Painting and Varnishing with Gary Lowell

WHEN: Saturday, November 4 from 9-3 and Sunday, November 5 from 10-2

LBS Members: $215; Nonmembers: $235

(we will apply Member discount post registration & send notification we have done so)

Marine finishing requires a lot of careful preparation, good technique, and an understanding of marine coatings. Gary Lowell will present two information-packed days of painting and varnishing. He starts with surface preparation, including techniques for sanding, to help make the job less tedious. You will learn how to choose the right brush and several brushing techniques. You’ll also learn how to protect yourself so you can get a beautiful finish and stay healthy at the same time. Students are encouraged to bring small projects such as a hatch or seat to use as practice in class. Please check with the shop staff prior to bringing your project.

OUTLINE:

Introductions

Safety Rules – dust control & chemical use

Surface Prep – paint and varnish removal, sanders and sanding techniques, & fairing putties and fillers

Brushes and Brushing Techniques – brushing & rolling and tipping

Applying Paint and Varnish

Specialty Products – masking, bleaching, staining, teak finishes, & wet sanding and buffing

Instructor:

Gary Lowell is a descendant of the Lowells who founded Lowell’s Boat Shop.  He is the president of Lowell Boats Inc.in Greensboro, NC, an award-winning boatshop specializing in classic runabout restoration. Gary teaches painting and varnishing at the WoodenBoat School and is a long-time friend of LBS.

for more info visit https://lowellboats.weebly.com/

Building the Rogue River Special

WHEN: Saturday, November 11 through Thursday, November 16

9AM-5PM each day; 9AM-Noon on Thursday

LBS Members: $925; Nonmembers: $1015

(we will apply Member discount post registration & send notification we have done so)

Space is limited to 12 participants

Throughout the mid-1900s Oregon Drift Boats were evolving on the McKenzie and Rogue Rivers. Their classic dory shapes were developed for stability and quick maneuverability in fast, rocky rivers. The Rogue boats were fuller bodied, better adapted to bigger rapids and heavier loads, and had a somewhat flattened midsection for greater buoyancy and tracking. In 1956 Jerry Briggs, second generation river guide and boatbuilder in Grants Pass, Oregon, designed the Rogue River Special, still considered by many to be the best open drift boat ever created.

Boatbuilding dream team Cricket Rust and Brad Dimock of Fretwater Boatworks will be teaching a six-day class at Lowell’s Boat Shop November 11-16. Lowell’s is considered the birthplace of the dory and there can be no more appropriate place to recreate this Briggs masterpiece. The class will begin by lofting the boat—drawing it full size and fine-tuning all the curves for a perfect boat. Then we’ll build the parts—ribs, transom, and bowpost— right on top of the lofting to preserve our lines. Meanwhile we will scarf together sheets of plywood to make the large panels for sides and floor. By day three we expect to pull the hull together and get ready to install the bottom. The remainder of the course will involve installing gunwales, seats, fly deck and hardware. Sometime on day six we will launch her in the Merrimack River outside the boat shop, and hold a drawing for whoever wishes to take her home for the cost of materials.

During this course you will learn how to create the lines and parts for any drift boat from a rudimentary (and often inaccurate) set of numbers. You will learn how to assemble a hull and fine tune as we move along. Much of boatbuilding is troubleshooting and problem solving; we will take you through each step. We will be very busy throughout the week but we guarantee it will be not only very educational, but a tremendous amount of fun.

Instructors:

Brad Dimock comes from a long line of carpenters. He combines this heritage with five decades of rowing boats in the whitewater of Grand Canyon, the West, and the world. He owns and operates Fretwater Boatworks in Flagstaff, Arizona. Along with his small eclectic crew, Dimock specializes in designing and building Grand Canyon dories of all sizes. Fretwater Boatworks strives to perpetuate the heritage and skills of wooden whitewater boatbuilding, while keeping the craft fun, innovative, and exciting. He teaches boatbuilding and other skills at his shop and at WoodenBoat School. When Brad and his crew are not in the boatshop, they can be found rowing their brightly painted boats on the rivers of the West.

Cricket Rust has been boating Grand Canyon since she was eight, and works summers there rowing dories and rafts. She has worked as a boat designer, builder, and painter at Fretwater Boatworks for seven years and is Dimock’s “right-hand man.” She is a gifted teacher both in the shop and at WoodenBoat School. She is currently writing a book on traditional construction of whitewater dories.

Click this link for a lovely documentary on our last Lowell’s class:

https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/mackenzie-drift-boat-class-fretwater-boatworks-lowells-boat-shop/?prev=fretwater

And a blog post about the same:

Back to the Roots of Dorydom

Build Your Own Plymouth Rock’r Rocking Boat

WHEN: Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19

Friday and Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 9AM-4PM

LBS Members: $250; Nonmembers: $275

Materials fee: $255 (same for both Members & Nonmembers)

Total cost: LBS Members: $505; Nonmembers: $530

(we will apply Member discount post registration & send notification we have done so)

In this class, each student will build their own Plymouth Rock’r, a children’s rocking “chair” inspired by the design of the traditional Banks Dory. In building this glued lapstrake dory, students will learn how to shape the bottom, stem and transom; determine bevel angles; and spile and shape planks. Students will also fashion the breasthook and stern knees, as well as the seat and rockers. Students will complete building their Plymouth Rock’r in this 3-day class.

Instructor: Bob Fuller is a 3rd generation master craftsman. He owns South Shore Boatworks, and specializes in building traditional wooden ships wheels and patternmaking for bronze hardware, as well as building and restoration of wooden small craft. Bob teaches classes at the WoodenBoatSchool and in his shop. He has demonstrated his skills at National Park Service events, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, and The Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Bob lives in Plymouth, MA with his wife Peggy, and is teaching his daughter Christina to be a 4th generation wheel builder.