Doug has been a life long boat builder and owns a beautiful 49’ Sparkman’s and Stephens Yawl that was also in the show.
Each family was given some pre cut pieces and material to build an 11’ row boat. San Diego Marine Exchange also donated many of the supplies for building the boats ( http://www.sandiegomarine.com ) Starting on Friday with a stack of wood, nails, glue, and a great leader the families with no prior boat building experience went to work. All the boats were completed by 3 pm on Sunday when they were taken out for a row. This year there were 5 families and all 5 boats were completed on time with the help of Traditional Boat Works employees working after hours on Friday and Saturday to catch some of the boats up to schedule.
At the end of the event the families were allowed to take the boats home for their own. This was the first year I was able to participate in the event and all I can say it was an incredible experience and if these organizations continue this for an 11th year it is a must do.
My 7 year old boy helped both his parents build the boat to the end and is very excited about using his new boat this summer.
