Building a Lapstrake Boat: Preserving the Craft and Its Cultural Significance
Advisor: Stephen Smith
Internship Location: E. F. Woodturning (Remote)
Onsite Mentor: Stephen Finkelstein
Traditional craft practices such as wooden boat-building have declined among younger generations. My project aims to uncover why traditional boat-building crafts are declining among younger people, and what factors influence participation in these crafts today.
To investigate, I will conduct semi-structured interviews with craftspeople involved in traditional boat-building and youth woodworking, perhaps including individuals affiliated with organizations such as the Village Community Boathouse and Brooklyn Boatworks. Interview questions will focus on pathways into the craft, barriers that discourage younger participation, and the role of community organizations in preserving these skills. The interview responses will be analyzed to identify common themes about the challenges of sustaining traditional craftsmanship today.
Alongside this research, I will build a functioning 16-foot lapstrake wooden skiff powered by a 20-horsepower outboard motor. Constructing the boat will serve as a practical case study, allowing me to directly engage with traditional materials, techniques, and the time commitment required for this type of craftsmanship. This hands-on process will hopefully help illustrate the challenges discussed in the interviews and provide insight into how traditional craft practices are maintained today.
Project Blog
Week 0: Contructing a Lapstrake Wooden Boat: Preserving the Craft and Its Cultural Significance
I’ve enjoyed working with wood for most of my life, and during the COVID pandemic, I was able to dedicate time and sharpen my skills. I began teaching myself how to turn wood on a mini lathe, and over the years, I scaled up my efforts, equipment, and sales. But this project is not woodturning – it’s wooden boat building, and while the medium may be the same, the techniques and tools differ drastically. I was introduced to boat building two years ago when my dad and I started building a small “Cocktail Racer” boat.
The boat only seated one person and was powered by a 6 HP motor, and now it has inspired me to build a larger boat that can brave the currents of the East River and Hell Gate. This project sits at the junction of two of my hobbies, woodworking and fishing, and aside from the knowledge I hope to gain regarding the importance of preserving crafting traditions, I hope to get the boat on the Long Island Sound by the end of the spring to go fishing.
My on-Site location will be at the E.F. Woodturning shop.
I’ve already begun the first steps of the construction process, namely, building a cradle to construct the boat upon. I built it out of 2x4s that I got from a nearby construction site and used a bunch of screws since the finished boat may weigh up to 400 pounds. My next step is to assemble the individual lapstrakes that will eventually form the hull of the boat.
Week 1: Contructing a Lapstrake Wooden Boat: Preserving the Craft and Its Cultural Significance
This week was my first solely dedicated to constructing the boat. I started the week by assembling the sole of the boat (image below) and then the eight individual laps, each of which was around sixteen feet long. I used slow-curing marine epoxy resin to join all components. I then started the lapstrake process, and I started on a rough note. The fore end of the garboard cracked during the stitching process - I wrapped the cracked area in fiberglass, soaked it in resin, and clamped it in the correct position. After 24 hours of hardening, I continued the stitching, which applied a lot of force on the garboard, but the repair held.
At this point, I have essentially completed the frame of the hull of the boat. Today, I installed the bulkheads, which go across the boat, but only temporarily. While they gave the hull support, I filleted the interior and exterior contact points with thickened epoxy. Once the epoxy fillets cure, I should be able to remove the stitching wire and then fiberglass the interior.
This week, I also started working on the seating and the steering console. I glued three boards together x 2 and will now cut out a curve that matches the interior of the hull, so the seat fits nicely. For the console, I essentially just used epoxy to glue together a box and then sanded it smooth. I am currently brainstorming methods to embellish the console, perhaps engraving a design or doing an epoxy inlay.
Week 2: Contructing a Lapstrake Wooden Boat: Preserving the Craft and Its Cultural Significance
This was my second full week of working on building my wooden lapstrake boat. I started the week off with a hull held together by stitches, so my first priority was to join all planks with thickened epoxy fillets. Once cured, I was able to remove all of the stitches and make epoxy fillets all over the boat’s interior. Before starting on the fiberglassing stage, I assembled the transom by epoxying 2 ¾’’ marine plywood sheets together along the face to ensure enough thickness. The transom must be durable because it is subject not only to the weight of the outboard but also to the torque it generates.
When testing the previous boat I built for the first time, after putting the motor in forward from neutral, I heard a crack in the transom and immediately shut it off. I had to re-epoxy the transom and add support blocks and thicker fillets. My goal is for this boat not to have the same issue, so I've already added very large fillets to the transom.
