Boat Building - NH Boat Museum

Is your dream building a boat from scratch? Maybe you’ve wanted to but didn’t know where to start and what the cost would be? Our boat building program gives you the opportunity to build your own boat from a kit using high quality materials at a reasonable cost. During the class you will use our tools and learn boat-building skills from our experienced staff and volunteers in a friendly environment. The result will be a beautiful boat you’ll be proud to use on our area lakes. If you take good care of your boat, it will last for years.

At the end of each 10-day session, we’ll hold a special launch on Lake Wentworth to celebrate the completion of your boat.

We are still planning to hold boat building classes. However we are limiting to 6 participants for the Adult & Family Class and 8 participants maximum for the youth class due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements. Face masks will be worn at all times. There will be no group launch or picnic at the end of each session. The safety of our volunteers, staff, and participants are paramount. The schedule could change at any time in order to comply with the ever fluctuating New Hampshire safety guidelines for COVID-19.

Adult & Family Boat Building
July 11th – 19th
Classes: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Adult & Family Application

This boat building session for adults and families lets adults work by themselves or team up with younger family members. You can choose from the following kinds of boats:

• Bevin’s skiff
• Two-person canoe
• One-person kayak
• Opti sailboat
• Paddleboard

We allow extra time to build the Opti sailboat and the Paddleboard. So if you select the others, you might finish your boat a little early.

Youth Boat Building
August 3rd – 14th
Classes: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Youth Application

This boat building session is for boys and girls ages 12 and up. You will be taught how to safely use hand tools and a limited number of power tools. You can choose from the following kinds of boats:

• Two-person canoe
• One-person kayak
• Bevin’s skiff

Scholarships are available! We hope all youths who are interested in building a boat have the opportunity to participate in this program. For more information please review the Youth Scholarship Application

Kit Cost
CANOE – Two-person canoe. Cost: $795
KAYAK – one person kayak which can hold a maximum weight of 160 pounds. Cost: $995
PADDLEBOARD – 12′ 6″ long. Cost: $1195
BEVIN’S SKIFF –11′ 6″ skiff that can hold several adults and can be adapted to handle a small outboard motor. Cost: $1295
OPTIMIST SAILBOAT DINGHY – Cost: $1495

Registration Fee
There is a $40 surcharge for NHBM members and a $70 surcharge for not-yet-members.

How to Apply:
PAY ONLINE: please click either the Adult and Family or Youth application button above.
After paying online please fill out and mail the medical form to the Museum.

PAY BY MAIL: print out the appropriate application – Adult & Family or Youth – along with the the medical form, fill out and send with payment to:
New Hampshire Boat Museum, Boat Building, P.O. Box 1195, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896-1195

Youth Scholarships

Build A Canoe!

The Museum hopes that all interested youth have the opportunity to participate in the boat building program. Scholarships are available for the Canoe only Please complete the Youth Scholarship Application.

2020 Scholarship Donors

Thank you to our generous scholarship donors:

The Captain Raymond Thombs Memorial Foundation

Edmund and Sarah Dinsmore

Tom and Rose McNamara

Boat Building Scholarship Donations: If you would like to support our scholarship program for youth boat building, please donate now.

Our boat building class was featured on NHPR and NH Chronicle. (Click the links to view)

“I was able to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a canoe this summer. I have a strong desire to work with technology and love to do anything that involves critical thinking and the use of my hands.”

– Nathan Hallam, age 14, youth boat building participant –