Community Boat Building is a Boston nonprofit that teaches more than 200 fourth and fifth graders each year to build a fully functional wooden rowboat in a single week, working in teams of five or six students. The hands-on build develops spatial thinking while reinforcing math, geometry, science, social studies and literacy, and introduces 10- and 11-year-olds to Boston Harbor, its islands, rivers and history; swimming and rowing lessons round out the program. It runs largely as a school partnership — with Charlestown's Harvard Kent and Mattapan's Young Achievers among its partner schools — alongside a summer program.
The practical details
We list only what the camp itself publishes, and programs change — dates, prices, ages and availability can all move after we check. Confirm the details on the camp’s own website and contact Community Boat Building directly before you register or pay. Last checked August 2026.
Camps nearby
Google Reviews
Powered by Google
★★★★★JacobsIf you are trying to decide if you want to Join Community Boating or Courageous Sailing, its actually a very easy decision, community is the much much better option, below is some info that will help you decide. The full year membership at community is only $445, this allows you to sail and or take classes every day of the season. You can take the standard classes over and over again. This is a super critical distinction as a set day for a class might have unfavorable conditions, rain, cold, too much or too little wind. With community if there is no wind just cancel and pick a new day, or take the class first with mild wind then take it again with high winds. Being forced to take a class with almost no wind is a total waste of time, this is often the case with courageous. Or if you are new to sailing being scheduled to take a class on a high wind day with significant waves is no way to learn. Advanced classes are available for something like $45. For that $445 you will have access to mercury, laser, Sonar, Ideal 18, Rhodes, kayaks and windsurfing. Its a truly amazing value. Community is walking distance to Charles street T station, parking also costs less at community & is closer. The facility at community is also nicer, they have actual toilets, sinks and a shower, they always have soap & paper towels. At courageous you have porta potties, 2 outdoor sinks that almost never have soap and no paper towels. Sometimes courageous has cookouts and the people preparing the food use these soapless sinks, perhaps why they call it Courageous. Traffic at community is safer vs courageous as the Harbor has much much larger ships & tons of privately owned sailboats and motorboats
★★★★★Janell Lamons
★★★★★Stacy SeideMy daughters, ages 11 and 8, love this camp. Bob is great and they're learning a lot. The space and projects are fantastic.
★★★★★Elsa PMy baby had a ball building and sailing the boat that her and her classmates worked on.
★★★★★Walter HopeWhat a great program, kids learn valuable skills & adults help finish the boats at night. This is a worthy program!