Families attend a boatbuilding orientation where they learn to build a wooden rowing skiff (Wright Skiff) from a supplied kit. They have five days to build the boat and have it in the water and race ready.

“We pre-cut a number of the boards and there are hundreds of cuts.  The pieces are handed out in order of construction. We know what’s required for each process,” said Chuck McGhinnis, the building and grounds director who oversees the program.

The 14-foot boats are made of cypress and fir and held together with stainless steel fasteners. During Family Boat Week, participants work together on-site daily. It’s an activity that bonds families as they team up to construct their boat.

“The purpose is to get families together with a project they can complete, be proud of, and use for years,” he said.Over the last 17 years, families assembled up to 154 boats within the program.

“We have never had anyone not finish a boat,” he said.

John England, the boat shop director, has seen the program grow for as long as it’s been around. For him, Family Boatbuilding Week is about seeing people embrace Deltaville’s boatbuilding tradition. England has built 25-30 boats in his 50-year career.