Photograph by
Jan Johnson

 

 

Building Boats in School

Berkshire School, Sheffield, MA, grades 9-12

Our version of a West Greenland Kayak is ready to skin.
A nine foot decorative, unskinned kayak to be hung in the school’s gallery.
Launching a double paddle canoe, a kayak, and an sumiak.
 

Indian Mountain School, Lakeville, CT
Building with pre-K-4th graders

We teamed Indian Mountain School. up with weaver Wendy Jensen to teach fourth graders how to weave, lash, plane, and sand BBBS's two/thirds scale version of a Sheephaven Currach, the skin-on-frame boat still used in Donegal, Ireland. Now hanging as art in the school's entryway, the craft will remain unskinned — a carcass, the word from which currach has evolved.
A 14’ double paddle canoe painted in the maroon and gray of Indian Mountain School.  Students installed steam-bent ribs, lashed on the stringers, glued up the inwales, attached the skin and rubrails, and did lots and lots of sanding and polyurethaneing. The boat sold at the annual school auction for a handsome price.
Inserting red osier dogwood withes in gunwale mortises
Beginning to weave willow withes between the ribs
Bow weave
Doubling ribs
Weave plus spruce stringers
The fourth grade builder/weavers at the launching
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Overview
The Berkshire Canoe
Classes & Events, 2009
Registration
Directions
Building Boats in Schools
 
If you would like information about scheduling a class at
your school please contact
Hilary Russell at hemlockgrange@earthlink.net
 
Berkshire School students construct Skip Snaith’s Sumiak, a scaled down version of an umiak, which is open skinboat still used in the arctic.
This half scale Indian model was a present to Mom.