Back by popular demand, woodworker, boat builder, and woodcarver Andrew Willner will offer a course of practical and decorative woodcarving using basic carving tools and woodworking skills. This class will take place Friday, December 9, Saturday December 10, Friday December 16  & Saturday December 17. 5:30PM-9:00PM Fridays & 9:00AM-5:00PM Saturdays. This course will demonstrate a variety of carving and woodworking techniques including tool sharpening and maintenance, design, drawing and layout, incised lettering, low and high relief carving, and much more. The first project for all students will be a sign for home or boat with incised lettering and decorative feather ends. Returning students are welcome to try their hand at more complex or difficult carvings.
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General Registration: $375
Individual Member Registration: $350
Household Member & Above: $335 
​Materials Fee: $30

We are now enrolling for our Fall YouthBoat Program. YouthBoat is an after-school program for students ages 11-18 that is designed to empower youth, build character, and foster teamwork through the traditional craft of wooden boatbuilding and on-the-water activities. Students from diverse backgrounds put STEM skills to work as they learn alongside skilled shipwrights and craftspeople throughout the boat building process. Students will start the course by building basic skills as they craft their own kayak paddle. Participants will cut, shape, and finish their piece with varnish. Following this introductory project they begin working collectively to construct a fully functional wooden skiff boat.
Dates: November 1–January 12 on certain Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:30PM–5:30PM

We are thrilled to be hosting the 2022 Kingston Boat Building Challenge again this year!  As part of the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s semi-annual Celebration of  Woodworking Festival, woodworking adult and youth teams will compete to build rowing boats in a single afternoon. This event takes place October 1st, 2022, on the  Kingston waterfront. And we want YOU to join us in the competition! In 2017, the Hudson River Maritime Museum hosted its first annual National Boatbuilding Challenge, where teams of two compete to build a boat from scratch in just four hours, and then compete in a rowing race on the Rondout with cash prizes for the team with the best score in all three categories: speed, quality, and rowing race. HRMM's event is a qualifying challenge, one of just a  few competitions around the country. Held only on Saturday, October 1, this thrilling competition draws national and local competitors alike and the 4:00 PM rowing race is the highlight of Saturday's events.

​Don't miss out on your chance to build a skin-on-frame canoe. The last day to register is Wednesday, June 1, 2022.

Dates: June 17-19 & June 24-26, 2022, 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Instructor: Rich Cerruto 
Class Size: 4

Instructor Rich Cerruto will lead this unique course on building skin-on-frame double paddle canoes. The canoe will be constructed with a wooden frame and a stretched with a nylon "skin". Each student will leave with a completed canoe ready for the water. These 28-pound canoes are strong and can hold up to 320 pounds. Easily car-topped, they are perfect for casual paddlers and beginning boatbuilders alike. Don't miss out on the opportunity to build your own beautiful functional canoe! The canoe is 30" wide, 10" deep, weights about 32 lbs. and carries 320 lbs. Rig it as a solo, a tandem with a carrying yoke, or as a solo/tandem. All materials required are provided, including pre-cut lumber, polyester cloth, stem bands and seats.

Solo/Tandem 13½’ Canoe Materials Kit - This class will use kits and plans designed by Hilary Russell, founder of the Berkshire Boat Building School and author of the book "Building Skin-on-Frame Double Paddle Canoes." 

Joint Instruction - For an additional fee, students are welcomed to bring a second builder to the class. This is a great opportunity to learn and have fun together. Joint instruction must be accompanied with someone taking the full instruction and purchasing a kit.
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Tuition
General Public: $700
Material Fee: $800 (will be included at check out)
Joint Instruction Tuition: $500  

Instructor Bio:
Rich Cerruto is a retired engineer and IT executive who teaches skin-on-frame boat building and paddle carving.  An other area of focus is oval Shaker Boxes.  He served as president of the Northeastern Woodworkers Association and currently serves as vice-president of its Mid-Hudson chapter. 

​Over the course of two weekends, June 17-19 & June 24-26, Instructor Rich Cerruto will lead this unique course on building skin-on-frame double paddle canoes. The canoe will be constructed with a wooden frame and a stretched with a nylon "skin". Each student will leave with a completed canoe ready for the water. These 28-pound canoes are strong and can hold up to 320 pounds. Easily car-topped, they are perfect for casual paddlers and beginning boatbuilders alike. Don't miss out on the opportunity to build your own beautiful functional canoe! The canoe is 30" wide, 10" deep, weighs about 32 lbs. and carries 320 lbs. Rig it as a solo, a tandem with a carrying yoke, or as a solo/tandem. All materials required are provided, including pre-cut lumber, polyester cloth, stem bands and seats.

By Kate Gill

​My husband Chris had been dreaming of building a boat for a few years now, but with kids, there’s just never time for such a big project. After having looked into different boat building courses throughout the Northeast, I finally stumbled upon your weekend family boat building course. Build a dinghy in just 2 days! This was such an amazing and memorable experience. We came with no knowledge of boat building, and some experience of wood working.

​I was really surprised at how much time our instructor Wayne Ford spent teaching us techniques, and explaining the the process so we were able to think 2-3 steps ahead. I had gone in thinking this would be a sloppy rushed job, but wow was I wrong! We came away with a beautiful boat which we brag about to the other parents in town. Not many people can say they’ve built a boat! Looking forward to the spring when we’ll paint her and have a lil boat christening and launch party at the lake here. 

Thinking of building your own boat? Try your hand at a stand-up paddle board! Built over two weekends, you'll end up with a beautiful wooden board you can use for years to come. But hurry! Registration deadline is Tuesday, March 15!

Did you know? HRMM members get discounts on all classes! Join today. Interested in learning more? Check out some of the classes and programs we offer below, for all ages and all experience levels.