WOODEN BOAT BUILDING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS IN TRADITIONAL MARITIME CRAFTS
Woodworking
Beginning Woodworking |
|||
| Instructor | Darrin Fiskum | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | May 4-5 OR July 20-21 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $339 ($305 for Members) | ||
| Description | By creating a sea chest or tool tray, students will learn dado and dovetail joinery, gluing, clamping, and the use of boat builder and woodworker hand tools. The skills learned can be applied to boat building courses and small personal woodworking projects. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - No experience with hand tools necessary | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Tool Sharpening |
|||
| Instructor | Darrin Fiskum | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jun 22-23 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $290 ($261 for Members) | ||
| Description | Sharp tools make any job easier and safer. In this workshop students will learn how to sharpen and tune edge tools (new and old) using basic stones, strops, and a bench grinder, relying on hand-eye skills rather than on expensive machines. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Basic experience with planes, chisels, and other edge tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) and tools to be sharpened | ||
NW Native American Crafts
Chinook-style Cedar Basket |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | Three days | ||
| Dates | Jul 26-28 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $458 ($412 for Members) | ||
| Description | Participants will learn plaiting and twining techniques to create a small cedar bark storage basket. Cedar bark strips will be plaited and twined with sedge to create the basket. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some twining experience needed | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Chinook-style Paddles |
|||
| Instructor | Tony Johnson, Earl Davis, Al McIsaac | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | May 4-5 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $325 ($293 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn to make the distinctive canoe paddles used by the Chinook Tribe on the waters of the Columbia River and the adjacent coast. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Some experience with basic woodworking and NW Native American carving tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and NW Native American carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Chinook-style Spoons and Ladles |
|||
| Instructor | Earl Davis, Al McIsaac | ||
| Duration | Three days | ||
| Dates | Aug 17-18 and Aug 23 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $325 ($293 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn to carve the beautiful spoons, bowls, and ladles used by the Chinook Tribe in their daily and ceremonial life. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some experience with basic woodworking and NW Native American carving tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and NW Native American carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Northwest Native American Bentwood Boxes |
|||
| Instructor | Jim Bergeron | ||
| Duration | Three days | ||
| Dates | Jun 28-30 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $483 ($435 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to turn a flat cedar board into a beautiful bentwood box. Often decorated with Northwest Native American designs (painted or carved), boxes of all sizes were used for food storage or as containers for fresh water on canoe trips. Like most of the crafts of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans, these boxes are both functional and beautiful. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some experience with basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and NW Native American carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Northwest Native American Canoe Models |
|||
| Instructor | Tony Johnson | ||
| Duration | Three days, non-consecutive | ||
| Dates | Sept 21-22 and Oct 5 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $463 ($417 for Members) | ||
| Description | Using traditional NW Native American carving tools, learn to make models of one or more of the canoe types used by the Chinook and other NW Native Americans in the inland and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with basic woodworking and NW Native American carving tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and NW Native American carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Northwest Native American Carving Tools |
|||
| Instructor | Earl Davis, Tony Johnson, Adam McIsaac | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | May 25-26 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $425 ($383 for Members) Plans (optional) may be purchased for an additional $35 |
||
| Description | Learn how to make the beautiful and deceptively simple crooked knives and hand-adzes used by Northwest Coastal Native Americans. At the end of this two-day workshop students will have a basic kit of tools that can be used to produce traditional canoe paddles, ceremonial spoons, halibut hooks, and decorative carvings of all types. Material costs include one adze and one carving knife, both with handles. Additional knives can be made at a cost of $40 each, and adzes at a cost of $80 each, with handles. A complete kit would include two types of adzes and at least three knives. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Moderate experience with basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Northwest Native American Halibut Hooks |
|||
