew, wooden dowels and thread. The hit HBO series Game of Thrones featured one of John’s vessels in Season 2.

Interview

How does your creative process unfold?: Creativity is limited by the need for safe, functional end products. The variations and modifications unfold through conversations with the customer, including discussions exploring the intended use, the person's size and shape, and the visual impact they wish to make.
What are your primary specialisations?: Alongside the use of traditional woodworking tools are the use of knots, lashing and dowels to hold the watercraft together in place of modern screws, glues and nails. Understanding of shape and structure in the planning and making of a functional and beautiful watercraft is also important.
What would you suggest to someone starting out in boat making?: Take time to understand the relationship between form and function of traditional boats. Be slow, patient, and gentle in working with natural materials and remember that steam bending is based on asking wood to change shape, not forcing it.
How do tradition and innovation intertwine in your work?: The building techniques and materials used in my craft are traditional. The use of modern materials where traditional ones are no longer appropriate or available, such as animal skins and sinews, which are replaced by nylon cloth and artificial sinew, respectively, is innovative.

John Wilkinson is a master artisan: he began his career in 2005 and he started teaching in 2012