The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is a non-profit vocational school located in Port Hadlock, Washington. The school’s mission is to teach and preserve the skills and crafts of fine wooden boatbuilding and other traditional maritime crafts.
One of the boats the school’s students build is the Grandy skiff, which is usually between 9 and 14.5 feet long. The boats are lapstrake planked in western red cedar with sapele stems, keels, and transoms. The frames are made from either White Oak or Black Locust. These small boats are popular as dinghies for larger vessels.
The Grandy Boat Company, which used to be located on Lake Union in Seattle, made hundreds of boats both large and small during its tenure from the early 1920s to 1967. The boats made by the company are highly regarded for their craftsmanship and design.
Former instructor Tim Lee took lines and documentation from an original Grandy boat owned by The Center For Wooden Boats in Seattle, WA. These lines and documentation are the basis for the boats that the students at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding build.
The school is accredited and offers programs that range from a six-month Wooden Boatbuilding Foundation Program to one-, two-, and three-year programs in either Wooden Boatbuilding or Marine Systems. The school also offers weekend and week-long workshops in various traditional maritime crafts such as blacksmithing, rigging, and marine surveying.
The school is committed to sustainability and uses as much reclaimed wood as possible in its boatbuilding projects. The school also has partnerships with local sawmills to use sustainably harvested wood.
In addition to building boats, the school also offers restoration services to customers who own wooden boats. The school has a staff of experienced boatbuilders who can restore boats to their former glory.
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is an excellent place for people who are interested in traditional maritime crafts to learn and develop their skills. The school offers a challenging and rewarding experience for those who are dedicated to the craft.
Posted by Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding on 2014-02-23 19:09:02