Barnwell Boatworks: CONSTRUCTION
Creating Custom Projects Tailored to Exceed Customer Expectations
My clients are interested in custom, one-off projects ranging from row to sail to motorboats tailored to meet their unique needs and expectations. While I am highly experienced with traditional construction methods, I also build modern composite boats, which combine layers of wood and epoxy glued together to form the hull. There’s more of a market for this hull construction in Northern Michigan where the boating season is short and people are interested in boats that require less maintenance because their boats spend more time on trailers, in and out of storage, than in the water. Additionally, they don’t have to wait for the seams to swell when they launch the boat in spring.
While the computer can quickly generate plans using CAD, the traditional style of lofting is my favorite part of boat building. Lofting requires drawing each individual piece, so I gain a better understanding of the way the boat will go together as I cut and assemble each section. I am not sure the computer would give me the same intimacy with the form and function of each piece and how they connect with one another to finish the boat.