Exhibition

At Boathouse 4 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, you can watch boatbuilding in action and learn about the vital role of small boats in the Royal Navy, from the wooden cutters that ferried Lord Nelson to the cockleshell heroes in their canoes and the powerful motorboats that helped to win the Second World War. 

The exhibition features a range of fun interactives which bring these small craft to life:

- Take a seat in the activity boat and see if you can row in time with the other sailors.

- Test your strength and learn how block and tackle systems can make lifting even the heaviest of boats the easiest of tasks.

- Visit the boat theatre and discover the heroic exploits of the Coastal Forces and daring missions of the Second World War motor boats.  

The exhibition is open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm with a free Historic Quarter Pass.