BUILDING THE RATION SKIFF
A great project for the novice boatbuilder.
- WYATT LAWRENCE — JUNE 29–JULY 5
William Atkin is quoted as saying “...a really good rowing skiff is difficult to find.” In answer to this global shortage Atkin designed Ration, a handsome 16' traditional skiff that is a pleasure to row. In Boat Design Quarterly No. 26, Mike O’Brien critiqued the design and feels “Ration might possess nearly ideal dimensions for its purpose. The bottom is long enough to allow reasonable speed, and even a strong oarsman won’t be tempted to overpower the boat for more than a few minutes. Yet it’s not so long as to make Ration unhandy or to increase wetted surface beyond reason.”
New Brunswick boatbuilder Wyatt Lawrence offers this six-day course to those interested in tackling their very first boatbuilding project. The relative simplicity of this particular design makes it an attractive choice. Using traditional techniques, tools, and materials, students will build two of these cedar-and-oak skiffs and, along the way, be exposed to the entire wooden boat building process. Lofting, plans discussions, wood selection, fastening, glues and adhesives, hand and power tool use, tool sharpening, and the like will all be explored.
Although some knowledge of woodworking is useful, this is a great week for anyone starting in boatbuilding or working toward a larger project in the future. And by the end of the course, students will feel more comfortable and confident with hand tools, knowing they learned from an experienced boatbuilder like Wyatt Lawrence.
Tuition: $700
Note: This is a six-day course ending Saturday afternoon.
“Wyatt Lawrence was excellent—helpful, friendly and able to easily explain the various facets of boatbuilding. It was more like spending the week building a boat with a friend than an instructor.”