The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is a vocational school based in Port Hadlock, WA, with a mission to teach and preserve the fine art of wooden boatbuilding and traditional maritime crafts. The school specializes in building commissioned boats as well as speculative boats to sell. These boats are built to US Coast Guard standards, while adult students are taught traditional wood and wood composite boatbuilding skills they will need to work in the marine trades.
One of the school’s recent commissioned projects has been to build an exact replica of a historic boat called the Rogue River Driver. This boat was originally commissioned by the novelist Zane Grey in 1903 for a trip down the Rogue River in west-central Oregon. It was built of redwood and was not intended to last for more than a few trips down the river.
However, for reasons unknown, the boat was not taken apart after its journey down the river, and it is now a historic artifact stored under a rude open shelter deep in a wilderness area. The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding was commissioned to build an exact replica of the boat, one strong enough to make it the miles of river travel through Class III rapids necessary to get to the resting place of the original boat.
To achieve this, the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding has used the very best wood available for boat construction, namely port orford cedar. This wood, like western red cedar, is naturally rot and insect-repellant, and its fragrance is incredibly intense.
The wood used to build the replica of the Rogue River Driver was provided by the Metcalf Sawmill in Gold Beach, Oregon, on the southern Oregon coast. The school is currently preparing to dress a 25-foot plank of port orford cedar to offer up to the Rogue River Driver, along with other planks for the boat.
The Rogue River Driver is a historic artifact that was probably intended to be taken apart after its journey down the river, with the redwood lumber used for another purpose. However, the fact that the boat was not dismantled has led to its current status as a fascinating piece of history.
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is committed to preserving the history of boats like the Rogue River Driver while also providing the training and skills necessary for the next generation of boatbuilders to carry on this important tradition.
Posted by Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding on 2014-03-05 09:58:15
