Spaulding Wooden Boat Center

The Spaulding Marine Center offers a range of programs for both the general public and the serious student interested in traditional wooden boat crafts, seagoing skills and educational and fun maritime experiences.

The Spaulding Marine Center's education programs are designed to inform the general public about the historic context, legacy and craft of wooden boat building and use on San Francisco Bay.

The Spaulding Center supports programs in woodworking, boatbuilding, boat restoration, and sailing for youths interested in learning about and enjoying the maritime environment in Sausalito.

With a core apprenticeship program of just six students, it is a small school dedicated to developing craftsmen skilled in the art of building boats in the traditional plank on frame methods.

The Spaulding Marine Center will continue to restore and preserve important San Francisco Bay wooden boats and communicate the skills and ideals that went into their design, building, and use.

Painstakingly restored in the 1950s by Harold Sommer, captain of the last wooden tugboat on San Francisco Bay, Freda became a fixture in the local Master Mariner fleet regattas, but has since suffered from years of deterioration.

In May 2007, Lin and Larry Pardey loaned the foundry casting patterns for their Lyle Hess-designed 30 foot cutter Taleisin to the safe keeping and management of the SWBC.