Welcome to The Apprenticeshop, one of the oldest traditional boat building schools in the country. Our organization offers a variety of maritime activities, including sailing lessons and community lectures, but the Apprenticeshop’s traditional wooden boat building program remains our core focus.
Nine-month Apprenticeship at The Apprenticeshop
The philosophy behind our nine-month apprenticeship program is simple: learning to do anything is best accomplished through direct experience.
When an apprentice starts with the concept of a boat on the lofting table and carries it through the subsequent stages of construction, from framing, planking, decking and finish work, to a fully rigged boat ready for launching, a great deal of learning happens in a short amount of time. It is a process that not only fosters a high level of craftsmanship, but also sharpens one’s problem solving skills and sense of aesthetic proportion and detail.
New apprentices begin their programs in September. Total enrollment is limited to 20 students. Apprentices work on commissioned or spec vessels that are between 8 and 30 feet in length. Seamanship is also a key component to our shop; all students have the opportunity to sail.
Twelve-week Intensive Wooden Boatbuilding
Learning through direct experience is also the philosophy behind our Intensive Program. In twelve-weeks, students build a Susan skiff, a flat bottom rowing skiff, following a weekly project schedule. The Susan skiff teaches all of the basic skills of traditional wooden boatbuilding — the focus of all of our programs.
Successful Intensive students are highly self-motivated individuals with a strong interest in boatbuilding and seamanship. New Intensives begin their programs in January, April or September.
Adult Community Workshops in Traditional Boatbuilding & More!
Throughout the year, The Apprenticeshop offers one-week, weekend, two-day and evening workshops in all components of traditional wooden boatbuilding, wooden boat maintenance, oar making, half-hull modeling, ditty bag & marlin spike knots, toboggan building and adult sailing lessons. A link to the current catalog of all of our programs is available via our home page. You may also email info@apprenticeshop.org or give us a call at 207-594-1800 and we will gladly send one to you.
