Eric Dow Boat Builders

There’s a roadside sign here in the small mid-coast town of Brooklin, Maine, that proclaimes us to be “Boatbuilding Capitol of the World”. With absolutely nothing mentioned to back this up, we readily believe this to be true. My name is Eric Dow and I am a multi-generational native of Maine. After graduating from what is now call “The Boat School” in 1974, I set up shop in a building that my great grandfather built for my grandfather out of used lumber nearly 100 years ago, so that he could service automobiles which were arriving in the area in increasing numbers.

I suppose my timing was my greatest asset then. The wooden boat revival was starting. There were still enough commercial wooden fishing boats needing repairs, and I was able to line up some new construction projects – rowboats peapods, a Friendship sloop, some outboard powered fishing boats. Within a few years I got away from my seasonal “day job” of lobster fishing, and have been here working on boats full time ever since. With the able assistance of two (very) long term employees, and now the next generation of my family, we have done, and continue to do, first rate work on interesting projects.