current projects
Check out what we’re working on in the ‘Shop.
We typically build traditional plank on frame (carvel) boats or clinker (lapstrake) boats. New builds account for the majority of the work we do, but restorations are incorporated into the apprentice program as well. Since we rely on customers to commission boats, there are often several different designs being constructed side-by-side on the shop floor at any given time.
New boat projects can begin and end at any time of the year, depending on the contract and commission, or the availability of apprentices to build the boat. Our shortest projects last only several months while our longest can take several years. All apprentices begin their tenure by building a Susan skiff. Our 9-month and 2-year apprentices then move on to work on more complex boat projects. Apprentices are guided by instructors through every stage of the boatbuilding process to ensure each vessel is built to a high standard.
Would you like to commission a boat? Read more here→
Susan Skiff
Current Builders: All Susan Skiffs by current Apprentices were completed in December 2022 - and they’re currently for sale! Check out our current listings here.
Overall Length: 11 ft, 3 in (3.4 m)
Beam: 3 ft, 10 in (1.2 m)
Almost every apprentice here begins his/her/their education in boatbuilding by building a Susan Skiff. These 11’ 3” flat bottom boats, originally designed by Robert M. Steward in 1952, are perfect for learning the basics. The Susan we currently build is a variation on the original design. It includes two major alterations; it has three side planks instead of two, and the height of the sheer has been raised 1 inch at the bow and 2 inches at the transom to increase the boat’s capacity.
The boat is built upside down on a construction jig until the hull is complete and the skeg has been installed. Then, the boat can be detached from the jig, flipped over, framed, and finished. These boats are built clinker style, which means that the planks overlap and are fastened together with copper rivets. The structural components of the boat (keel, chines, stem, transom, etc.) are made of white oak, the side planking is pine, and the bottom planking is cedar.
Mermaid
Current Builders: Joe K., Einar S., Mo A.
Overall Length: 23ft (7m)
Beam: 5ft, 8.5in (1.7m)
The Mermaid is a 23 ft fractional sloop designed in the late 1940’s by Farnham Butler/Theodore Earl as a class racing boat for the waters off Mt. Desert Island in Maine. Fast and very maneuverable with a big open cockpit. She is undergoing a full rebuild/restoration, the lead keel and some hardware will be retained while all other parts will be built new.
Cedar planking over white oak backbone.
Abaco Dinghy
Current Builders: Will S., Jenny G., Nathalie H.
Overall Length: 12ft (3.6m)
Beam: 4ft, 10in (1.4m)
This 12’ Bahama Dinghy is referred to as "The Abaco" due to her place of origin. These dinghies were used for fishing and transport up and down the 700 mile Bahama Island chain. Those designed and built on the Abaco Cays were considered the most beautiful and seaworthy. This boat is being built according to the original methods which means setting up the backbone on a large driftwood log instead of a strongback, using natural crooks for structural pieces wherever possible, and establishing the shape of the boat based on a midship raising frame rather than molds.
Cedar planking over white oak backbone and locust frames.
Skylark
Builders: Tabitha G. (graduated 2022), Benjamin M., Joanie P., Natalie H.
Overall Length: 14 ft (4.3 m)
Beam: 5 ft, 8 in (1.7 m)
Inspired by lug-rigged ship's boats and older British dinghy classes, Paul Gartside designed Skylark as a stable, family day-sailer for the estuary and ocean waters off the Oregon coast. The backbone and frames will be constructed out of white oak and the hull will be planked in lapstrake cedar. While the original design was drawn with a standing lug rig, this one will have a gunter jib and main.
Dublin Bay 24
Builders: Owen P. (graduated 2019) , Kale S. (graduated 2019), Thomas T. (graduated 2019), Sheamus O. (graduated 2019), Maria A.P. (graduated 2020), Rick K., Andy N. (graduated 2020), Ryan G. (graduated 2021), Tyler K. (graduated 2021), Amber E. (graduated 2022), Max M., Benjamin M, Will S., Grace M., Matthew B., Asa Z.
Overall Length: 38ft (11.6 m)
Beam: 8 ft, 0 in (2.4 m)
The Dublin Bay 24 was designed by Alfred Mylne in 1939 as a commission by members of the Royal Alfred Yacht Club. At the time, it was the largest one-design yacht in Europe. Originally part of a fleet of eight, this particular boat is the second one to be rebuilt. While most of the boat is newly constructed, this project is technically a restoration since the old keel will be re-used.
The boat is planked in Sipo, an African cousin of mahogany. In contrast to many of the other boats currently in the shop, it is planked in the carvel style, which means the planks do not overlap. Half of the frames are made of laminated Sipo and the other half are steam bent oak.
Portuguese Sardine Carrier
Builders: João Strout-Bentes and Daniel Creisher, with local high school students and teachers (through our Junior Apprenticeship Program)
Overall Length: 40ft, 8in (12 m)
Beam: 12 ft, 9 in (3.9 m)
The Canoa de Picada is a traditional Sailing Sardine Carrier from Portugal, heavily used in the 1800s and 1900s. The name comes from salting ("Picar") the sardines on deck in order to preserve the cargo and bring it to shore markets. The backbone will be made from white oak and locust. The boat will be planked carvel-style with Northeastern pine and fastened using treenails. The masts will be spruce. Currently, there are no floating examples of this boat.
Once the boat is complete, the ultimate goal of this project is to sail it across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Azores to Portugal to start a traditional boatbuilding school there. You can learn more about the project here.