*I have been using the term fillet frequently, and for those unaware, a fillet is a joint between two pieces of material by putting a thick seam of epoxy on the perpendicular edges, not on the inside of the joint.*
After the epoxy fillets cured on the interior, I thoroughly sanded to create a smooth, consistent surface. I then applied fiberglass tape to the interior joints running lengthwise. After curing, fiberglassed the sole and garboard with two layers, overlapping. This should provide sufficient rigidity when pounding down upon big waves. I also should mention I layered extra fiberglass along the stem of the boat, as that portion should be strong in case of collision and since that is where the wooden planks are under the most stress because of the bending process.
I ended this week by applying and sanding a fairing compound on the interior to reduce the fiberglass's waviness. I also started prepping the seats because I will need them soon. My next steps are to apply one more layer of epoxy on the inside and then install the bulkheads.
Week 3: Installing the Bulkheads
I finished up last week by applying fairing compound to reduce waviness and imperfections on the boat’s interior. I then applied epoxy to cover the fairing compound and fill the fiberglass weave. I then installed the transverse bulkheads using copper wire to stitch them into place, and then made epoxy fillets to hold them in place. After removing the wires, I created nice, consistent fillets along all edges of the bulkheads. For the bulkheads that run across the sole in the middle of the boat, I added hardwood “floors” to protect the plywood edges. After curing, I began sanding.
Sanding is how I spent the majority of the working hours this past week. I needed to remove any bumps and imperfections, including: feathering the edges of the fiberglass, smoothing out fillets along bulkheads, and removing epoxy that had gotten places it shouldn't have. I also focused on smaller details, such as creating crisp, clean edges between the floors and the sole.
After transverse bulkhead installation, I focused on installing the longitudinal bulkheads. These bulkheads give structural support and create buoyancy compartments: two in the stern and two in the bow. They will eventually be sealed and filled with polyurethane foam. Lining the longitudinal bulkheads with battens is the next important step, as it gives extra rigidity.
Week 4: Some Of The Obstacles So Far
When I began this project, I had more in mind than just building a boat; I wanted to discover why boat building and traditional crafts seem to be on the decline. Over the past few weeks, some things have stood out to me as reasons this could be.
Construction space: One of the main stages in boat building is flipping the hull over. I have not reached that step yet, but I have had to hoist the hull to remove the cradle it had been resting on. I would not have been able to do this without rafters. Although this may seem like an unrelated issue to boat building, I would have nothing to attach ratchet straps to without - and unless you’re willing to construct mini wooden cranes, the construction would be much more difficult. The space you have may dictate what you can construct.
Heat: The weather is starting to warm up, and at the stage I’m at in the construction process - painting and varnishing - that is especially helpful. I haven’t discussed this in any previous blog posts, but each step of the construction requires epoxy, and epoxy doesn’t cure properly below 55 degrees. I’m building this boat in an uninsulated garage, and the temperature fluctuates greatly hour by hour. I’ve had two diesel heaters running 24/7 for most of the time, each consuming around a gallon of diesel every 24 hours.
Costs: I thought when starting this project that most of the costs would be out of the way - we had already purchased wood, plans, and epoxy after all. However, I’ve found that with every new day, a new purchase must be made, whether it’s extra chip brushes, different paints, more epoxy (and more after that), or extra wood flour. And in today’s day and age, building supplies, especially wood, are at an all-time high, posing a significant barrier to entry for anyone interested in the craft.
I hope to explore these issues further by comparing my experiences with others in the near future, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to share progress updates. See below.
Week 5: Finishing Touches on the Interior
In last week's post, I skimmed over the technical details of the boat build, focusing on the logistical difficulties of construction. I’ll focus on the progress I’ve made this week in this post:
Over the last two weeks, the most obvious progress has been the interior being painted. I put down four coats of exterior topside paint over the interior and then one coat of gritty paint on the floor and garboard. I left some wooden components exposed.
After painting, I installed the gunwale. The gunwale is a strip of wood that runs along the inside edge of the boat from end to end. It provides structural support and will be paired with a rubrail later, which goes on the exterior edge. It was somewhat complicated to install because it required bending the wood. To do so, I used trusty Harbor Freight clamps and temporary screws.
I also screwed in the remaining seat supports, fitted the seats, and varnished them all with 4 coats.
Last night was the most exciting moment of progress so far: I flipped the boat upside down. I tied four ratchet straps to the rafters and hoisted it in the air. I then removed the wooden frame it was resting on. I then slowly started pushing one side of it up. Once it got to around thirty degrees, I called in my dad. I would jolt into the bottom edge, and my dad would push up on the other. We slowly lowered it down flat and then put it back on the cradle.
