Wooden Boat Repair and Restoration Methods
Strategies and techniques for common wooden boat repairs.
Walt Ansel is a long-time native of Mystic, Connecticut. He grew up running wild at Mystic Seaport Museum Shipyard and is still there after 35 years. Walt began sweeping out the Shipyard shop when he was 14; while he still does pick up a broom, he has graduated on to doing other jobs as well. One of his very favorite projects was building a Beetle whaleboat with his retired boatbuilder father, Willits Ansel, in 2002. Walt supervised the restoration of the Eatern rigged dragger ROANN and was able to go to sea on her for the Museum. Walt also worked on the whale ship CHARLES W. MORGAN on both her 1980’s and 2013 restorations and got the opportunity to sail with the whales on Stellwagan Bank on the MORGAN’s 38th voyage. Walt is married to Carol, a school librarian who is passionate about photographing birds and the seacoast. Together they enjoy birding, cruising in boats, and English country dancing as done in the time of Jane Austen. They are proud parents of Douglas, a filmmaker, and Evelyn, an author and ship caulker. Walt has built and restored boats at WoodenBoat School for 16 years.
Matt Morello grew up in Middletown, Connecticut. After high school he followed a passion for art and painting and attended the Hartford Art School in Hartford. During his time there, he was introduced to an ongoing restoration of an Atkin double-ender, and spent countless hours drawing and studying boats at the Mystic Seaport Museum. After building several models and learning to loft on his basement floor, Matt enrolled in the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island. While a student there, he was involved in the restoration of a Herreshoff S-boat led by instructor Warren Barker. At the same time, Matt also interned at the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport under the guidance of Walt Ansel. Since 2014, Matt has worked with East Passage Boatwrights in Bristol, Rhode Island, where he has contributed his woodworking and boatbuilding skills to many wooden boats both large and small, most notably the 1935 Olin Stephens–designed SANTANA. He now lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with his girlfriend Evelyn and their sardine-loving cat. Matt still draws and paints, and in his free time enjoys exploring the state on vintage bicycles he restores in their living room.
Tuition: $1,500 (two-week course)
Note: Previous woodworking and/or boatbuilding experience is required for this course.
The repairing and rebuilding of wooden boats is a journey that can provide great personal satisfaction. In the process, you’ll become familiar with your boat’s intricate construction details, and come to appreciate the careful craftsmanship that transformed the original raw timber into the boat you love. Conquering the complications of “bringing her back” can be more rewarding than building new, especially when the result is to return a classic to its calling—sailing, cruising, rowing, or fishing.
WoodenBoat School has been offering this course for many years, and we’ve tackled a number of interesting, sometimes challenging, boat projects including a 24’ steam launch, a 25’ Henry Scheel centerboard cruising sloop, and a 13’ catboat. This season we offer students the chance to join master shipwright Walt Ansel and boatbuilder Matt Morello for the repair of an original Herreshoff 12 ½ built in 1928 (hull #1087) and a Cape Cod catboat.
During these two weeks, Walt and Matt will give several talks and demonstrations covering boatbuilding tools, appropriate woods, fastening, caulking, and tool sharpening, Careful disassembly, another important repair and restoration skill, will be taught and practiced. For anyone who’s looking at their own repair projects, these two weeks will be enlightening. Come join us for a dynamic and busy session as we bring two wonderful classics back to life.
I’ve never had an instructor at WoodenBoat School who was not excellent but Walt Ansel is a step above. He’s an exceptional teacher, premier shipwright, and dedicated craftsman.”
