A Few Spots Remain for Boat Building Class

Aspiring boat builders still have an opportunity to gain first-hand skills in this age-old craft when the Door County Maritime Museum’s annual boat building class gets underway Oct. 20 at the museum in Sturgeon Bay. Only two spots remain for the class.

Instructors Bob Schottmuller and David Morgan selected a Beach Pea as this year’s boat. The ultimate yacht tender, the design is stable, seaworthy and easily rowed. While smaller than most peapods, the 13-foot craft can carry a big load and cut through lumpy water with confidence. The Doug-Hylan-designed double-ender uses modern glued lapstrake plywood construction. This peapod may be used for sailing or rowing.

“Each year the museum hosts a boatbuilding class, keeping the maritime tradition alive,” said Trudy Herbst, the museum’s director of development. “Prior year projects vary from cedar strip canoes and wherries to sailing dinghies.”

Classes will be held on Saturdays October through Thanksgiving and resume after New Year’s Eve. Class registration for Maritime Museum members is $325 and $425 for non-members.

The finished boat will be the grand prize in the museum’s annual fundraising raffle to help fund the non-profit organization’s daily operations.

For more information or to enroll, call 920.743.5958.