Traditional Lapstrake Construction
The planking process and a whole lot more.
- GEOFF BURKE — August 19–September 1
TUITION: $1150 two-week class, $700 either first week or second week
Note: Students can choose to take the full two-week session or either the first or second week.
The Maine peapod (or double-ender to some) is one of the best known of the classic small craft. This boat was developed, according to legend, from the native Passamaquoddy seagoing canoes, and was a necessity of 19th-century life on the Maine coast. The peapod could be depended on year in and year out to bring its cargo and crew home safely. They were, as one builder put it, “inch for inch as good a boat as could be found anywhere.”
With many different variations of the design available, our choice for this course is the 16′ Matinicus Island model, first built by the Young family on the island in the 1880s. Designer/builder Walt Simmons drew the plan from the last surviving set of well-worn molds, thus saving from extinction a vital part of Maine history. And a beauty she is! With slacker bilges and leaner waterlines than typical, she is a superb seaboat that is easily rowed. Rigged with a spritsail, she will give exhilarating performance to the seasoned sailor.
This course will be an in-depth introduction to classic wooden boat building. There will be ample opportunity to learn and practice the various aspects of traditional lapstrake construction. This will include lofting, moldmaking, assembling the backbone, planking, fitting watertight laps, framing, and finishing off. We will also look at some of the more esoteric aspects of boatbuilding such as the how and why of wood selection, design versus seaworthiness, and how to season crotch wood for the breasthook in a mere two hours.
This course promises to be a full, exciting, and challenging two weeks. Emphasis will be on the use of native materials, developing fine hand-tool skills, and understanding the boatbuilding process. While no previous boatbuilding experience is required, a keen understanding of hand tools is suggested.
Geoff Burke’s course was a great experience for me many reasons. It stretched my way of thinking about boats, it extended my understanding of the principles of lapstrake construction, and it helped me develop some more boatbuilding skills. 