About
Welcome to the 45th year of the WoodenBoat School.
This year will have new and exciting classes, instructors, and staff; in addition to all the things that over 20,000 Alumni have grown to love about attending WoodenBoat School.
Whether you are a veteran of the school’s gamut of offerings or just looking through the catalog for the first time, I am confident that there is something that will satisfy your innate urge to learn and create. The instructors have decades of experience in their discipline and teach at WoodenBoat because of their love for sharing the joy that is their craft. With nearly 90 classes over seventeen weeks, from learning to sail a wooden boat in an empowering women’s only class, to making fine art in a beautiful and inspiring setting in the Woodcuts session, we have something for everyone. For those that want to immerse in the trade, the two-week Fundamentals of Wooden Boatbuilding will set you on the path to being as confident as anyone in the industry. Every class is created with the idea that you will take what is learned here in Brooklin and apply it at home to your own dreams. The tools, techniques, and materials are all designed to be replicated wherever you have come from. If traveling to Maine is not in the cards this year, we offer off-site classes as well. They are taught by the same talented faculty and may make it more accessible for your schedule. After all, the motto of WoodenBoat is “Access to Experience”, and every one of us wholly believes in it.
I hope you will visit our website (www.thewoodenboatschool.com) and spend some time looking through all the options for your visit. Schedules, course descriptions, faculty bios and more are available and easily navigable. If you have any questions regarding food, accommodations, travel, or want to speak with a person about which course would be the best fit for your goals: we are available at (207) 359-4651. We will also promptly answer any emails sent to school@woodenboat.com.
With this year being my first as Director, it is a great privilege to welcome you to the catalog and possibly your first experience into wooden boats and their culture. I am looking forward to meeting every one of you this year and making some new friends in the process.
Michael Gorman
Director
Mission Statement
WoodenBoat School was started in 1981 as an extension of WoodenBoat magazine. It’s stated purposes are:
- to provide access to experience for wooden boat enthusiasts in construction, maintenance, repair, design, seamanship and other related crafts;
- to establish a meeting ground for the finest and most knowledgeable boating professionals to share their skills, techniques, and appreciation of the traditions of craftsmanship in wooden boats;
- to give added dimension to the editorial content of WoodenBoat magazine.
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Faculty & Staff
Our staff members generally hail from all over the country and from many walks of life. Many of them are seasoned veterans of the joys and travails of boats, boating, and boatbuilding, while others are warm, friendly faces doing their very best to make your stay with us a pleasant, comfortable one. From the School Director to our energetic kitchen, waterfront, shop, and office staff, each member possesses a strong commitment to a first-class program and the creation of a positive, safe environment for students and visitors alike. Above all, they enjoy sharing this “little piece of paradise” with all who stop by.
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Our Facilities
Brooklin offers everyone who arrives an unbelievably rich environment for learning and relaxing. Located in a breathtakingly beautiful region of the Maine coast (a five-hour drive north of Boston, MA), our 60-acre “saltwater campus” encourages both faculty and students to feel at home and happily immerse themselves in a world of boatbuilding, woodworking, metalworking, boating and a lot more.
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Our Fleet
You might not see all of our boats yet, as we are still working on this part of the website.
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