Acme Skiff

The original of this classic 14’ rowing boat was built by the Acme Boat Shop in Seattle about 1900. Its fine entry, long run, low wetted surface and light weight allow it to accelerate quickly. The long skeg keel makes this boat track well. It is typical of the livery boats of this area at the turn of the century. This replica boat was built by students in a CWB workshop led by Eric Hvalsoe, a Seattle boatwright. The lines and table of offsets of this boat are available through CWB.

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Pilot Gig Dan

This 21’ rowing boat was designed and partially built by the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Townsend, Washington. The school's founder, Bob Prothero, donated the unfinished boat to The Center for Wooden Boats in memory of Dan Dygert, a charter member of CWB. The boat was completed through donations in memory of Dan Dygert. The type is similar to the pilot gigs in the 18th and 19th centuries where fast and seaworthy rowing boats were used to carry ship's pilots to vessels about to enter a port. The planking is red cedar, frames are white oak, fastenings are copper. The Dan is regularly used and maintained by a group of CWB rowers. It also has been used in traditional boat competitions. This type of boat also utilized by rowing clubs in Shelton, Olympia, and Anacortes.

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Lake Oswego Boat

The original 60-year-old boat was found in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Built by a Finnish boatbuilder in Portland as a stock boat, it was made using a half model which a customer brought to the builder. It became a popular boat at Skunk Lake, Oregon (which later became known as Lake Oswego). It may be a copy of the Rangely boat, a sporting boat developed on the Rangely Lakes of Maine about 100 years ago. The unique features (i.e. a flat-bottom plank in place of a keel and a two-part stem with inner and outer pieces) make the boat relatively fast to build. The current CWB Lake Oswego boat was built by students of Eric Hvalsoe.

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Grandy Skiff

From 1922 until 1967, the Grandy Family ran the Grandy Boat Shop on Westlake Avenue North (on Lake Union) where they primarily built custom cruising power boats. Tenders for these boats were made by a full-time lapstrake boat builder. Marty Monson, the builder of this model, started working for the company at the age of 16, became their best boat builder and left in 1932 to start his own shop. CWB’s boat was built about 1930. This 12 ’ model was a favorite of the Seattle Parks Department for their life boats. The planking is red cedar and the frames are white oak. Copper rivets and clench nails were used as fasteners.

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Peapod

The Maine Peapod is believed to have appeared first about 1880. It was commonly used for lobstering among the reefs where a larger boat could not go. The most common length was 15 feet. Peapods are fine rough-water rowing boats. They were designed to be stable enough for the rower/fisherman to row standing up or to put one foot on the gunwale to haul a lobster pot. The design may have been influenced by the birch bark fishing canoes of the Penobscot and Quoddy Indians. This boat was built by students in a CWB workshop in March, 1990, under the guidance of Eric Dow, a very experienced Maine boatbuilder. In 1994, the planks had dried more than expected and the boat was hauled out and restored by our volunteers.

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Hvalsoe 15

Designed by CWB member Eric Hvalsoe, this 15’ lapstrake dinghy is his version of “the great compromise”, i.e. a boat that both rows and sails well. It has fine ends which makes it a good rowing boat and enough beam to make it stable under its sprit-sail rig. The planking is cedar, the frames oak and the stem and keel are fir. A class of students, led by Eric Hvalsoe, built this boat during an eight-day workshop here at The Center for Wooden Boats. For more information, visit Hvalsoe-Boats.com.

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Davis Skiff

For three generations, from 1900 to 1950, the Davis family, members of the Tsimshian Tribe of Metlakatla, Alaska, were the dominant small craft builders in Southeast Alaska. Their double-ended rowing boats were the most popular of their stock boats. An unusual aspect of these boats is that, unlike the double-ended Peapods of Maine, the Davis boats are not symmetrical from front to back. The stern is slightly more narrow than the bow. They were used for hand trolling, as ship's boats and for general shoreside work and pleasure. Fishermen would bring a pair of oars to the Davis Shop and say, “John, I’d like a boat – and I’d like it for tomorrow.” CWB's Davis Skiff was built by students of Eric Hvalsoe.

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Whitehall 12

The Whitehall is a fast-rowing water taxi thought to be first developed about 1840 at Whitehall Street, New York City, on the New York harbor. It was narrower, lighter and therefore faster than the usual harbor taxi of its day. Speed was in demand by the boarding house “crimps” or runners, who vied to be the first to meet arriving ships and entice the seamen to visit their places of earthly delights. These boats were also used by ships' chandlers, newspaper reporters, agents and pilots. The style quickly spread to other ports on the East and West Coasts, both for business and pleasure. Our 12’ Whitehall was built by Hugh Campbell of Sydney, B.C.

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Whitehall 15

The Whitehall is a fast-rowing water taxi thought to be first developed about 1840 at Whitehall Street, New York City, on the New York harbor. It was narrower, lighter and therefore faster than the usual harbor taxi of its day. Speed was in demand by the boarding house “crimps” or runners, who vied to be the first to meet arriving ships and entice the seamen to visit their places of earthly delights. These boats were also used by ships' chandlers, newspaper reporters, agents and pilots. The style quickly spread to other ports on the East and West Coasts, both for business and pleasure. Our 15' Whitehall is available for hourly rental from the Livery.

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Sid Skiff

This boat type was named after Sid Foster, the long-time Harbormaster of Sausalito, California. He had an old sailing skiff that boatbuilder Ray Speck admired. Speck took the lines off Sid’s boat, which was about 12½’, and built a series of similar designs up to 16’ in length. Our skiff is 14½’ and has Port Orford cedar planking, white oak frames and copper fastenings. It has a dipping lug rig (the yard carrying the sail projects forward of the mast; to come about, the yard is lowered slightly, the forward end is dipped round the mast and the yard is re-hoisted on the other tack).

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Wherry

A practice shell built by George Pocock in Seattle about 1930. Pocock apprenticed with his father, head boatbuilder of Eton School on the River Thames. Eton had 650 boats for 1,100 students. Pocock immigrated to Vancouver, B.C., in 1911 and set up a boatshop. In 1912 he was induced to move to Seattle by Hiram Connibear, the first crew coach of the University of Washington. There Pocock set up a shop building boats for competition rowing. He quickly gained an international reputation for the speed and craftsmanship of his sculls and shells. The planking of this wherry is western red cedar, adhesive fastened. Only the sheer strake is screw fastened. This boat was restored by Nelson Miller, who has loaned it to CWB for display.

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