The Wood Construction Course is a concentration within the Wooden Boat Building Program. This course instructs students in the construction of both traditional and modern boats using wood as the principal material.

Career Options for Graduates
The curriculum prepares students to work with traditional or modern vessels of any size. A graduate can assume a career as a boatbuilder, boat repairer, boat restoration professional, joiner or finishworker.

Course Description

Students in the Wood Construction Course are taught building 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.

The first construction project in the course 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, etc.—and paints and/or varnishes the interior and exterior. Construction on these challenging first boats begins in September, and the boats are launched before the mid-winter holidays.

In January the teams begin work on new boat designs in order to learn a second building method, Carvel construction. The student-builders apply their earlier lofting experience to more complex craft. The boats are then built using Carvel planking on steam-bent ribs. Wooden spars are included in the construction process. Students also fit out the boat with hardware and rigging.

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

Syllabus
The following modules are taught both in the classroom and in the lab as part of the Wood Construction Course provided through the Wooden Boat Building Program:

• Tools, safety and shop practices
• Lofting
• Wood characteristics and selection
• Mold construction
• Internal sructures
• Woodworking techniques
• Joinery
• Construction techniques
• Surface preparation and finishes
• Rigging and hardware
• Intro to DC electrical

Classroom Size
The maximum number of students enrolled at one time in the Wood Construction Course is 16.

Diploma
A student who successfully completes all requirements of the Wood Construction Course of the Wooden Boat Building Program receives a Diploma in Wooden Boat Building.

Boatbuilding 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:

      Beach Pea (13' and 15')                               Haven Class 12 1/2                                Catspaw Dinghy