Robert Allan

Robert Allan, a 1907 naval architecture graduate of the University of Glasgow, entered private practice as a consulting naval architect after serving as Technical Manager of a local shipyard. Research in the firm's archives dates the start of the business to 1928 (earlier literature said 1930). His early work included designs for the British Columbia fishing fleet and coastal ferry services, and the motor yachts Meander (1934) and Fifer (1939).

Robert F. (Bob) Allan joined the practice in 1945, and the firm developed specialized tugs and barges for the B.C. forestry and mining industries and shallow-draft vessels for Canada's northland. Led by three generations of the Allan family, the company began a transition to employee ownership in 2008. It is an independent consultancy with no financial interest in equipment suppliers or shipyards.