Spaulding Wooden Boat Center

Spaulding Youth Boatbuilding Apprentice Program

Sausalito’s Spaulding Wooden Boat Center offers middle and high school students an apprenticeship in traditional boatbuilding and sailing. Apprentices learn woodworking skills and techniques in a working boatyard. Throughout the year-round Youth Program, apprentices will:

Build a wooden sailboat in the Bay Area’s oldest wooden boatyard.
Experience sailing on San Francisco Bay.
Learn about the local environment and history of the bay.

Apprentices who stay in the program year after year will become skilled builders, confident sailors, and knowledgeable environmental stewards.

Kayaking day on Richardson bay

Adrian working on the Spaulding 16 stem

Sailing on a boat built by the Youth Program.

Program Schedule 2012-2013
The apprentice program offers a rewarding experience. The program has an excellent student teacher ratio, where students often get one-on-one instruction.

Saturdays 10:00 am– 3:00 pm

Our Program is ongoing and we accept students throughout the year.

2013 Activities
This year we are constructing the “Doreen” a boat designed by Bob Darr, Director of the Arques School of Traditional Boatbuilding. The “Doreen”, under good weather conditions, is the perfect boat to row or sail anywhere.

As we build the ”Doreen”, apprentices will receive sailing instructions and will participate in outdoor and maritime activities such as kayaking, learning about tides & currents, visit the Bay Model and participating in wooden boat shows.

To see a video of the Doreen, click here
To see a video of the Doreen sailing click here

Spaulding Youth Boatbuilding Apprentice Program

Youth Program Objectives
Traditional boatbuilding and sailing offers an exceptional teaching platform for delivering our youth program objectives which are to:

Provide a fun and educational hands on experience
Prepare youth for future success
Promote the development of Maritime skills and traditions
Foster environmental stewardship

Teaching philosophy
Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me and I will understand.
~Chinese Proverb

Our curriculum is taught with an approach that is experiential and student-centered. Rather than employing lectures and clinics, all lessons are integrated into hands-on building and sailing experiences.
Our skilled volunteer instructors are a unique group of educators and boat builders.

Application Process
All youth are required to complete a short application.
Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Tuition for the Program is $100 per month. Tuition goes towards our food and materials costs.

Scholarships are provided and can be arranged by talking to Allison Hughes Nygaard, Program Manager, Allison@spauldingcenter.org

Download the application form (PDF)
Youth Apprentice Program Application
Application can be opened and filled out in Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

Allison Hughes Nygaard, Program Manager
E-mail Allison@spauldingcenter.org
Phone (415) 332–3179

Spaulding Wooden Boat Center
Foot of Gate Five Road
Sausalito, CA 94965
415-332-3179 Center office
415-332-3821 Fax