| Instructor | Tony Johnson | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Sept 14-15 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $300 ($270 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to use traditional materials to make the halibut hooks used by Northwest Native Americans in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. These hooks are functional tools and truly beautiful works of art. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and NW Native American carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Small Northwest-style Basket with Rattle Lid |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | Three days | ||
| Dates | Aug 23-25 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $455 ($410 for Members) | ||
| Description | Participants will learn to create a basket with a rattle lid using cedar bark, tule, cattail leaves, and sedge. Participants are encouraged to bring “rattle” items: shells, charms, pebbles, beads, etc. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some twining and plaiting experience needed | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Small Twined Pouch |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | One day | ||
| Dates | Jun 29 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $152 ($137 for Members) | ||
| Description | Participants will use tule and cattail leaves to make two-ply cordage which will then be used to make a small pouch. A fun project. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some twining experience needed | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Traditional Northwest Native American Net Making |
|||
| Instructor | Terry Courtney | ||
| Duration | Three days | ||
| Dates | Aug 23-25 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $433 ($390 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will learn how to make a traditional Northwest Native American hoop net. Following the completion of the net, students, using a portable fishing platform, will learn how dip nets were used to dip salmon and other fish at Celilo Falls and other places throughout the Pacific Northwest. Interspersed with the construction and use of the dip net will be discussions of traditional Columbia River Native American lifestyle culture and history and the importance of cultural traditions in fishing. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Interest and curiosity and the ability to use a pocket knife | ||
| Tools Required | Sharp pocket knife (bring your own) | ||
Traditional Woven Wasco Basket |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | One day | ||
| Dates | May 11 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $143 ($129 for Members) | ||
| Description | Weave a traditional Wasco twined “Sally Bag” with unique geometric images. For ease in learning, commercial yarn will be used instead of native fibers. Participants will learn the full-turn twine technique to create a traditional-style Wasco basket. Techniques learned here can be applied to more complex projects offered later in the year. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Twined Rattle |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | One day | ||
| Dates | Jun 30 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $152 ($137 for Members) | ||
| Description | Participants will create a twined rattle using northwest fibers: tule, sedge, and cattail leaves. Participants are encouraged to bring “rattle” items: shells, charms, pebbles, beads, etc. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some twining experience needed | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Weaving with Plant Fibers |
|||
| Instructor | Pat Courtney Gold | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jun 8-9 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $315 ($284 for Members) | ||
| Description | Participants will learn about local plants, harvesting, processing and basketry. This class will use traditional plant fibers: tule, cattail leaves, sedge grass, and other native plants to make traditional NW Native American weavings. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some twining experience needed | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Wooden Boat Building
Building the Lazy Weekend Canoe |
|||
| Instructor | Andrew Linn | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jul 13-14 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $495 ($446 for Members) Plans (optional) may be purchased for an additional $35 |
||
| Description | The Lazy Weekend Canoe was designed to be constructed over a weekend with commonly available materials and basic wooding working tools and skills. The canoe works well with one or two paddlers, and with an additional seat placed amidships, it is an excellent family canoe. In this class students will learn the quick and sturdy “plywood-on-frame” construction technique that can be applied to many different small boats. Weighing less than 70 pounds, this is a perfect car top boat for the calm back waters of the Pacific Northwest’s protected lakes and slow moving rivers. This class is suitable for family teams of two (or more). In two days students will have the hull ready for finishing at home. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Basic experience with woodworking tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Carvel Plank Boatbuilding |
|||
| Instructor | Jeff Sayler | ||
| Duration | Five days | ||
| Dates | Jul 22-26 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $733 ($660 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will learn traditional carvel plank boat building techniques by building the Catspaw Dinghy designed by Joel White of the Brooklin Boatyard in Maine. The skills used are the same that were used to build the double-ended sailing gillnet boats that were common on the Columbia River in the early 1900s. Students will learn to read plans, cut a stem rabbit, take transom bevels, and spile and set planks. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/ Intermediate - Some experience with planes, chisels, and other basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Glued Lapstrake Faering |
|||
| Instructor | James McMullen | ||
| Duration | Five days | ||
