Building your own Berkshire Boat

Our canoes weigh between 18 and 30 pounds and are perfect for ponds, flat water rivers, estuaries and all but the largest lakes. Our Kayak weighs about 30 pounds, and our rowing boats range from 25 to 40 pounds - much lighter than wooden or fiberglass boats.

Note: The costs listed below apply to courses offered only at our home base in Sheffield, MA.  For information about courses taught elsewhere, check the websites listed in Classes and Events for 2009.

Many of our students prefer to set up their own classes at convenient times, often on consecutive weekends in the fall, winter and early spring.

In these inexpensive courses offered at sites in MA, NY, and VT, we will build an ultra light (20 pound), skin-on-frame, double paddle canoe.  Students will be given a list of materials sources and a step-by-step written explanation of the skin-on-frame building process, so that — with the aid of their own notes and photographs from this course — they will be able to build their own skin-on-frame canoe, kayak or rowboat. 

Depending on the number of students, we will build one or possibly two boats, which will be raffled off at the end of the class, with a charge to cover the cost of materials.

Tuition: $175 at our home base in Sheffield. For tuitions at other locations, see the appropriate websites listed in “Classes and Events for 2009”.

Build the Solo 11 Canoe (5 days)
27" wide,9" deep, weighs less than twenty pounds, maneuvers easily, and carries 300 pounds. Since this canoe is easy to car-top, you'll find yourself using it frequently.
Tuition: $545 (partner: $300)
Materials: $450