Percy Vos Boat Yard, located on the western edge of Wynyard Quarter, was officially opened by its eponymous founder in 1922. Today, this remarkable, yet unassuming landmark is managed by the New Zealand Maritime Museum and continues to serve as a work space for wooden boat building.
Sat 6 - Sun 7 June 9.30am - 4pm | $320 per person
Discover the art of traditional clinker (lapstrake) boatbuilding in this hands-on two-day course focused on the essential skills of laying out, spiling, and fitting planks. Participants will learn the full process, from creating a smooth run of planks and making patterns to planing gains, shaping bevels, and fastening a finished plank into place. Perfect for anyone interested in building a clinker dinghy or gaining practical wooden boatbuilding experience.
Ages: 16+ | Materials are all included
Sat 20 - Sun 21 June, 9.30am - 4pm NOW SOLD OUT | Sat 10 - Sun 11 October, 9.30am - 4pm | $320 per person
This introductory course is designed for those wanting to build a small plywood boat while learning the fundamentals of boatbuilding. Gain hands-on experience with epoxy and fibreglass work, gluing and creating clean fillets, sharpening and setting up hand tools, and safely selecting and using both hand and power tools along with plenty of practical tips and tricks along the way.
Beginner course | Ages: 16+ | Materials for your half model are included in the course
Sat 11 - Sun 12 July 9.30am - 4pm | $485 per person
Create your own beautiful pair of traditional spoon blade oars in this hands-on two-day course. Guided through each step of the process, participants will learn how to mark and cut out the blanks, glue the components together, and shape the oars ready for final varnishing and fitting with rowlocks and sleeves. The course includes all materials needed to build a pair of 6-foot oars to take home.
Ages: 16+ | Materials are all included
Sat 8 - Sun 9 August, 9.30am - 4pm | $320 per person
Gain confidence working with woodworking tools in this practical course focused on sharpening, setup, and safe use. Covering hand planes, chisels, carving and woodturning tools, as well as saws and saw blades, participants will learn the theory and techniques behind creating and maintaining a sharp, effective edge. The course also explores selecting the right tools for different tasks, understanding saw types and teeth, and safe operation of circular saws, table saws, and bandsaws. Participants are encouraged to bring along their own tools for guidance on sharpening and setup, though practice tools will also be provided.
Ages: 16+
Percy Vos Boat Yard is once again being used for active projects, alongside training and sharing knowledge and practices related to wooden vessels which will be open to the public later in 2026. Two community partners representing Māori / Pacific and European boatbuilding and woodworking traditions are based at the yard: the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School and Pou Kapua Creations Trust.
Pou Kapua Creations brings together knowledge holders and artisans from Aotearoa and the Pacific to celebrate and sustain waka culture. Based at Percy Vos, their workshop builds and restores traditional and contemporary waka, while wānanga and mentorship safeguard waka mātauranga for future generations. To learn more about Pou Kapua Creations, head to www.poukapua.com.
The New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School is not for profit dedicated to providing tuition, expertise and resources to ensure that the heritage, knowledge and skills of Traditional Boatbuilding in New Zealand is maintained for the future.
Percy Vos Boat Yard is not open to the public at this time. However, we do host public events periodically throughout the year - to find out what's coming up, please consider subscribing to the museum's email newsletter by clicking here.
Percy Vos Boat Yard is a working boat shed and is not available as a public venue for events.
There will be traditional wooden boat building workshops in a classroom environment very soon. Please watch this space for further updates.
At the moment, Percy Vos Boat Yard is not available for public use. However, we hope to offer limited spaces for vessel maintenance and restoration projects in the near future. Please watch this space for further updates.
From 2027, the Maritime Museum expects to offer occasional opportunities for community or private bookings for small wooden‑boat repair and maintenance projects. For enquiries or to register your interest, please contact the museum’s team on info@maritimemuseum.co.nz.
If you have a question about the shed, please email info@maritimemuseum.co.nz.
The name is legendary in maritime history today but in 1922 Percy Vos was a humble apprentice, returned from World War 1 and posed to launch a career as the new owner of a wooden boatbuilding business in Poore Street, Freemans Bay.
Born in 1897, Percy Vos discovered his passion for the ocean by swimming in the sea and playing in Auckland boatyards. He set off on a boatbuilding apprenticeship but like many young other young men at the time, this was interrupted by World War I.
