ROCKLAND — Looking for a way to learn new skills and get on the water? The Apprenticeshop in Rockland, has space in its upcoming 12-week boatbuilding apprenticeship starting March 30. The 12-week program is open to anyone regardless of skill level or experience, whether you are retired, right out of high school or somewhere in between.

One recent apprentice, Susan St. John, participated in the program at the age of 74. “Having trained and practiced as an architect and having taught Outward Bound on the sea for 30 years, I was looking for a new challenge,” said St. John, in an Apprenticeshop news release.

The 12-week Small Boatbuilding Program introduces students to boatbuilding through the construction of a 11-ft, 3-in, flat-bottomed lapstrake rowboat, the Susan Skiff. This skiff, designed by Rob Steward, provides a strong foundation for learning the basic elements of building any wooden boat. It has a stem and transom and is constructed from three different kinds of wood – pine, cedar, and white oak. The skiff also provides the perfect platform for learning how to use hand and power tools, like chisels and planes, as well as the band saw and table saw. And at the end of the program, the boat is yours to take home, according to Apprenticeshop.

For many apprentices, the experience of being at The Apprenticeshop is more than just about learning specific building skills and techniques. As St. John said, ‘Long ago, when Siddhartha Gautama was a very old man, he was asked about his life. This was his answer: ‘I'm always at the beginning.’ At the Apprenticeshop, I am always at the beginning. I meditate while using my hands. The experience is both challenging and reassuring, complex and simple, frustrating and satisfying. It is all laid out there in the experience of the tools and the wood, of those working around me, of my own inner and outer process. The support from the instructors and the other apprentices is ongoing, encouraging, instructive. I get all the help I need. Yet, in the end, the building of the boat is up to me.”

Building this boat can open the door to further adventures, according to Apprenticeshop. You can stay and build your own set of oars. You can take it a step further and build a sailing rig. You can also modify the boat to carry a small outboard motor. If you are interested in building bigger boats, the skills learned during your 12 weeks can be deepened and expanded on through the Apprenticeshop’s 9-month or 2-year boatbuilding apprenticeships.           

You can learn more about the program at www.apprenticeshop.org/12week-intensive-program or by coming to visit the shop Monday-Friday at 655 Main Street, in Rockland.

“If the March start date doesn’t suit your schedule, we also have openings in the summer, which is a beautiful time of year to be on our waterfront campus,” said Apprenticeshop.