Skully,

I’ve taught that class a few times but can’t find a schedule at the moment, but here’s what I can remember.  I can tell you that we don’t follow the schedule in the manual at all. Monday the bulkheads get glued up and the hulls are started wiring together. Tuesday the wiring is done, bulkheads and transoms are installed, the hulls are flipped and the seams are filled with thickened epoxy. Wednesday the wires are pulled, except for the transoms and bulkheads as they’re not glued in yet, the boats are flipped and then the bulkheads, knees and transoms are glued in. Fillets are applied, the bottom interior is fiberglassed and the seats are installed. Thursday the interior is cleaned up, the planks are trimmed flush with the transoms, the skeg is pre-installed then removed, the bottom is glassed and the skeg is re-installed on the wet glass. That’s actually easier than it sounds! Friday the boats are flipped again, daggerboard trunk is installed and rails are installed. Saturday the daggerboard slots are cut out with a router and pattern bit. 

Obviously some things are easier when done in the order in the manual. For instance, it’s easier to ‘glass the interior without the bulkheads in the way. Also if you precote the bulkheads with epoxy and sand them before installing them you save some awkward sanding. 

Have fun no matter what way you choose to build, following the manual or not!

George K

Thanks for the great info, George!  I of course immediately started dumping this info into a spreadsheet.  Will post it here later.

BTW, what does it take to become an instructor?  I feel that by the time I finish this second boat, I'll have made just about all the mistakes possible.

   You’re never done making mistakes! You just get really good at hiding them. I worked with CLC for about ten years building some of the BETA boats and building for family and friends as well. Also went to as many small boat shows as I could, won a some awards. 

George K

Skully,

I'm not a CLC employee so I can't speak directly to John's requirements, but a read through the Instructor Profiles page should give some hints.

Things that stand out are lots of experience building and using boats. I'm pretty sure that the minimum number of builds is in the double-digits for those guys. There's also lots of experience in related fields (carpentry, restoration, etc.). Most of them have also won awards for their builds, some quite prestigious.

The instructors that I personally know are gregarious extroverts with lots of patience and thick skins. Those last two qualities are essential because the whole point of each class is to have the student leave happy with a nice hull and a positive feeling towards CLC, so instructors can never get frustrated or angry. They also have excellent communications skills, vital to telling newbies how to safely and effectively handle toxic chemical mixtures, as well as understanding what a person is actually asking when they don't have the terminology right.

Finally, the instructors have stamina. While the students work long hours, the instructors work even longer. They start the day before the class starts and end well after the last hull is loaded and off the premises.

My suggestion based on what I've seen at CLC is to keep building boats (get to the double-digit mark), enter some of them for judging in some serious boat shows (you're near Port Townsend, right?) and maybe even take a class at CLC so you get to see what the student experience is all about. You could also do some volunteer teaching with local organizations to build your resume.

Good luck,

Laszlo

Thanks for the great feedback Laszlo.  Didn't know about the Instructor Profiles page.  Great info.  With the advent of Tenderly XP and NanoShip 3.0, hopefully I'll have a couple of other builds under my belt in the next few years.

We just put in an offer for a house overlooking the water on Camano Island, WA, so I will probably end up doing something at The Center for Wooden Boats.

My years of being a sailing instructor have required pretty much the same skillset when it comes to dealing with students.  I'm hoping a nice long gray beard will also be an asset.