| Dates | Aug 5-9 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $888 ($800 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will learn as a group how to use plywood to build Shearwater, a traditional-looking lapstrake Norwegian-style faering. Designed by Joel White, this 3-strake faering derivative is elegant and classic in shape and “a pretty darn good rowboat.” One boat per class will be built, to be raffled off at the end of the class. A great starter boat and perfect for the waters of the Pacific Northwest. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Glued Seam Plywood Boat Building |
|||
| Instructor | Sam Devlin | ||
| Duration | Five days | ||
| Dates | Jul 29-Aug 2 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $425 ($383 for Members) | ||
| Description | Each student will build one of four, quarter-scale, stitch-and-glue boats designed by Sam Devlin. Students will learn how to set up the boat, tape with fiberglass cloth and epoxy, install trim and hardware, and finish off the boat. They will come away with a beautiful, large scale model that will be an invaluable reference for future building of “that perfect boat.” | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Half-Hull Model Making |
|||
| Instructor | Steve Kessler | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jul 13-14 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $305 ($275 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to create a beautiful half-hull model of a Columbia River sailing gillnet boat and how to use half-full models for exploring the shape of a boat and making a table of offsets that can be used to build a full-scale boat from the models. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Some experience with planes and chisels | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Lofting |
|||
| Instructor | Steve Kessler | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jul 6-7 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $285 ($257 for Members) | ||
| Description | Draw a boat full-scale from a set of plans or a half-hull model. Complex but interesting, the skills learned in this workshop are essential to anyone wanting to build a boat, big or small. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Some knowledge of boat terminology helpful | ||
| Tools Required | None | ||
Oar Making |
|||
| Instructor | Jeff Sayler | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Aug 3-4 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $425 ($383 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to make oars to suit individual body sizes and boat types. A beautiful hand-built boat deserves a pair of beautiful hand-crafted oars and one size does not fit all. At the end of this two-day workshop each student will have made one of a pair of oars and learned how to leather them traditionally, without nails. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Familiarity with wood planes and chisels | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Pacific Northwest Drift Boat Models |
|||
| Instructor | Roger Fletcher | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Aug 31-Sept 1 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $335 ($302 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn from a master historian and model maker about the grace and beauty of the Pacific Northwest’s wooden river dories. Each student will make at model of a McKenzie or Rogue River dory that can serve as a reference when building a full-sized boat. Whether you are a fly-fisherman, whitewater adventurer, or a boat builder, you will enjoy recreating a unique and important piece of the Pacific Northwest’s history. Read more from the instructor | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Modest experience with basic woodworking tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Skin-on-frame Kayak |
|||
| Instructor | Brian Schulz | ||
| Duration | Seven days | ||
| Dates | Nov 10-16 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $1650 ($1485 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will learn from an expert how to build a traditional skin-on-frame kayak. Simple and functional, these beautiful boats help preserve traditional kayak history. Designed for use in the Arctic, they are well-suited for use in the coastal and inland waters of the Pacific Northwest. Each student will build their own kayak. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with planes, chisels and other basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Taking Boat Lines |
|||
| Instructor | Steve Kessler | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jun 8-9 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $285 ($257 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn the basics of developing a set of boat plans from measuring the dimensions (“taking off the lines”) of an existing boat in the collection of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Participants will then generate a set of plans that can be used either for historical documentation or for the purpose of constructing a vessel of similar appearance. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner - Some knowledge of boat terminology helpful | ||
| Tools Required | None | ||
Traditional Lapstrake Boatbuilding |
|||
| Instructor | Jeff Sayler | ||
| Duration | Five days | ||
| Dates | May 27-31 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $828 ($745 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will learn traditional lapstrake boatbuilding techniques by building a small English pram. Designed by the famous English yacht designer Alan Buchanan from the Isle of Jersey, this lightweight boat is fastened with copper rivets and roves and is a perfect yacht tender or boat for exploring the Pacific Northwest’s harbors, sloughs, and interesting backwaters. Skills learned are easily transferable to more complex boats like the elegant Whitehall rowing boats common on the Columbia River and Puget Sound in the early 1900s. One boat per class, to be raffled off at the end of the session. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with planes, chisels, and other basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Classic Maritime Crafts
