Ship’s history:  Matthew Turner is being built by a nonprofit organization Educational tall ship in Sausalito California. The ship is still under construction and is by volunteers and financed through donations of money and material. It is named for one of the most famous ship builders on the west coast in the late 1800’s, Matthew Turner. This ship is based on Matthew Turner’s brigantine Galilee which still holds the record for wood hulled sailing vessels between Tahiti and San Francisco. This will be the first wooden ship of this size built in the San Francisco bay area for over a century. 

The new ship is being built for Douglas fir the same material as the Galilee but instead of large planks the ship is made from laminated planks. The estimated life of this ship is about 100 years because of laminated beam

The Matthew Turner is 100ft along the deck, has a 25 ft. beam and draws 10 ft. of water. She will carry 7,100 ft. of sail.  The vessel has 39 births for the students on longer training voyages. The ship will be used for educational training.Modeler’s biography: Ralph Buckwalter, a retired Mechanical Engineer has been modeling for about 14 years. He joined the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights in 2000.

Modeler’s biography: Ralph Buckwalter, a retired Mechanical Engineer, has been modeling for about 14 years. He joined the Rocky Mountain Shipwrights in 2000.