Behind Jeff Hammond’s laid back demeanor and Wisconsin drawl is a Master Boat Builder and seasoned instructor who is the Real McCoy. He’s been instructing at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building since 1985 and retired a few years back.

As a youth in Wisconsin, Jeff built model boats and canoed with his family on local lakes. After school he entered the construction trade, building houses and cabinets and messing with a few boat building projects here and there. It was a tough time for the construction business, so in 1984 Jeff visited a schoolmate in the Seattle area to look for improved work opportunities. When he told her of his interest in boat building, she suggested they visit Port Townsend and the 4 year old Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building.

Jeff got a tour of the school one fateful day in December 1984 and knew the minute he left, that he would return as a student. Four months later he was enrolled in a 6 month course at the school with 8 classmates. At the end of the term, he enrolled for another 6 months and was asked to work for the school, which he did as instructor, shop person, and student helper.

Five weeks after finishing his second term, Jeff was asked by founder Bob Prothero to return to the school as a regular instructor to replace a retiring instructor. Jeff couldn’t have been more excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with beautiful woods on hand crafted boats. He taught at the school for more than 30 years!

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS  Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.