Staying Afloat with the Berkshire Boat Building School

Some people build tiny model boats as a hobby; Hilary Russell, founder of the Berkshire Boat Building School, has taken it to the next level. “I built it out of my head,” says Russell, referring to his latest work, which took five months to complete: a skin-on-frame willow boat stemming from Irish tradition. “There were no plans for this boat—that’s why it’s bordering on art.”

The boat, called a currach, was inspired by the Sheep Haven currach of Donegal, Ireland. Russell’s boat is woven from willow rods and assembled in a way reminiscent of North American kayaks. “It’s like making a big upside-down basket,” he says. “It’s all about marrying the ancient techniques of willow with modern techniques of saw and lumber.”

Willow is what separates Russell’s boat from other water vessels; he learned the method two years ago from Wendy G. Jensen of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, who taught him how to weave several rows of willow to form the ribs of the boat. Jensen, who took a course in Ireland with basket-maker Joe Hogan, uses willow that she grows in her Sally Garden—Sally from the Latin word salix, which means willow. With her occasional help, Russell has been building his own structures ever since.

“I know it’ll float,” Russell says with a laugh—his finished currach has three solid wood seats and solid floorboards, so it weighs about forty pounds. His next experiment is constructing one of his standard, everyday canoes with willow. Even though it’s more time-consuming, he doesn’t mind, because the end result is unique. As he says, “No one’s ever built a boat quite like this." (MAY 2009)

THE GOODS

Berkshire Boat Building School   

Berkshire School Road       

Sheffield, Mass.
413.229.2549
www.berkshireboatbuildingschool.org