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BUILD A BOAT

Maine’s miles of forest once made the state a premier center for boatbuilding in the days of sail. While fiberglass and other materials have largely replaced wood, the craft of wooden boatbuilding is not dead. Some boatbuilders still make classic wooden boats, and there are a few schools available to train anyone interested in learning the skill.

Wooden Boat School in Brooklin offers classes ranging from the simplest basics for beginners to more complicated classes for experienced builders. There are a number of options available for students to work on, from small models to dories. Open nearly forty years, the school’s courses are available from June through September and include techniques for restoring wooden boats as well.

The Apprenticeship in Rockland is a nonprofit school that offers an intensive two-year apprenticeship program to teach all aspects of wooden boatbuilding, a shorter, twelve-week course focused on building a 12-foot boat, and an Extended/Advanced Intensive Program for students who have some experience.