Ian Nicolson & Partners

Ian Nicolson was apprenticed to the traditional designer, Fred Parker and was one of the team involved in the first post-war rebuild of large Fife schooner ALTAIR. He did his journeymanship at John I Thornycroft's and later worked with Thornton Grenfell, who is widely considered Canada's (and indeed North America's) finest designer of traditional wooden fast motorboats and power cruisers.

After working for Alan Buchanan on wooden yacht designs, Ian Nicolson was the naval architect for 'Yachts and Yachting' magazine and then became a full partner in A Mylne & Co, the design firm set up in 1896 by Alfred Mylne, the First. When Alfred Mylne the Second died in 1979, Ian Nicolson took over as senior partner. He sold the firm in 2007 to Ace Marine of Limekilns, Scotland, but continues to do design, survey and consultancy work all over the world.

He has written 24 books and many articles on the design, survey, construction and operation of small marine craft and his next two books have been commissioned. He has extensive experience afloat, which includes building his own wooden yacht and sailing her single-handed across the Atlantic in 1954. Using these experiences, Ian Nicolson & Partners can do a wide variety of design, survey, drawing, alterations and consultancy work on historic and traditional vessels up to 150 feet or 45 metres in length.