Wooden Boat Building – Small Boats Option

Wood Construction Boat building – Small Boats Option

Educational Objectives

The Small Boat option within the Wooden Boat Building Program instructs students in the construction of both traditional and modern boats using wood as the principal material. Please click here to view the complete course description in our academic catalog.

For more information about careers in Wooden Boat Building, please click here.

Career Options for Graduates

The curriculum prepares students to work with traditional or modern vessels. A graduate can assume a career as a boat builder, boat repairer, boat restoration professional, joiner or finishworker. Students have also taken this program just for the joy of learning how to construct a small wooden boat, so the class is a mixture of career-seeking boat builders and hobbyists.

Course Description

Students who select the Small Boat option are taught construction methods through formal lectures, field trips and hands-on projects. Students are divided into teams to build several small boats under the supervision of an instructor. These teams are responsible for all aspects of construction from lofting to sea trials.

Students at Work in The Landing School Workshop

Students Working on Haven in The Landing School Workshop

Students Working on Peapod in The Landing School Workshop

There are two boat construction projects during the year. One construction project is a small (13´ to 16´) epoxy-glued lapstrake boat. Students loft, or draw, these craft at their full size in order to develop the shapes and angles needed to build the stem, keel and molds. Each team of builders constructs a mold, planks a boat, builds and installs all parts—rudder, keel, tiller, breasthooks, spars etc. Students also fit out the boat with hardware and rigging and paint and/or varnish the interior and exterior.

The second construction project teaches an alternative building method, carvel construction. The boats are built using carvel planking on steam-bent frames.

While boat models vary from year to year, the building materials typically include white pine, Western red cedar, white oak, mahogany, Sitka spruce, ash and marine plywood complemented with bronze fasteners and hardware.

Curriculum

The following modules are taught through lecture and lab work as part of the Small Boat option:

SBB120 Wood Shop Practices
SBB121 Basic Boat Set-up
SBB122 Materials and Engineering
SBB123 Finish Work I
SBB124 General Woodworking Practices
SBB125 Wood Construction Topics I
SBB221 Intermediate Boat Set-up
SBB222 Carvel Planking Techniques
SBB223 Finish Work II
SBB224 Advanced Woodworking Practices
SBB225 Wood Construction Topics II

Classroom Size

The maximum number of students enrolled at one time in the Small Boat Building Program is 15.

Diploma

A student who successfully completes all requirements of the Small Boat option in the Wooden Boat Building Program receives a Diploma in Wooden Boat Building.

Boat Building Projects

Instructors of The Landing School’s Wooden Boat Building Program select the designs for the project boats based on the depth of information and skill that students can gain from their construction. Some of the designs built by students in the past include: