Join Wooden Boat Show Featured Instructor Douglas Brooks in this three day workshop to learn lofting, traditionally the first step in the boat building process. Lofting is an invaluable tool, since it allows the boat builder to correct any discrepancies in scaling to full size from a drawing and derive many details of construction including bevels, rabbets and mould patterns. In this course students will loft a series of boats, allowing for wide exposure to common design elements. Lofting is an essential skill for amateur boatbuilders and greatly expands the range of boats that they might build. Rather than relying on kits with full-size patterns it becomes possible to build thousands of traditional boat designs from books and museum collections. This same method is also useful for furniture makers, particularly those building pieces featuring curved elements. The history of lofting and its relationship with lines-taking and half-hull modeling will be discussed along with sources for boat plans.

No prior experience is necessary.

Returning for a second time to North House, Douglas Brooks has spent years apprenticing with traditional boat builders in Japan, and has taught at numerous boat building schools.  He will speak about his new book Japanese Wooden Boatbuilding on Sunday morning of the Wooden Boat show.