The Center for Wooden Boats

The Center for Wooden Boats is a living maritime museum, identifiable by its cluster of historic floating boathouses and traditional sailboats tethered to the docks of Lake Union. Founded in nineteen seventy-six by Dick and Colleen Wagner, the center began as a small collection of boats tied to the couple's floating home under the Aurora Bridge. As fiberglass replaced wood in boat construction, the Wagners sought to preserve the craft of wooden boatbuilding and provide public access to the water through rentals and education.