So, my next couple of posts will focus on the underside… fiberglassing, painting, etc.
Week 6: Starting On The Underside
This past week marked a sharp fall in the outdoor temperature; specifically, it fell below 55 degrees Fahrenheit most days. As I mentioned in a previous post, to achieve maximum epoxy strength, it must be cured at 55 °C for three days. As a result, I had to get the diesel heaters up and running again. In an uninsulated garage, I burn through diesel quickly to maintain an adequate temperature, and the price of diesel currently makes this project less affordable. Checking the 10-day forecast, it appears this will only become more of a problem, and this is certainly an issue I was not expecting to encounter, especially at this time of year.
I spent most of this past week away from the shop, so progress wasn't spectacular. I filled all the cavities between the planks on the outside of the boat with epoxy mixed with wood flour, then began sanding. The epoxy needs to be sanded down to the final shape, but I ran into an old problem in doing so. If you recall from my Week 1 post, the fore end of the garboard had snapped when stitching into position. I wrapped the cracked area in fiberglass cloth and then made the bend, but that fiberglass stiffened the plank, and the bend was slightly asymmetric. To combat this asymmetry, I used a fairing compound to add volume to the curve during sanding. See attached image of the repair area below.
This week, I also filed down the boat's stem to provide a surface for bonding the keel. I have been using a Japanese rasp to remove such large chunks of material precisely and quickly, and I honestly do not know what I would do without it; I might be days behind.
I mentioned earlier that I was away for most of this week, specifically, I was in New Hampshire, where I was able to take out a previous boat my dad and I had built, a cocktail racer. Riding around in that boat reminded me of the reward of building boats, and has only motivated me more to work on this project, as I can only imagine the fun it’ll be to drive this boat around the NYC waterways.
Week 7: Fiberglassing, Keels, and Starting Research
At the end of last week, I began working on the underside of the boat. The underside of the boat may take a beating, and therefore requires lots of reinforcement; it’s possible I’ll hit a rock in the Long Island Sound, get stuck on a sandbar (as I’ve done with a smaller boat), and I’ll surely drive it up onto a beach to tie off. I started the reinforcement process by laying down thick-woven fiberglass strips along the bottom chine (the joint between the bottom of the boat and the garboard), and then laid down a sheet of glass cloth over the bottom and port side of the boat. I soaked it in epoxy, then, after it hardened, I did the same on the starboard side.
At this point, the bottom of the hull is covered in fiberglass, but the “weave” is still visible, so I had to roll on several coats of epoxy to fill it and make it look smooth. I then repeated the fiberglassing process on the boat's transom.
I then started adding the keels. The keels prevent the boat from sliding from side to side when on the water and ensure it can move in a straight line. On my boat, I have three keels: one runs from the bow to around 3/4ths of the way to the transom, and then two “side skegs” on both sides of the aft end of the sole. See the images below. The bottom of the boat has curvature, and I needed lots of weights and straps to hold them in place with good contact. The front of the senter keel follows the curvature of the front of the boat, and I used laminated wood to construct it. I put epoxy between seven thin strips of wood, and before it hardened, I screwed it into place. The thin strips bend easily, whereas a solid, thicker strip of wood may snap if I tried bending it without any steam. The following day, I used a hand plane to shape the front keel and a router to add a slight roundover to any sharp edges on the keel. Roundovers minimize damage to a corner if impacted upon. I also spent around two days just sanding the hull to reduce weave texture and get rid of any drippage - I want a smooth hull!
The next ten days show signs of steady temperature ranges, signaling that I will continue needing to run the diesel heaters to ensure epoxy, paints, and primers all cure properly.
In order to address my question of investigating why it seems woodworking skills in high schools are in decline, I began devising a plan to reach out to numerous high schools to request data on:
Approximate annual cost per student (or total program budget, if per-student data is unavailable)
Number of students enrolled in the program
Whether funding for the program has changed in recent years
I have begun perusing school websites to find TechEd teachers’ emails or other faculty members who might oversee such issues. I’ve found around ten so far in the tri-state area, but I will try to get around 40 or so by the end of this week. I will then send out the emails in bulk and, hopefully, receive around ten data points from high schools across different economic areas.
I’ve also begun doing some research on legislation that may have indirectly impacted shop programs in the U.S. For instance, the No Child Left Behind Act emphasized standardized test scores, incentivizing schools to shift budgets from shop programs to purely academic departments.
