STITCH-AND-GLUE BOATBUILDING
Basic and advanced modern plywood boatbuilding techniques suitable for light to heavy-duty boats.
- SAM DEVLIN — JUNE 20–26
Any number of construction methods will produce a beautiful boat. But for the backyard builder with limited experience and a tight budget, the choice is not so complicated. Traditional plank-on-frame and cold-molded construction require complex lofting and building molds, to say nothing of expensive tooling and lots of time. Stitch-and-glue construction, on the other hand, can produce the same results with a substantial savings in time and money. The process is quicker, easier, uses fewer parts, and produces a boat that is much simpler to maintain—without the construction molds, and with only the simplest lofting and tools required.
In this course there will be plenty for students to do. Sam will cover the gamut of stitch-and-glue construction for both small and large boat designs, using various demonstrations and discussions. But make no mistake, this is not building from a kit, we will be building from scratch, with all aspects of the project covered including paint priming. Sam has chosen one of his designs, the 5 x 10 skiff, as the class project and, starting with lofting, students will continue with setting up and on through taping the interior with fiberglass cloth, tape, and epoxy. Sheathing the exterior and installing trim and hardware will follow, with a quick splash on Friday afternoon.
Sam will also cover plenty of theory, and he’ll offer the wisdom of a wooden boat builder who has been in business for over 30 years and has built more than 400 boats from 8′ to 48′. This will be a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the skills, innovations, and business savvy that are necessary for survival in the real world as a boatbuilder (see WoodenBoat magazine No. 91). The intent is that, under Sam’s guidance, you will pick up the skills, methods, and techniques that can make your projects more successful, whether they be backyard or boatshop endeavors. This week should be a wonderful consortium of construction techniques and dialogue to broaden your mastery of stitch-and-glue construction.
Tuition: $700
Sam Devlin is extremely knowledgeable and was always more than willing to share everything he knows about stitch-and-glue construction with his students. A great experience! 