Hesketh 12
Pulling boat, for rowing
Light enough for two people to carry to the water. Western red cedar planks on white oak frames.
- Length
- 12′ 4″
- Beam
- 4′ 2″
- Weight
- 145 lb
- Shop hours
- about 550
$24,500oars included
Three of us build four wooden boats a year.
Cedar planks lapped over oak frames, fastened with copper rivets. Two of our 2027 build slots are still open.
$24,500Hesketh 12 pulling boat, the smallest we build
4 a yearBuilt here, one at a time on the lofting floor
2 slotsLeft for 2027: spring and autumn
The 2027 slot board.
We fly the answer. In the International Code of Signals, flag C means “affirmative” and flag N means “negative”. A 20% deposit holds an open slot.
Winter
N Negative. Taken.
A Hesketh 19 for a family in Victoria, BC.
Spring
C Affirmative. Open.
Fits a Hesketh 12 or 15. Launch by mid-summer.
Summer
N Negative. Taken.
A Hesketh 15, lug rig, tanbark sails.
Autumn
C Affirmative. Open.
Any of the three. A 19 would launch the following spring.
Three boats, each priced with its hours.
Our own designs, drawn on the lofting floor at full size. Prices are for 2026 builds, with the sailing rig where it is listed. A trailer is extra.
Hesketh 15
Sailing skiff, balanced lug rig
Sails well, rows well, and fits on a small trailer. Alaska yellow cedar planking.
- Length
- 15′ 2″
- Beam
- 5′ 6″
- Weight
- 290 lb
- Shop hours
- about 900
$41,000with rig and sail
Hesketh 19
Day-sailer, gaff sloop with a small cuddy
Room for four adults for the day, and a dry place for lunch and a nap. Trailerable behind a pickup.
- Length
- 19′ 0″
- Beam
- 6′ 8″
- Weight
- 1,150 lb
- Shop hours
- about 1,700
$78,000with rig and sails
How a build is paid, as it is built.
You pay as the boat takes shape, so the money is never ahead of the work. These are the stages for a Hesketh 15, about 900 shop hours from lofting to launch.
- Slot heldBefore work starts20% deposit
- Lofting and backboneHours 1–150
- PlankingHours 150–520First third
- Turning overHour 520Second third
- Fit-out and varnishHours 520–900
- LaunchPoint HudsonFinal third
The deposit is part of the price, not on top of it. Each “third” is a third of the remaining 80%. You are welcome in the shop at every stage, and you get photographs at each one whether you visit or not.
V“I require assistance.”
Restoration and repair
Any wooden boat, not only ours. We start with a survey and a written estimate, so you know the size of the job before we lift a plank.
- Survey and written estimate$350
- Credited to the job if you go ahead−$350
- Shop rate$95/hr
M“My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water.”
Winter storage, indoors
Out of the rain from October to April, in the same building we build in. We check on her every week.
- Indoor storage, per foot, per season$45/ft
- A Hesketh 15 for the winter, billed at 16 ft$720
Who builds your boat.
- Will Hesketh
- Started the shop in 2004 after twelve years in boatyards in Maine and Denmark. Lofts every boat himself.
- Nell Achterberg
- Builder. Spars, rigging and every sail plan we fly.
- Sam Tuiasosopo
- Apprentice, in his third year. Ask him about rivets.
Launch day is at Point Hudson, with you aboard.
PThe Blue Peter: “All persons should report on board, as the vessel is about to proceed to sea.”
Every new boat goes into the water at Point Hudson with her owner in her. Then two hours on the water with Will or Nell, rowing or sailing, until she feels like yours. That is included.
K“I wish to communicate with you.”
Ask about a 2027 slot.
Tell us which boat, roughly when, and how you plan to use her. Will answers every email himself, usually within two days.