What's New

2026 Family Boat Build
​June 27, 28

Signup is now open for our annual event, where you can can arrive on Saturday morning ready to work, and go home Sunday afternoon with an assembled 12' rowing boat.

This is a great experiential event for families, kids can learn what it is like to make something significant with their own (and their parents) hands. 

Read more about the event, and learn how to sign up here.
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Boats and boat kits for sale

RiversWest has received generous contributions of boats and boat building kits. These are all available for purchase to RiversWest members, pricing is negotiable though we generally sell as-new items at 1/2 retail price.

If one of these strikes your fancy, you can easily save the cost of our annual membership dues.
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"6 Hour Canoe"

Length 15' 3" beam 31.5" construction 1/4" marine plywood. Includes paddle and canvas cover. It is wired for addition of a rudder mounted electric motor, and there is a solar panel for charging a battery (battery not included).

This boat is in very nice condition. You can read about the design here. See more pictures in our craigslist ad for the boat here.

"Annapolis Wherry Tandem"

"The Chesapeake Light Craft Annapolis Wherry offers thoroughbred performance on the water combined with breathtaking grace. The Annapolis Wherry has been turning heads since 1997, with hundreds and hundreds built all over the world". The tandem version being longer, allows addition of either one or two sliding seats (not included in the kit). We are selling the complete kit, which includes the epoxy pack.

See https://clcboats.com/shop/boats/rowboats/wherries/annapolis-wherry-tandem-rowboat.html

Event calendar

​And - here is another event calendar that might be of interest, published by Oregon Coots

http://coots.org/mb/index.html
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Donate to RiversWest

You can make a tax deductible donation to RiversWest right here on our website, using PayPal or a credit or debit card.

Become a member

2010 Family Boat Build

Learn now to become a member here.​​

Since 1991, RiversWest Small Craft Center has been promoting the use of sustainable, beautiful boats built to operate on the human scale. For some of our members, that means restoring historically correct wooden boats. For others, it is a chance to design and build with the support and input of a like-minded group.

Many enjoy the camaraderie of "messing about" on the water. We all benefit from the chance to learn from one another. We are often inspired to get our hands busy building, paddling, rowing, motoring, or sailing small craft. 

RiversWest members enjoy:

• Access to a wood shop and rental spaces for boat building and repairs.
• Workshops in boat building, maritime crafts, and tool making.
• Boating related social functions

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RiversWest Library catalog online

RiversWest has an extensive library of books in our boat shop, oriented mainly to maritime topics. Books are available for members to borrow at any time.

We are in the process of creating an online catalog of titles to make it easier to find a title that you might be interested in. Check back occasionally as our catalog grows.

Member payments

Space rental payments click here.
​Membership renewal here

Boat Plans at RiversWest

RiversWest owns a large collection of boat building plans which are available to members. We have recently completed a catalog of the plans which can be viewed. Contact the club for a spreadsheet of this catalog if you want to more easily search for plans that might meet your build criteria.

Visit the RiversWest YouTube channel

We have a small number of videos in our channel, but we will be adding more as we record demonstrations at the shop. Visit the channel here.

Subscribe to our mailing list

You can unsubscribe at any time!

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Open House
First and Third Saturdays

The RiversWest shop is open to all every First and Third Saturday. Stop by to talk to our members, tour the shop, and get a free cup of coffee and a donut.

Some Open House meetings will also include a demonstration. These will be announced in an email a few days before the meeting, and will be listed on our calendar.

If you aren't on our email list, you can subscribe up above.

Newsletters

You can find our newsletters here

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Links

Oregon Maritime Museum
Crosscut Hardwood
​US Distributing
​Tacoma Screw
Columbia Willamette Antique Classic Boats