Week 8: Finishing Up The Bottom
Over the last week, my boat has gone from looking like a rough work-in-progress to a near-finished product. I started the week by priming the underside of the boat with a 2-part epoxy primer. I applied two coats and soon after, put on the first coat of paint. I had in mind a seafoam green for the underside of the boat, so I mixed white, blue, and green Petit Vivid paint, and my result was closer to turquoise than what I had envisioned. The green paint, when diluted with white, yielded an almost baby blue color. Either way, I am satisfied with the color, and you can take a look at the photos below.
After painting the underside of the hull, I attached stainless steel bars to the bottoms of the keels to minimize damage if I hit a rock or during the launching and retrieval of the boat. I bent one of the steel bars at a 90-degree angle to cover the ends of the side skegs, but to do so, I needed to heat the steel with a propane torch and forge it into shape. It took many trials, but I finally managed to get both steel bars to fit the contour of the side skegs, and after screwing them in, I flipped the boat over. I used ratchet straps attached to the rafters of my garage to do so, and it flipped over very easily. At that point, I began working on the rubrail. The rubrail is a long strip of wood that runs along the outer rim of the boat and protects it when tied to a dock or other structure. It is equivalent to a car bumper.
This past week has also given me more ideas about why schools may be hesitant today to fund woodshops, especially bpat building programs. All of the paints and varnishes I’ve been using contain toxic, volatile solvents, and from a school administrator's perspective, allowing such chemicals in such large quantities can be seen as a liability, especially as the stigma around chemicals and children has worsened over recent decades.
Over the next week, I am going to work on the finishing touches on the boat, namely finishing constructing the rubrail, varnishing the interior, installing the console, hooking up the steering mechanisms, and seat installation. The steering kit was somewhat expensive and was just one more additional cost of building the boat.
Week 9: Finishing Touches and Starting to Troubleshoot
As I approach the completion of the boat's construction, I am encountering numerous small issues I had not anticipated. My on-site supervisor has been monitoring a group chat of others constructing the same boat model, and one who finished construction three years ago just reported that a crack had formed between the transom and aft deck. The crack is due to constant torque on the transom from the outboard. I do not want to risk this issue occurring on my boat, so this has introduced a new set of reinforcement steps I plan to take. Firstly, I will now install G10 fiberglass plates (May 18th delivery) on both sides of the transom to increase rigidity. Then, I will create a large epoxy fillet on the interior between the plate and aft deck. Finally, I will make and add transom knees to distribute the force on the transom over a greater radius, reducing torque.
The next obstacle I encountered was when test-fitting the steering cable: I installed the console and threaded the cable into it, and I noticed that, to reach where the outboard would be located, the end of the cable had to make large-radius turns that could obstruct people in the boat. So, I returned that cable and bought a new one that is one foot longer.
At this point in the senior project – and considering I’ll be away for the next ten days – every issue is a source of stress for me, as I need to ensure the boat is ready for water by June. The transom reinforcement process will delay the final varishing process, delaying the initial launch.
Regarding the progress I have made this past week, most of it has been finishing touches. I started the week by using a hand plane and a hand router to shape the rail on the boat. I then sanded it and applied a few coats of epoxy to ensure it was watertight. I also put on the first few coats of varnish on the boat, except for the transom area, because I will have to do epoxy work there before I can start varnishing. I have put on five coats so far, and will put on a sixth later. I have also been working extensively on finishing and mounting the console, as the steering mechanism arrived and I was installing it, which required drilling a few large holes in the console. I also made a remote throttle mounting plate that is connected to the underside of the gunwale. I decided not to mount the throttle directly to the console because of how large the throttle system is.
I also spent a while sending roughly thirty emails out to shop class instructors in high schools in the tri-state area. I asked about any changes to the budget for shop programs, interest, and cost/student. I haven’t heard back from any of them yet, but I did hear back from an instructor at the Village Community Boathouse at Pier 40. I will meet with him at the end of the month and conduct a semi-structured interview to ask him about woodshop education.
When I get back from my travels, I will be ready to install the transom reinforcements, varnish the back, screw down the seats, mount the motor, trailer it, connect the steering and throttle, and launch in the water.
Week 10: Logistics, Planning, and Preparation
My boat is nearly finished, but the last touches are taking longer than expected. I am still waiting for the fiberglass G10 plates to arrive to reinforce the transom, and have been coordinating the purchase of a trailer so I can bring the boat to the water. There has also been much confusion regarding the wiring. The remote throttle came delivered with one cable, which I thought was supposed to connect to the motor. After perhaps the most frustrating series of phone calls with Tohatsu, we concluded that the included cable is for connecting the tachometer to the throttle. So, we then had to order the proper rigging cables to connect the throttle to the outboard.
