Each winter the Door County Maritime Museum hosts a wooden boatbuilding class. At the end of the class, tickets are sold throughout the summer for a raffle drawing to win the newly constructed handmade masterpiece. Along with the grand prize of the completed wooden boat, more than fifty additional prizes are typically available. The Door County Maritime Museum has drawn the winner for the 2017 Wooden Boat Raffle, but they have recently received a generous donation of a Georgian Bay kayak, custom built by Bill Klug and Dan Lasch. Raffle tickets for the Georgian Bay kayak are on sale now in Sturgeon Bay. Please call (920) 743-5958 or stop by for tickets.
The winner of the 21st Wooden Boat Raffle was Rob Edmundson. As an avid outdoorsman, Edmundson was ecstatic to be the recipient of the Merlin rowboat. A member of the Door County Maritime Museum, Edmundson enjoys fishing, boating, attending the Door County Lighthouse Festivals and learning about Door County history. He was lucky enough to be in attendance at the Pumpkin Patch Festival this year to hear his name drawn as the winner of the 16’ Merlin rowboat.
As stated by Edmundson, “I’ve been a huge supporter of the museum for several years and come back every year to see what beautiful project the boatbuilding class has accomplished next. My wife and I really enjoying being members of the Door County Maritime Museum and take advantage of the perks such as being able to visit all three locations for free all year, being able to purchase discounted passes to share with friends and family and being able to purchase advanced tickets to the member’s only events which is how we became members so many years ago. My wife and I frequent the museum store for sales and discounts on unique maritime gifts. We are also really pleased with what the museum is able to accomplish and how they continue to grow the exhibits and programs yearly.”
With the completion of this year’s Wooden Boat Raffle, the Door County Maritime Museum was thrilled to receive a new kayak donated by Bill Klug. The Georgian Bay kayak is 16’6” in length, constructed of cedar strips and fiber glassed both inside and out. It has two storage compartments with hatch covers, and is the perfect sea kayak for paddlers who want a boat for fishing, photography or nature observations. A shallow-arch design gives the kayak high stability to make it perfect for novices. This classic kayak is beautifully constructed and will make even the most expert paddler proud to be seen in it.
Tickets for this kayak are on sale now. The raffle will run through May 26, 2018, and the drawing will take place during the opening of the museum’s rotating exhibit to replace the current Sea Dog’s exhibit.
While the raffle for the new kayak commences, the boatbuilding class will be hard at work constructing the new craft for the 2018 Wooden Boat Raffle. This year’s boat selection is an Adirondack guide boat. It will be 15’ in length and will weigh approximately 70 pounds.
Debuting in the 19th century, Adirondack guide boats were built for speed. They are still widely acknowledged as the fastest fixed seat rowboats ever built. While guide boats resemble canoes they are rowed instead of paddled, are capable of carrying more weight and are famous for winning countless open ocean races.
Volunteer instructors Jerry McNamara, David Morgan and Bob Schottmuller return to lead the class of five students. The class typically meets Fridays and Saturdays to complete construction of the boat which should be finished in May. Visitors to the Door County Maritime Museum are encouraged to watch through the glass observation area as the boat is crafted. Upon completion of the craft in the summer of 2018 raffle tickets will go on sale to win the Adirondack guide boat.
For more information on purchasing raffle tickets for the Georgian Bay kayak, please contact the Door County Maritime Museum. The Door County Maritime Museum is located at 120 N Madison Ave, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and is open daily from 10am-5pm.