Boat Builders
Through its volunteer Community Boat Building Program, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary offers opportunities for individuals of all skill levels to build boats in a team setting. No previous boat building experience is necessary! Volunteers share skills and learn together while working on small wooden craft.

Ongoing projects throughout the year provide participants with a wide variety of boat building opportunities. Through this program, many volunteers gain the expertise and confidence they need to build their own boats at home.

Some of the finished boats created through this program are on display at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, including a birch bark canoe, a jimmy skiff, and a kayak. Other completed and ongoing projects include:

• Tree Frog (8-foot pram)
• Eastport (8-foot prams)
• Peterborough (16-foot cedar-strip canoe)
• Bob's Special (15-foot cedar-strip canoe)
• Shearwater (17-foot kayak)
• Wood Duck (12-foot kayak)
• Penobscot (14-foot lapstrake skiff)
• Great Auk (14-foot cedar-strip kayak)
• Peace (18-foot canoe)

Get Involved
Intrested in a team build, family build or student build? Build a boat in days or over several weeks as part of your group activity. Contact Sarah at Sarah.A.Waters@noaa.gov or at 989-356-8805 x29 for details.

The Community Boat Builders are pleased to welcome volunteers to their year-round workshop next to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Contact Sarah at Sarah.A.Waters@noaa.gov or at 989-356-8805 x29 to sign up as a NOAA volunteer and get started.

The Boat Builders also invite you to stop by and see their progress on current projects: the Penobscot (14-foot lapstrake skiff), the Great Auk (14-foot cedar-strip kayak), and the Peace (18-foot canoe) or to find out more about working in the shop by talking to other volunteers.

Current hours are every Wednesday evening 5:30pm to 8pm and every Saturday morning from 10:00am to 1:00pm. For more information, visit the sanctuary's Facebook page, or email Bradley at Bradley.Imhoff@noaa.gov.