Charlotte – A Wooden Boat Story

“Charlotte: A Wooden Boat Story” is a film about an extraordinary boatyard, the Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Ross Gannon and Nat Benjamin established the boatyard in 1980 with the purpose of designing, building, and maintaining traditionally built wooden boats, and in the process they transformed Vineyard Haven harbor into a mecca for wooden boat owners and enthusiasts. After a long career of designing and constructing boats for others, Nat embarks on building a 50 foot gaff rigged schooner for use by his family and friends – her name is Charlotte. Through close observation of the everyday activities of the boatyard, the film emerges as a meditation on tradition, craftsmanship, family, community, our relationship to nature, and love of the sea.

Kusama-Hinte’s poetic film “…captures the independence, sensitivity and integrity that are the essence of Gannon and Benjamin” (Mathew Stackpole, Mystic Seaport Charles W. Morgan Restoration Team), and is acclaimed as “Spare and gorgeous,” (Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soul Craft).

“Catch hold of the passion for craftsmanship – and the craft – that emerge with such grace from this yard. If you care even a little about such things, you cannot be unmoved by the portrait this lovely film paints.” (Jon Wilson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, WoodenBoat magazine).

“If you are a boatbuilder, love a boatbuilder or ever dreamed of being a boatbuilder, the beautifully filmed and absolutely authentic documentary Charlotte takes you inside the boat shop, into the bay, through the seasons, travails and bliss of traditional boatbuilding.” (Kaci Cronkhite, Director, Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival)

Running Time : 96 Minutes

SKU: S0173