Thursday, 4:30-6pm
June 11th | $50

1 Class Session via Zoom

Registration Deadline: Friday, June 5th, 2020

Lofting is the first step in the boatbuilding process. It involves drawing the lines of a boat full-size in order to check the dimensions for accuracy and provide patterns for construction. In this introductory online tutorial, instructor Douglas Brooks will discuss why lofting is useful and then demonstrate the lofting of a simple skiff.

Lofting is an invaluable skill for amateur boatbuilders; it expands the range of boats you can build. Rather than relying on kits with full-size patterns it becomes possible to build thousands of traditional boat designs from books and museum collections. This same method is also useful for furniture makers, particularly those building pieces featuring curved elements.

Douglas Brooks is a boatbuilder, writer and researcher. He specializes in the construction of traditional wooden boats for museums and private clients. Brooks has lectured, taught, and built traditional boats at museums and schools across the United States and Japan. He has published numerous articles on his research and is the author of five books on traditional Japanese boatbuilding. His work has been honored by the American Craft Council and the Japanese Ministry of Culture. He lives in Vergennes, Vermont and his work can be seen at www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com.

Photo Credit: Erin Tokarz