Museum PR Announcements News and Information

Learn boatbuilding at CBMM in St. Michaels

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has announced a new project for its Apprentice for a Day (AFAD) public boatbuilding program, with gift certificates available in time for the holidays. By constructing a boat from start to finish, traditional Chesapeake boatbuilding techniques will be taught to participants of all skill levels, under the direction of a CBMM professional shipwright.

“The museum’s Apprentice for a Day program is one of a kind,” said CBMM Boatyard Program Manager Jennifer Kuhn. “It allows participants to come in for as little as one session to sample any part of the boatbuilding process, or to take part in the entire process from keel to finish coat. We also do our best to tailor each class to the abilities our participants arrive with.”

During museum hours on Saturdays and Sundays now through the spring months, program participants will be constructing a 15-foot sailing skiff. The process began in early October with lines and lofting. The boat is a modified version of the museum’s collection boat Ghost, which was once used as a crabbing skiff along the Chesapeake.

To make a lighter version of the skiff, this boat has been commissioned to be built out of marine-grade plywood instead of traditional bottom cross-planking. To accommodate for the marine-grade construction, its deadrise design has been reduced in the stern, with the rake of the transom also reduced to allow for an outboard motor. Once completed in the spring, the boat will be launched along the Miles River and then taken out to be trailered to its new owners in Baltimore.

AFAD participants can be a part of the whole process, or can sign up only for specific dates. The “Journeyman’s Special” package makes a great gift and includes any four days for one reduced price, and can diversify the experience to include several different learning opportunities.

Individual classes are $45 for museum members and $55 for non-members. The four-day “Journeyman’s Special” is $150 for CBMM members and $200 for non-members. Participants must be 16 or older, unless accompanied by an adult.

Gift certificates are available for purchase at the museum store or by calling 410-745-4980. To register for the AFAD program or to commission your own boat, contact CBMM Boatyard Manager Jenn Kuhn at 410-745-4980 or email [email protected]