I also reached out to Craft in America, a television program I have watched for many years that interviews many wood-based crafters, and on several occasions, boatbuilders, with several questions. I heard back from a producer who said she would get back to me with answers soon, so I am currently waiting on that. Additionally, to gain perspective on boatbuilding specifically, I will visit the Village Community Boathouse at Pier 40 next week to talk with one of their boatbuilders.
Given that I am hoping to drive the boat to Chelsea Piers for the presentation, weather permitting, I will need to coordinate a slip reservation with Chelsea Piers for June 4th.
All of these little details, on top of crafting a presentation, are adding up and making me slightly nervous that the boat won’t be ready, but if all goes to plan, I’ll have a few days to buffer.
Week 11: Will The Boat Float?
I resumed construction of my boat this week and am nearly done. I had been away the previous week, and after my plane landed at JFK at 10:00 p.m. and I got home at 1:00 a.m., I immediately worked for 20 hours straight until 9:00 p.m. the following night. I made substantial progress that day, installing the fiberglass G10 plates, transom knees, varnished floorboards, the console, steering system, control box, and tachometer, as well as buoy attachments, the front hatch, and the towing eye-bolt.
The next day, I began varnishing the back of the boat and bought a trailer. To get the boat onto the trailer, I attached ratchet straps to the rafters and hoisted it into the air. I then removed the stand it was on and wheeled the trailer under it. After making some adjustments to the trailer's padding positioning, I lowered the boat and wheeled it outside! The following day, I applied some more varnish and mounted the motor. I also hooked up a battery to the outboard for the electric start.
So finally, it was time to take the boat on the water - or so I thought… I drove the car with the trailer attached to the local boat launch on the Saugatuck River and let the boat loose. After hopping in, I primed the cylinders with oil and tried starting it, and it started right up. It stayed idle because, due to some confusion, my on-site supervisor and I misunderstood the installation instructions and didn’t install the mechanical throttle and shift cables… It was a good thing we had oars because the current was strong, so I started paddling back until one of the oars snapped in half. I thought we’d never get back to the boat launch, but after 10 minutes of aggressive, intense, single oar paddling, we made it back and pulled the boat out. After reaching out to a Facebook Tohatsu engine group, we ordered the correct part and are now awaiting its arrival.
It’s becoming more and more apparent why boatbuilding is on an apparent decline. The constant purchases and long project timelines make it very logistically and economically difficult.
Ready to head over to the water.
The console with the tachometer, wheel, and control box.
G10 plates on transom aft.
Transom knees and G10 plates installed.
The boat floats!
Week 12: The Final Week
The last week has been a busy one: I conducted an interview at the Village Community Boathouse, assembled my presentation, made a video, and began breaking in my 20HP Tohatsu outboard engine.
At the Pier 40 boathouse, I spoke with several members about their program. I asked one of the administrators about costs, which he explained had increased by roughly $1,000 per boat since pre-COVID (from $4,000 to $5,000). This cost is substantial, but what he then revealed made it make more sense. All of their costs are covered by donations, their rent is paid for by the city government, and work is done by volunteers. Their operation is incredibly unprofitable, but that’s largely because profits aren't a goal. In today’s world, where most boats are made of fiberglass, metal, and plastic, wooden boats have become a novelty, and factories that once kept the craft tradition alive have stopped producing them. For instance, Correct Craft stopped manufacturing its iconic wooden boats and now produces only aluminum and fiberglass ones.
I also learned from the interview that most members of the VCB are drawn to membership not to build the boats, but rather to row them. Most of the rowers contribute to construction, but are mainly there for the rowing aspect. They also told me the history of the boathouse, which started less than twenty years ago. They used to have more skilled boatbuilders, but not anymore. It is the only place like it in the region.
What I took away was that rising costs, the not-so-apparent demand for boat-building experience, and limited supply have all contributed to the decline of boatbuilding and craftsmanship today.
Additionally, this week I assembled my presentation and made an accompanying video that provides a brief explanation of my project and includes footage of my finished boat in action.
Link: https://youtu.be/ziruVsBRSng
The footage is all from the last few days. I have been driving the boat around the coast near where I live in Connecticut to start breaking in the motor. It takes 10 hours to break in before it can run at full throttle consistently. I’m currently halfway there, so when I take it into the city for the presentation, it won’t be fully broken in.
Either way, with a marina slip reserved at Chelsea Piers, I am looking forward to driving it in tomorrow afternoon.
