Duckworks Takeover 2024 at NWMC!

We're excited to share some fun boat builds from this year's Duckworks Takeover at the Northwest Maritime Center! For those of you not already in the know, this annual-ish event is one of the best kept non-secrets out there in the boat building community. 

The Duckworks takeover is a month-long event when our community of DIY boatbuilders descends upon the NWMC boatshop in Port Townsend to make progress on their builds. Participants get to keep their boats in the shop, and access the tools they need, all with the advice and support of the boatbuilding professionals who work in the boatshop every day. 

Since the event is a month long, some folks will attempt a smaller build from start to finish. Others will bring their larger projects, hoping to make concentrated headway or complete a particularly challenging phase of the build with the experts on hand to provide guidance when necessary. 

While many of the builders who participate are local, others come from several states away. We had a nice mix of folks this year who came out, and are always encouraged to see the camaraderie that develops among the builders.

Here's a few shots of this year's projects... it's fun to see the progress from week 1 to week 4!

A Scamp-Camper on the Home Stretch

Check out that Scamp at the top of this page... that's Carmen, with her John Welsford Scamp she started at a Scamp Camp way back in 2013! She came up from Portland to get some dedicated time working on her Scamp. (I think we all know how it feels when you have a project that you love which sits there teasing you as life gets in the way.) 

We're thrilled to see that she's on the home stretch. Her Scamp "Joy" is getting a lot of the detailed work done as it eagerly awaits its first launch.

A True Chameleon

The Chameleon is a cool 2-piece dinghy design from Danny T Greene which we're very interested to see up close and personal. For the small craft boater without a ton of space for a tender, a well-designed nesting dinghy offers a tidy solution. There are a lot of different approaches to nesting dinghies out there, and this one is very well done. Plus it's an affordable plan to boot.

Check out this fantastic progress, the lovely paint job and bright finished gunwale! And photographic proof of how nicely it fits in the back of an SUV. If you're intrigued by nesting boats and haven't checked out this design before, it's worth taking a look at the Chameleon Nesting Dinghy here.

A Homebuilt Strip Canoe

This pretty canoe was finished out with supplies from Duckworks... what a beauty!

Hmm... and what's that we see there in the background? Why it's none other than everyone's little favorite...

A Portage Pram

James D. was getting started on his Portage Pram kit... there's a ton of knowledge at hand at NWMC about this fun little pram kit. In fact, they're doing a Portage Pram family boatbuilding class at NWMC this summer. If you want to try your hand at building your first boat, that's a great opportunity to get started on a rewarding project that the kids (or grandkids) will enjoy too.

Regretfully we didn't get any "after" pics of his progress. If you see this James, please send us your photos!

A Devlin Powerboat

The plans for this design Candlefish aren't available here at Duckworks, but the builder sourced just about all their supplies from us... epoxy, glass, hardware, etc. 

A Dory Restoration

Not everyone was there for a new build... the Takeover is also a great place to restore an older boat under the tutelage of the pros. Check out this cool old dory Gibnut, used and maintained by the Sea Scouts, which was here to be spruced up. You might notice she has a spiffy new rig, with two sails that happen to look suspiciously similar to the ones you find on our Scout 10 and Portage Pram. ;)

A Group Photo

Nice overhead shot here from the loft of the Duckworks Takeover fleet work in progress! Congratulations all the builders on your hard work and great progress... we hope you'll be taking many a row and sail in this summer as you reap the fruits of your labor!

Duckworks Takeover, Class of 2024.

If you are inspired to work on your own boat, keep an eye on the NWMC Boatshop Workshop schedule here. There's almost always a class with one of our kits on the schedule (Scout 14 Founders Build starts next week, Portage Pram happens in August). Or you can do a project independently any time through their "Boatshop with Benefits" program. If you need a hand to get started in a boatbuilding project, it's a great way to go. Just reach out to the NWMC, and tell Boatshop manager Joel Arrington that we sent you!