Urban BoatWorks

In partnership with the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum, UrbanTrekkers brings boat building back to the waterfront south neighborhood of Camden, once a thriving maritime community and home of the New York Shipbuilding Company. A group of caring adults teach our youth how to build rowing, sailing, and paddling boats. Students also learn how to swim and sail, so they can eventually take their boats out on the water.

BoatWorks' goals go beyond teaching the craft of wooden boat building; students also learn the skills they need to become successful and productive adults. When a local news reporter asked one of our young men if he would pursue boat building after graduating from high school, he quickly replied, "No, but it is something I could do with my kids some day." Such a comment represents what BoatWorks hopes to instill in our youth: A passion for boat building and the motivation to pass along their knowledge to others in the future.