We're not just building boats, we're building people.
2026 Summer Camps
The Boatshop and Gundalow Company are teaming up again in 2026 to offer experiential and skills-focused camps for campers grades 2-8.
Each of our three age-appropriate camps offer the unique opportunity to explore the fundamentals of boatbuilding while also experiencing firsthand the joys of getting out on the water.
All camps run 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday. Space is limited in each camp to 12.
Tuition Cost: $600 per camp ($550 for Gundalow Company Members).
Registration is handled by the Gundalow Company and will open in January 6, 2026 for all families.
Please note: The Boatshop is no longer affiliated with Strawbery Banke Museum and therefore only Gundalow Company members are eligible for a tuition discount.
2026 Summer Camp Offerings
Captains & Carpenters
Captains & Carpenters
Captains & Carpenters
NEWLY RE-IMAGINED FOR 2026!
Join us for a week of boatbuilding, seamanship and adventure. As carpenters, campers will continue to improve their tool use techniques by crafting a set of oars and working on other boat-related projects. Time will be spent each day on building practical on-the-water seamanship skills including safety and preparation, and operating traditional boats with oar and sail in concert with the local conditions. Over the course of the week, our adventures will offer opportunities to explore how and why boats operated in these waters over the centuries and what it tells us about this place we call home. This camp is for anyone who is excited to deepen their interest in boatbuilding and operating traditional craft.
For (past*) campers entering
grades 6-8 in Fall 2026.
*Please visit the Gundalow Company website for more information on how to apply to be part of this camp.
Sailors & Shipwrights
Captains & Carpenters
Captains & Carpenters
Campers will spend an exciting week building their own wooden model sailboats from scratch. Each camper will discover the fundamentals of boatbuilding and learn how to use basic woodworking skills to experience the magic of transforming a drawing and raw materials into a 3-dimensional model sailing boat. Along the way, focus on proper tool usage, measuring, knots, and discussing concepts such as buoyancy and displacement. The week will culminate with campers launching and sailing their finished boats before taking them home for future adventures.
Over the week, campers will also sail the Gundalow, row our Piscataqua Wherries, paddle small kayaks and explore the rivers and waterfront of the Portsmouth region. Campers will help the crew set the sail, steer the boat, tie knots, and learn to navigate from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world. Each day will include time for boating and boatbuilding.
For campers entering
grades 4 & 5 in Fall 2026
Bosuns & Boatbuilders
Captains & Carpenters
Bosuns & Boatbuilders
Cast off on a new adventure for a fun-filled week of boatbuilding and time on the water. Budding boatbuilders will discover the wonders of transforming raw materials into a simple cat rigged model sailboat. In this hands-on camp, participants will work to produce their very own boat that we’ll launch and sail on the final day. Along the way, we’ll introduce some basic tool usage, measuring, knots, and concepts such as buoyancy and displacement.
Over the week, campers will also sail the Gundalow, row our Piscataqua Wherries, paddle small kayaks and explore the rivers and waterfront of the Portsmouth region. Campers will help the crew set the sail, steer the boat, tie knots, and learn to navigate from the deck of the only Gundalow in the world. Each day will include time for boating and boatbuilding.
For campers entering
grades 2 & 3 in Fall 2026