Decoy Carving |
|||
| Instructor | Bill Antilla | ||
| Duration | Two days, non-consecutive | ||
| Dates | Jul 27 and Aug 3 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $325 ($293 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to make traditional hunting-style decoys of waterfowl common in the estuaries and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. Class will cover how to lay out patterns and which woods and tools to use. Students will leave with a good start on a decoy. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - modest experience with basic woodworking hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Introduction to Bronze Casting |
|||
| Instructor | Sam Johnson | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Aug 10-11 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $360 ($324 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to make patterns of simple boat parts, mold them in sand, and cast them in molten bronze. Students will learn how to make their own basic furnace and foundry tools, pour hot metal, and finish off the castings using a variety of hand and power tools. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools if a pattern needs to be made (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Knots |
|||
| Instructor | Jason Linnett | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | May 11-12 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $295 ($266 for Members) | ||
| Description | Knowing how to tie knots of various kinds is an essential part of any maritime culture. This class will teach students the basics of rope handling and introduce the most important types of knots, bends, hitches and loops. Participants will learn how to tie a bowline, clove hitch, fisherman’s knot, and many others. This class is suitable for family teams of two or more. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | Sharp knife (bring your own) | ||
Needle and Palm Work |
|||
| Instructor | Misty O’Brien | ||
| Duration | Two days, non-consecutive | ||
| Dates | May 25 and Jun 1 OR Oct 5 and Oct 12 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $320 ($288 for Members) | ||
| Description | Students will make a sail maker’s “palm” and use it to make a canvas ditty bag to hold sewing tools, fids and other things used in canvas, leather, and rope work. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | TBD | ||
Net Making |
|||
| Instructor | Al Olson | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jul 6-7 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $285 ($257 for Members) | ||
| Description | Learn how to make and repair nets using the traditional tools of the gillnet fisherman. Skills learned are easily transferable to making all types of nets, hammocks, bags, etc. As participants learn to make a net, they will also learn about gillnets and the history of Columbia River gillnetting. This class is suitable for family teams of two or more. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | None | ||
Rope Work – Coarse |
|||
| Instructor | Jason Linnett | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Jul 20-21 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $295 ($266 for Members) | ||
| Description | This workshop will cover the use of rope to make monkey fists, rope mats, fenders, and other items using large diameter cordage. Students will learn how to use fids and make knots essential to rigging and general boat handling. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner | ||
| Tools Required | Sharp knife (bring your own) | ||
Rope Work – Fine |
|||
| Instructor | Jason Linnett | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Aug 3-4 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $295 ($266 for Members) | ||
| Description | This workshop will cover the use of “fine stuff” — tarred marlin and small diameter cordage to make fancy knots, sennits, coachwhipping, etc. Students will learn how to make a rope grommet and then convert it into a fine sea chest handle, plus other useful and beautiful knot and rope work. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some rope and knot tying experience | ||
| Tools Required | Sharp knife (bring your own) | ||
Sign Carving |
|||
| Instructor | John Paul Zipprich | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Aug 17-18 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $355 ($320 for Members) | ||
| Description | Nautical signage and quarter boards. Learn to lay out, carve, paint, and gold leaf a simple sign for your boat or your house. Class will begin with converting a butt chisel into a tight-radius gouge suitable for sign carving. | ||
| Skill Level | Intermediate - Some experience with basic hand woodworking tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools, including basic set of carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||
Wire & Canvas Decoys |
|||
| Instructor | Sam Devlin | ||
| Duration | Two days | ||
| Dates | Oct 5-6 | ||
| Tuition and Supplies | $320 ($288 for Members) | ||
| Description | When people think of waterfowl decoys, what first comes to mind are carved wood decoys. But among the many other types of decoys are simple decoys made with wire and canvas. Widely used in the Central flyway, these decoys were also used on the coastal and inland waters of the Pacific Northwest. Students will learn how to craft a simple but elegant Black Brant decoy under the expert tutelage of boat builder and decoy maker Sam Devlin. For hunting or as beautiful pieces of art, this class will take students into a largely unexplored but interesting area of Pacific Northwest maritime culture. | ||
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate - Some experience with basic hand tools | ||
| Tools Required | Basic hand woodworking tools and some carving tools (instructor will provide a list in advance of the course) | ||