Boatbuilding & Restoration Program (20 months)

Click here to view a Providence Journal video about the Boatbuilding & Restoration program.

The IYRS 20-month Boatbuilding & Restoration program is about mastering the fundamentals of wooden boatbuilding. The traditional plank-on-frame method--an essential technique proven to capture the timeless principles of yacht design and construction--is the core theme of the program. This approach creates a way of thinking; its is the equivalent of a strong liberal arts education where students learn critical thinking skills and put them into action and practice. This is why the IYRS approach produces graduates valued for their thinking, analytical skills, craft, and ability to produce superior outcomes in both modern and traditional boat yards around the world. Students who successfully complete the program receive a Certificate in Yacht Restoration.

Students are exposed to the full range of skills that comprise proficiency in wooden boatbuilding and restoration. Classes combine theoretical and hands-on work. Students learn by doing, working alongside master shipwrights and other trained instructors restoring a variety of boats, both power and sail. Practical experience restoring classic boats is supplemented by classroom lectures, drawing and design exercises, classes in surveying and business techniques, and off-campus excursions. Tree cutting and milling trips, visits to other boatbuilding and repair facilities and to the great maritime libraries at Mystic Seaport and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are regularly scheduled. Click here for a more detailed course description of the Boatbuilding & Restoration program.

The Boatbuilding & Restoration program is held at IYRS’ Newport, RI waterfront campus and operates on an academic calendar with three terms: fall, spring and summer. Classes are held Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Tuition:
Year 1 (starting September 2010) - $14,020 plus fees
Year 2 (starting September 2011) - $15,420 plus fees