Thinking about Building a Boat?

As a youngster, John Worcester had a passion for boats and maritime culture. During summers on Cape Cod, he fantasized about being a tugboat captain. As an adult, he dreamed of building his own boat, but it took the pandemic to make his dream come true.

Learn More About the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Watch the boat being built.

When the COVID slowdown hit John Worcester’s contracting business, he resurrected boat plans that had been lying on his desk for some time and contacted the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, North Carolina, for advice and guidance about building a boat. Signing on as a student at the museum’s Watercraft Center enabled him to access the center, a working boatbuilding facility for craftsman of all skill levels, use the center’s tools and space, and importantly, tap into the expertise of Tim White, head boatbuilder at the Beaufort Maritime Museum.

The Beaufort Watercraft Center is normally buzzing with classes and people engaged in various maritime-related projects. However, due to the pandemic, Worcester had the place to himself. During the months-long process, he worked closely with White, a seasoned boatbuilder and instructor with some 34 years of experience in maritime construction and restoration. Later in the process, as pandemic restrictions eased, others contributed knowledge and expertise.

“The facility is phenomenal, and Tim White was a terrific instructor, mentor, and friend. He taught me everything, including understanding the types of wood, how and why they behave, and knowing what woods to use for each application,” said Worcester. Woods for Worcester’s boat were supplied by Impulse Trading, which specializes in structural marine lumber and plywood. “No matter how long I work with the marine industry, it’s always exciting to watch a project like this come together,” explained Jack King, Sales Manager for Impulse Trading. “This boat uses some of my favorite woods for marine applications.”

Worcester used clear fir for the stringers. Meranti (Shorea spp.) and Okoume (Aucoumea klaineana) plywoods were used on the hull and cabin roof tops, glued in opposing grain layers for strength and to achieve smooth bends. Mahogany and Teak were chosen for their durability and appearance and were used for cap boards, hatch covers, seats, toe rails, windshield frame and floors.

Durability and resistance to what Mother Nature has to offer are the keys to wood selection in maritime applications, according to White. “A wooden vessel needs to resist rot and hold up in the face of wind, water, sun, salt and getting beat up, while also holding fasteners well. I often look for species that grow in moist conditions, such as White Oak, White Cedar (Juniper), or Cypress, as they tend to do well in marine environments,” he added.

Although Worcester’s background in carpentry had made him familiar with wood, he quickly realized there’s a big difference between working on boats and houses. “The ability to achieve a functional boat while still giving it a pleasing look to the eye and motion in the sea is not easy. The construction method very rarely allows one to use dimensional lumber. Therefore, everything must be cut, planed, spliced, mitered, scarfed, sanded and finished before it can even be applied.”

SPOTLIGHT ON: OKOUME / GABON

SPECIES: Aucoumea klaineana

ORIGIN: Central Africa

COMMON APPLICATIONS: Veneer, plywood, boatbuilding, musical instruments, furniture, and interior millwork.

CHARACTERISTICS / APPEARANCE: The heartwood ranges from a pale pink to light brown and darkens with age. Grain is straight to wavy or slightly interlocked. Texture is medium with good natural luster. The high silica content has a pronounced blunting effect on cutters. Planing and shaping may produce tearout or fuzzy surfaces. Glues and finishes well.

JANKA HARDNESS SCALE: 400 lbf

COMMENTS: Most commonly sold as veneer and/or plywood. Okoume is primarily used for marine applications, but it can be used for other applications as long as the edges and faces are well sealed. It is the easiest to bend of the marine plywoods, making boat construction of the stitch-and-glue variety easier. Okoume has a high strength to weight ratio which is why it is the plywood of choice for racing boats and applications where weight is important.

At the Watercraft Center, we don’t typically do projects of this size and scale,” explained White. “More often, we build small watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, row boats, and stand-up paddleboards. But John was so enthusiastic and dedicated to completion, and the amount of time he put into it, seven days a week. His enthusiasm carried everybody else along.”

Worcester launched his boat, “Scorpio,” in October 2021 at the Maritime Center. “I always thought the name for the boat would just come to me, but after months of work I was still undecided. It came down to this: the project started in October and ended in October, and I was born in October. The result: Scorpio.”

“Taking a paper description and creating a functional, beautiful, dimensional vessel and working with all types of purpose-built tools, well, like building/creating anything, the project takes on a life of its own, which in the end is a representation of you and your life,” Worcester stated. “This project has given me the utmost respect for people who work and make a living on the water. I would advise anyone considering building a boat or taking on a bucket-list project: Do it! Do it now! If not now, when?”