Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

The oldest videos from the London Boat Show - 1955 to 1979

by Magnus Smith 12 Jan 12:00 GMT
London Boat Show in the 70s © British Pathé

Do you remember the early days of the London Boat Show, when it was at Olympia or Earl's Court each January? As that time of year rolls around again, we can take a look into our video archive and round-up the earliest newsreels that covered the event. There were 36 in total but we will embed just the best ones here for your amusement.

Sadly, our enjoyment of the now-classic craft (and never-seen-again inventions) may be occasionally marred by sexism as sometimes the narrator makes bad puns about the bikini-clad girls. They must have had a miserably cold time in that huge unheated space in the depths of a British winter.

We start with the shows at Olympia, and the earliest one we can find is from the mid-Fifties...

1955 shows a great mix of royal barge, film star, boat building, and the first twin-hulled speedboat.

1956 shows us a folding Pixie canoe, coracle building, Donald Campbell and notes that 39ft is the largest yacht present.

1957 shows Uffa Fox, 'Bluebird', barnacles from an Atlantic crossing, and the caravan-boat hybrid.

1959 has a hydrofoil runabout, Mike Hawthorne, a boat with a fridge, plus craft as large as 56ft are now on display.

Now we reach the point where the venue changes to Earl's Court, as the Sixties begin...

1962 mentions 350 exhibitors, a revolutionary hull built of concrete, and we see Bell Woodworking and Stuart engines on display.

1964 features John Pertwee, a cruising trimaran, and Russel Brock fresh from a Wayfarer cruise from Scotland to Iceland.

1965 displays a medal-winning Flying Dutchman, and a dinghy simulator.

1967 stars the P class, Moth, and a scaled-up Mirror.

1968 has 'Gypsy Moth' plus a National 12 with exciting new transom flaps.

We move to the Seventies, and colour film, though we're still at the same venue...

1970 - the brightly-coloured Skipper dinghy, the cheaply-priced Tomboy, and celebrities of the day.

1974 featuring the Gull, Wayfarer, Fireball, and Solo dinghies.

1978 has the Topper, Bumblebee and Scorpion.

Finally we end with 1979 where technology has advanced to give us a windsurfing simulator, plus we see the Optimist and Hobie cats.

Related Articles

The Proving Ground
Why the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by FERGUS is such an important regatta The end of an Olympic quadrennial cycle often brings sailing campaigns to an end. Some partnerships in doublehanded classes split, with helm and crew going their separate ways, while others use the time to reflect on their future. Posted on 1 Apr
The most important job in sailing
How Nick Scott is delivering radical change to competitive sailing pathways in the UK I am putting forward that falls to Nick Scott and his team. Namely to secure its competitive future by addressing challenges and delivering radical change while bringing people on that journey with him. Posted on 31 Mar
Revealing the Secrets of the 'Impossible' XR 41
An out and out race yacht, but also a sporty cruiser, thanks to its modular interior The XR 41 from X-Yachts was quite a departure from what they'd been doing for the last 15 years: concentrating on high-end Performance Racing Cruisers. This is an out and out race yacht, but it's also a sporty cruiser, thanks to its modular interior. Posted on 27 Mar
Going to publish the 'F' word – Again!
Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing Now we published the first one back in June last year. It did really well, thank you. Very much appreciated. Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing, and are keen to get into the foiling world. Posted on 23 Mar
RYA influences MCA's changes to regulations
Interview with Niall McLeod to see how Sport and Pleasure Code of Practice affects us The RYA have been working closely with the the government to make sure that new regulations for leisure vessels are not too restrictive. It seems that any group which operates a "coded" vessel should be thankful. Posted on 18 Mar
No more excuses
2025 is all about the club sailors, the weekend warriors, the open meeting stalwarts I was wondering if things were going to slow down in sailing after the huge events of 2024, namely the Olympics, America's Cup and Vendée Globe but, if anything, they've speeded up. Posted on 17 Mar
The oldest video footage of sailing in Ireland
A look back into our video archive, from 1926 to 1980 As we prepare for St Patrick's Day tomorrow, let us direct our exploration of the video archive towards anything Irish. We have discovered several videos from Ireland, starting as early as the 1920s! Posted on 16 Mar
Two boats. Same Direction.
You know the deal… It means there's a race on. You know the deal… It means there's a race on. So, the second South Pacific Superyacht Rendezvous is set for August 26 to 29, 2025. If it is even half as much fun and interesting as the first one, then it will bolster its burgeoning reputation. Posted on 9 Mar
The 600 Sweet Spot
The world of offshore racing is booming around the world The world of offshore racing is booming around the world. Record entries, some of the world's fastest yachts and highest profile campaigns, and a plethora of Corinthian teams have the 'classics' on their bucket list. Posted on 4 Mar
Inaugural Fast Women's Switch Training Camp
Some of the best sailors in the world gathered in Thailand The first ever Fast Women's Switch Training Camp took place at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Thailand, attracting some of the best sailors in the world, fresh from competing in the Australia Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 4 Mar