Thousands of William (Bill) Garden vessels have been built over the last six decades. These boats have been built all over the globe and have travelled across oceans, worked for a living and received accolades for their gracious lines and great seaworthiness.

A Canadian by birth, Garden moved to Seattle at the age of ten. He spent much of his time learning the art of sail and boat building around the shores of Lake Union.

Bill Garden spent many successful years in his Seattle offices, eventually moving back in British Columbia where he is a respected icon for many boat builders and owners. Though he has lived and spent his career in the Pacific Northwest, Garden designed boats have been built around the world.

Bill Garden, now retired, lives on an idyllic small island off Sidney, BC. There he has a home, studio, workshops and boatsheds. This is a place of inspiration and throughout his career. Officially, he is retired though his interest in boats continues. Mr. Garden has produced designs for vessels which have been produced in all parts of the world. He is reknowned for his ability to create a wide range of craft. His boat designs have been custom built as one of a kind but have also become popular production boats. Bill Garden's drawing board has produced traditional sailing boats of exquisite proportions and balance. His trawlers are distinctive and respected cruisers. Their lines are based on Pacific Northwest working boats have been widely copied.

Another distinctive set of designs can be categorized as "skinny and fast.These sleek and unusual boats have proved to indeed fast, seaworthy and efficient. Somewhere in between the full displacement trawlers and the "skinny and fast" are the express cruisers, which are characterized for their speed and great performance. Again, they have been widely copied.

Biggest of all and very impressive are Garden's large motor and sailing yachts. Elegant and striking, they are great counterpoints to the smallest of boats he has designed. Little Nod, a cradle and Puddleduck, a small motor launch, bear all the style and creativiy evident in all of William Gardens creations.

Mr. Garden is often seen travelling to and from his island in "Merlin", a local classic.