2017 Wooden Boat Festival

Wooden boat owners shoulder the joys and burdens of doing much of our own work. For many, it is part of the joy of stewardship, and often, a financial necessity. Keeping our boats in good shape, functionally and cosmetically, affords confidence in their sea-worthiness and pride in their appearance. Elegant signage for a boat’s name and homeport won’t make her more sea-kindly, but it announces our pride and makes her more memorable for those who encounter her. Transom signage is the solution for most, topsides for others, but we lose the signage whenever these need refinishing. Name boards can help solve this problem, and are a great winter project to keep our hearts and minds focussed on our coming adventures afloat. There is nothing so elegant as gold on mahogany, glinting in the sun, and removable name boards simplify maintenance, for the boat and the name boards. Letter carving is a traditional maritime skill, and gold leaf gilding is a long-lasting means to enhance the beauty of hand carved letters and decorations. Both are now considered esoteric and somewhat outside the spectrum of common skills among boat maintainers. They needn’t be. This workshop will take attendees through the tools, materials and techniques to design, plan, carve, finish, gild, and install name boards for their vessels.