Great Lakes Boat Building School To Recruit in Petoskey May 8

The Great Lakes Boat Building School of Cedarville will recruit students at a career night Tuesday, May 8, on the North Central Michigan College campus in Petoskey. Boat School staff will answer questions and register students for summer classes and the vocational program from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Conference Room Four at the college.

The evening program is the first recruitment effort hosted by the school. Its director, Dave Lesh, said he is planning more of these events at local colleges.

"Once we have the building up, we plan to host something at the school," he added.

Summer workshops at the school will start in July and the nine-month vocational program will start in September.

Program director and master boat builder Pat Mahon of Port Townsend, Washington, will bring more than 30 years of boat building and teaching experience to the nonprofit educational program.

The vocational course will teach methods and materials required of today's wooden boat builder. This will be accomplished by lectures and hands-on teaching of woodworking, boat design theory, lofting, traditional and modern wood/epoxy construction methods, including cold molding, strip plank making, carvel, and lapstrake techniques.

Advanced programs and continuing education programs about interior joinery, repair, and restoration will also be offered.

The boat building industry remains strong, Mr. Lesh said, and graduates of the Boat Building School will have the skills boatyards are seeking.