Traditional Boat Building Carpentry Class

Traditional techniques, developed to solve woodworking problems unique to vernacular boatbuilding, are taught in this hands-on workshop. Participants work as a team to construct a twelve to fourteen-foot version of a traditional “rack of eye” flat-bottomed skiff. In the process they learn how to set up the boat, spile and bend planks, plane bevels, erect framing, and explore fastening options and the characteristics of traditional boatbuilding woods. 12 hours (2 day class) can be used as a prerequisite for 9 Day Boatbuilding. Class: March 15-16, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Class Fee: $135. Friends of the Maritime Museum receive a discount. Reservations required.

Additional 2014 class dates include: May 17-18, August 23-24 and November 8-9.

The class takes place on the Beaufort, North Carolina waterfront at the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center located across the street from the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center (shown above) carries on the rich boatbuilding heritage of North Carolina coast through wooden boat building classes. The classes bring together students of all ages from different parts of the country with a common thread of creativity. The Watercraft Center is part of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum reflects coastal life and interprets lighthouses and lifesaving stations, the seafood industry, motorboats, and more. Studies in marine life, science, and ecology are available for all ages. The Beaufort museum is the repository for artifacts from Blackbeard’s wrecked flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, among them cannons, grenades, belt buckles and beads. The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center teaches boatbuilding for all ages.