|
Pat has taught numerous schools of instruction in both new canoe building
and complete restoration.
He has worked with a local middle school to instruct 11-13 year old
students to build and use a 17’ classic cedar canvas canoe. The school has
kept seven and raffled three over the years. He also built two canoes with
a BOCES alternative education high school.
Every year he offers from two to four adult programs as well. One program
is for an intergenerational grandparent/grandchild camp with a focus on
boat building.
All of his instruction now is affiliated with the
Adirondack Boat Building
School at the Historic Great Camp Sagamore, Raquette Lake, NY (www.adkboatschool.com).
He helped found the school in 1998 and is the Director of Programs. There
are generally six or seven instructors at the school offering various boat
building programs throughout the season (May-October).
To build your own cedar canvas canoe a week long program is offered as a
partners course. No experience is required, just a desire to learn. We use
techniques from the 1800s to steam bend cedar ribs over a form, thin cedar
planks are shaped and tacked onto the ribs with brass clinch tacks. The
hull is then taken off the form, heavy cotton canvas cloth is stretched on
and fastened then the cloth is filled with a canoe filler paint and the
canoe is ready to take home and complete painting and varnishing.
Restoration classes are offered as well. You would bring your own classic
canoe to restore. Again the class is one week and all wood work is
addressed, the canvas is replaced with new cloth and the canoe is filled
and ready to take hoe to complete painting and varnishing.
Our classes are kept small to provide individual instruction. We are
limited by space in the boat shop to two boats at a time. We aren’t
concerned with the number of students (the more the merrier) and classes
typically are from two to six persons.
Sumptuous meals and comfortable lodging are provided at the historic
camp to enhance the entire experience. Reservations for both
accommodations and the class you choose are made at Sagamore Great Camp
(315) 354-3511 ext. 21 or the website at:
http://www.adkboatschool.com/.
Questions on any of our programs can be directed to Pat by phone of web at
whbc@frontiernet.net.
|