Traditional Wooden Boat Builder

About Charlie

 

Charlie’s workshop is between St. Agnes and Perranporth, on the north Cornwall coast.

Charlie is passionate about traditional wood working techniques and tools, being creative when ever an opportunity presents itself.

Charlie discovered the love of boats through competitive rowing. Living and breathing the sport, constantly searching to refine the art of the perfect stroke and rhythm. He represented Great Britain as a junior, and went on to row at Oxford Brookes University before turning his hand to coaching.

In a change of career, Charlie decided to follow his passion for working with wood, and completed the Boat Building course at Falmouth Marine School. Whilst there, he and fellow students built the Energy 2, a Cornish Pilot Gig.

After graduating from Falmouth Marine School, Charlie spent several years focusing on repairs to traditional clinker built wooden boats, including many Cornish Pilot Gigs, from a small workshop in St Agnes railway yard. In 2023, he moved to a bigger workshop at Cligga Head Industrial Estate. In 2025, his wife Anna joined Charlie in the workshop as an apprentice and together we completed our first new build.

In his spare time, Charlie rows for St. Agnes gig club. He is also an RNLI crew member for the St Agnes Lifeboat.

A woodworking workshop with a wooden boat in progress on a stand, surrounded by tools, sawdust, and woodworking equipment.
A brass plaque on a white wooden surface reads: 'Charlie and Anna Jenkins of C. E. Jenkins Boat Builder St. Agnes 2025.' There are metal hardware and a dark rope below the plaque.
A man and woman standing on the beach barefoot, smiling, with their arms around each other. Behind them is a Cornish Pilot Gig with red lettering that reads 'SUMMERLEAZE,' and in the background, there is a rocky cliff and cloudy sky.
A Cornish Pilot Gig rowing boat with paddles on a sandy beach under a cloudy sky, with the ocean in the background.