Build Adirondack Guide Boat and microBootlegger Sport
Registration starts July 18th.
This is a special offering. Usually my Fine Strip-Planked Boat classes fill up within the first few days of registration back in January. Because a different class at WoodenBoat School did not fill we have scheduled this class instead. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, please register as soon as possible, it should fill quickly and registration will close quickly.
Because this is a unexpected opportunity, Nick decided to work on two interesting designs, a rowing boat and a kayak. The Adirondack Guide Boat is a legendary craft, used by hunting and fishing guides in upstate New York to transport clients and their quarry in and around the lakes of the Adirondacks. Nick's design is based on the H. Dwight Grant guide boat "Virginia" documented by John Gardner in 1963. Nick's interpretation incorporates the older recurved stem pattern into a boat that rows easily and can carry a good load. We will be building the boat using standard strip-planking methods that do not include ribs, so the interior will be clean and smooth.
The kayak is based on my popular microBootlegger design, but instead of being a tandem, the microBootlegger “Sport” is a great design for a solo paddler. The idea for the original microBootlegger was inspired by a 1920’s Gold Cup racing powerboat named “Baby Bootlegger”. While an odd source for a lightweight human-powered kayak, Baby Bootlegger has classic lines which just made me think of a kayak. This kayak is 15.5’ long by 23” wide. It has a roomy cockpit, good stability, and is quite fast. It was designed for relaxed paddling on a lake, but would also work very well out on open water and waves.
If you want to build a lightweight, rugged, and beautiful small boat, combining thin strips of wood with epoxy and fiberglass will make a cartoppable, low-maintenance, and gorgeous vessel. Nick Schade has been building strip-built boats for over 25 years. He has written two of the standard texts on the subject, Building Strip-Planked Boats and The Strip-Built Sea Kayak, and his efforts have guided thousands of people through building their own boats using the popular strip-planked method.
Students will gain experience in a wide variety of techniques involved in this modern boatbuilding process. Strip-planking small boats uses thin cedar strips reinforced inside and out with fiberglass and epoxy. The finished boat is lightweight, strong, and beautiful. The fiberglass fabric is absolutely transparent and allows the beauty of the wood to shine through. Students will learn how to work with the wood strips and fiberglass fabric and epoxy. With the open canoes we will mount inwales and outwales, breasthooks, thwarts and seats. On the kayaks we will make the deck and hull, join the two together, and make the cockpit, coaming, and hatches.
Day One will have students fairing up the forms, shaping the inner stems, fabricating the kayak coaming and canoe backrest, and getting a start on the planking. Tuesday will have us continuing with planking, installing stems, and working on hatches and gunwales. Before you know it, we will start sanding the hull and deck and applying fiberglass on Wednesday. On Thursday, the kayak and canoe will come off the forms. After fairing the insides of the hulls, carbon-Kevlar hybrid fabric will be laid-up on the interiors. Come Friday, students will start finishing up the canoe while the hull and deck of the kayak are joined together. The class wraps up midday on Saturday with final fiberglass work and completion of details on both boats.
Throughout this course, Nick will take time to discuss the many variations on the strip-building process that students can use on their own boatbuilding projects. After a week of fine craftsmanship and fun, we’ll step back to admire two stunning boats that will raffled off to two lucky students.
Location: WoodenBoat School, Brooklin, Maine
Cost: $800 (50% Discount for High School and College Students)
