How Fast Can A Boat Be Built?

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is thrilled to be hosting the Celebration of Woodworking on October 1st, 2022! This event will include artisans and craftspeople sharing their woodworking skills with the public, youth activities, build-your-own demonstrations, the Kingston Boat Building Challenge and more! We are hosting this event in collaboration with the Mid-Hudson Woodworkers and the Hudson Valley Furniture Makers. 

This event is on Saturday, October 1st, from 10am to 5pm at Kingston Landing in Kingston. Admission to the Celebration of Woodworking is free to the public, and includes reduced admission to our museum.

A truly unique and amazing demonstration will be provided by Master Birch Bark Canoe Builder, Ken Weeks. Over the course of the festival, he will use indigenous techniques to build a birch bark canoe on site. His workshops will present on indigenous practices such as harvesting and processing different parts of the tree into usable materials for boat building, to make pine pitch, lashing, and birch bark skins.
The centerpiece of the Celebration of Woodworking will be the debut of the Kingston Boat Builders Challenge! Six teams of builders - composed of community members and teams sponsored by local businesses - will compete to build an 8’ rowing skiff. Upon completion, teams will race their skiffs across the Rondout Creek! Proceeds from the Boat Builders Challenge will benefit the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Sailing School YouthBoat program.

To learn more about the event, visit www.hrmm.org/bbc.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.