Stitch-and-Glue Construction
Learn introductory and advanced modern plywood boatbuilding techniques suitable for simple or heavy-duty boats.
- Dates
- July 13 – July 19
- Location
- Brooklin, Maine
- Tuition
- $900
- Instructor
- John Harris
- Experience Level
- Novice
- Activity Level
- Moderate
This is a five-day course ending Friday
The “stitch and glue” method is the easiest way to build a boat, as tens of thousands of amateur boatbuilders will testify. The approach, which emphasizes the use of epoxy adhesives and strategic fiberglass reinforcement combined with marine plywood, is ideal for first-timers. But like so many things, it’s easy to do but hard to do WELL. This class is about how to do it well.
The stitch and glue techniques date back to the advent of modern adhesives in the 1960’s. The basic process involves prefabricated plywood parts, which are stitched together with loops of wire, then glued with epoxy to create rigid and seaworthy hulls. The process dispenses with lofting, elaborate molds, and much of the complex joinery of traditional wooden boatbuilding.
While the method is beloved of amateurs, in recent decades professionals have seized on the method as a way to create beautiful free-form hull shapes with amazing strength and light weight. While still benefiting from the speed and ease of stitch and glue boatbuilding, pros deploy sophisticated techniques that result in optimized structures and glittering finishes.
As the owner of Chesapeake Light Craft, John C. Harris has shipped 32,000 stitch-and-glue boat kits and built hundreds of boats in classes and in his own shop. In this class, we’ll build a modern reproduction of a traditional Maine peapod. Outwardly traditional in appearance, this 13’6″ rowing/sailing boat offers many opportunities to focus on the finer points of stitch-and-glue. For example, perfectly hand-drawn fillets that look like they were molded in place, fast and clean fiberglass sheathing and reinforcement, the use of advanced materials like peel-ply, high-performance foil construction, and hollow wood-epoxy spars.
Whether you’re building your first boat, or looking to learn the advanced tricks that the professionals use to get “showboat” finishes, this one-week class will advance your abilities to work with wood, epoxy, and fiberglass. The boat we build together will be raffled off at the end of the week to one lucky student!
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Who is this course best suited for?
This course is appropriate for someone with little or no experience. The course is designed around the idea that you have not done this before or know very little about the subject. Students should pay more attention to suggested readings or videos to help familiarize themselves ahead of time.
This course involves a moderate level of activity throughout the week including: standing and working sometimes throughout the day, some hand planing or sanding, working on group projects that require occasional participation.
What Our Students Are Saying
“John Harris is an excellent instructor. He’s not only very experienced and knowledgeable but very generous with his time and information. I signed up for STITCH-AND-GLUE CONSTRUCTION to build up my confidence working with epoxy and fiberglass. I was able to do just that and so much more.”
D.H., Buenos Aires, Argentina
“John Harris has a wealth of knowledge in boat design and construction techniques for building stitch-and-glue boats. He shared all of this with his students through daily, practical lessons, lectures, and demonstrations. The course was very well suited for both the novice and experienced boatbuilder.”
J.M., Brick, New Jersey
“My course with John Harris on stitch-and-glue construction was perfect. I wanted an introduction and got that along with lots of hands-on experience and many hints and professional techniques. John is very professional, personable, patient, humorous, serious, and focused on having every single student participate.”
C.R., Seguin, Texas
“John Harris is top notch. He explained all the material in detail, and challenged each student to get the most out of the STITCH-AND-GLUE BOATBUILDING course. It definitely expanded my knowledge of plywood/epoxy construction.”
E.R., Plainview, New York
Register For This Course
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