Build Your Own Boat – and Take It Home for Free

Here’s the offer:

• Gather a group of young people who would like to go home from the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival with a brand new boat
• We supply all materials including plywood, adhesives, fasteners and finishes
• We supply a trained professional boat building teacher to show you how to do it
• You build the boat in four days at the Shipwright’s Village at the AWBF
• It’s a real boat, a plywood canoe, tough and practical, useful and ready to float
• It’s yours to keep.  You can use it, raffle it, sell it or hire it out to support your group

Does that sound too good to be true?  It  might be, except for the generosity of two of the biggest names in Australian kit boats: Dave Giddings from Drive Marine Services and Ian Phillips of BoatCraft Pacific.  We met the guys at the Classic & Wooden Boat Show in Sydney recently, where several teams of young people were busy doing just that.  They learned fast.  There was a lot of help around.  They finished on time and they took their boats home with them.  Dave and Ian are very keen to see the same thing happen at the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February 2017.

What’s the Catch?

There’s no catch.  Dave and Ian are long-term exhibitors at the Maritime Marketplace.  They figure that once Dad sees how easy it is to build a sturdy, solid boat in your garage in a few days using modern plywoods and adhesives, he’ll be queuing up to purchase the materials and plans for his own boat. They’re probably right!

So, we are looking for just four groups of young people (boys or girls, you don’t need any woodwork experience at all) between 12-18 years old.  You’ll need a minimum of 4 people, maximum 6.  It could be your Scout Group, your sports team, junior service club, sailing club, whatever.  You’ll need your parent’s permission, a couple of hand tools from Dad’s toolbox, closed footwear and the ability to stay focussed on the task for four days, Friday 10 Feb to Monday 13 Feb, 2017.  You’ll have to work hard for a few hours each day, but there’s still plenty of time to have a look around the festival.

Watch them get started in Sydney here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoTVxbY6fAY&t=19s

Where Do We Sign Up?

Call the AWBF office on (03) 6223 3375 and speak to Paul Cullen, the general manager.  He will ask you about your group and explain what you have to do next.  The cut-off date is Thursday 15 December, so don’t hang about.  Get your group together and make the call.  First in, best dressed!