Class description
Lapstrake Hvalsoe 13: Hands-on Learning to Keep Old Traditions Alive
Looking for some wooden boatbuilding experience? Or just looking for a fun and rewarding hands-on project to improve your woodworking skills and connect with like-minded doers? Join us in building a 13-foot traditional lapstrake rowing and sailing skiff, designed by Seattle-area’s Eric Hvalsoe, a boatwright whose career has spanned more than 40 years. He designed the Hvalsoe 13 while still learning the trade in the 1980s, and by all accounts, was remarkably successful in striking the balance between rowing and sailing performance.
The process:
The start of the build will be similar to that of many small craft - we will be lofting, making molds and erecting them on a strongback, and assembling the backbone. But the rest of the process is what sets the lapstrake method apart: you'll learn how to fit cedar planks accurately around your molds in fair curves and plane a water-tight rolling bevel along each plank edge. Along the way, you will pick up skills in riveting, steambending, and fitting structural components accurately into a curved hull. You’ll learn about species selection, grain orientation, and many other burning questions you may have about a trade that has been all but relegated to the dustbins of history.
The schedule:
The build will start with a free kick-off event on October 23rd and end with a boat launch on May 16th, 2026. The class will meet on Thursdays 6pm-9pm (class time) and optional Saturdays 9:30am-4:30pm (building time) starting on October 30th and ending at the end of April. We will have monthly social events where everyone is invited to see our progress or participate in a workshop.
See the full course calendar here.
You can sign up for the entire build (6-months), one month at a time, or for individual classes. See sign up details below.
Photo credit: Eric Hvalsoe
Ways to Participate:
Sign up for Full Build
If you are interested in learning the entire process of lapstrake boatbuilding this option is for you. This bundle includes all classes, building sessions, and events with a 20% discount. Additionally you will be invited to participate in elements of the build not covered in classes. All Levels are welcome.
Thursdays and Saturdays
October 23rd - April 30th
$2,500
Sign up Monthly
If you would like to do more than one lapstrake class but can't commit to the entire build this option is for you. Join us on a month-to-month basis for weekly instruction days (Thursday 6pm-9pm) and building days (Saturday 9:30am-4:30pm). Each month has 3-4 classes and building sessions. All Levels are welcome.
Thursdays and Saturdays
November - April
$450
Individual Classes
Workshops and Events
Sign up for individual 3-hour classes dedicated to various steps of lapstrake boatbuilding. Learn how to make molds, fit planks, steam bend frames, or fit a seat to a curved hull. Here we will be teaching the skills that you can then choose to practice during our optional weekly building sessions (Saturdays 9:30am-4:30pm)
Thursdays, 6PM-9PM Instruction
$125 per Class
+
$125 per Practice Session (Optional)
Workshops and Events
Workshops and Events
Workshops and Events
Creating a community around wooden boatbuilding is a part of the reason we started Sheer Craft. Join us at a monthly social to connect with fellow woodworkers and boat enthusiasts. Each event/workshop will be organized around a topic (e.g. lofting, sharpening, material sourcing, etc.) with a short lecture or demonstration followed by a social hour.
Monthly, Thursdays, 6PM.
FREE
Sponsor The Boat
Workshops and Events
Sponsor The Boat
Wooden boatbuilding is not the most lucrative market for a business. If you would like to support this project but can't participate in our classes, you can make a contribution towards materials and tools for this build. Contact us or use this link to make a direct contribution.