Sean Koomen
Boatbuilding Instructor
Class of 2004
sean@nwswb.edu
Sean has packed several lifetimes of experience in boatbuilding and craftsmanship since he graduated from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in 2004. While still attending college studying cello performance at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Sean launched his own small boat shop. Subsequently, he worked at some of the most
prestigious boat yards in the country, concentrating on historically significant vessel restorations, including the 138-food Steam Yacht Cangarda and the 1929 Schooner Viveka, at Rutherford’s Boat Shop in Richmond, CA. Sean led the restoration of Wanda, a 90-foot Ted Geary design. He also worked as a shipwright for the San Francisco
Maritime Museum before heading to Maine to expand his skills in new construction and cold molding at Brooklin Boatyard.
Learn more about Sean here.
Kevin Ritz
Marine Systems Lead Instructor
kevin.ritz@nwswb.edu
Kevin leads instruction for the school’s Marine Systems program, a 9-month course that combines marine electrical and electronics, plumbing, diesel and outboard engines, corrosion, diesel and electric propulsion, steering and controls, HVAC and hydraulics. Kevin is a nationally recognized marine electrical and corrosion instructor and consultant. He has been teaching Marine Systems since 2008 and was awarded the Life Service Award from the American Boat and Yacht Council in 2015. Learn more about Kevin here.
Bruce Blatchley
Boatbuilding Instructor
Class of 1996
bruce@nwswb.edu
Bruce graduated from NWSWB in 1996 and has subsequently worked in various boat yards in both Bellingham and Port Townsend, Washington. His experience covers a broad spectrum, including work as shop foreman at Seaview North Boatyard, repair and restoration, and the construction of a variety of contemporary vessels. In 2011, Bruce was recruited by the boatbuilding facility in Taichang China to enhance their boatbuilding skills and planning around cold-molded boat construction. He has also taught epoxy use and fiberglassing techniques at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival and Everett Community College. In 2011, Bruce and his students started the construction of a Robert Perry-designed, 62’ double-ended day sailor. This boat brought a new level of challenge to the Boat School. Learn more about Bruce here.
Leland Gibson
Boatbuilding Instructor
Class of 2007
leland.gibson@nwswb.edu
Leland was raised on Lake Superior in Northern Michigan and spent his early life learning how to build boats with his dad (sometimes off the grid). He traveled extensively in his late teens and early twenties, most notably spending a year in India. After attending college for two years on a track to become a biologist, Leland decided it was not the right path and left school. At the age of 26, Leland realized that he had been threatening to pack up and be a boatbuilder for so long that one day he did. After graduating from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in 2007, he started working at Haven Boatworks where he worked for 10 years. During his time there he had the opportunity to work on many projects including the multi-phase Adventuress restoration. He has always had an interest in how boats have evolved regionally and has spent the last few years learning about the Pacific Northwest workboat to help understand and meet material constraints and environmental conditions. Since attending the school, Leland has owned, sailed, and repaired a string of wooden boats, ranging in size from 13’ to 40’, always with a dream of sailing to New Zealand. Outside of boats, Leland’s interests lie in food and bicycles. Learn more about Leland here.
Tucker Piontek
Boatbuilding Instructor
Class of 2016
tucker.piontek@nwswb.edu
Tucker’s relationship with boats started young with canoes and fishing boats on the rivers of Oregon and lakes of Wisconsin. That relationship quickly transferred into racing modern sailboats on the Columbia river and ocean races along the Pacific Northwest and Canadian coastlines. Sailing through Port Townsend in his late teens introduced him to the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and the plan of attending some day was hatched. A degree in Industrial Design in Colorado took him into the architecture and stop motion animation industries for the next decade but, eventually in 2016, he found himself back at the Boat School in Bruce’s boatbuilding class. A year at Turn Point Design gave Tucker opportunities to learn resin infusion techniques and composite mold making on aerospace and marine products. Several years at Haven Boatworks included a multitude of traditional shipwright experiences on classic yachts and historic vessels such as the Schooner Adventuress, Motor Yacht Thea Foss and The Carlislie II ferry, the last of the working mosquito fleet of the Puget Sound.
Korey Ruben
Boatbuilding Instructor
Class of 2014
korey.ruben@nwswb.edu
While attending helicopter flight school, Korey learned two things from his instructor: (1) how to fly and (2) how to sail. Boats won in the end. He graduated from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in 2014 and dove head first into a carbon fiber composites start-up. “Ocean rowboats are unique in that you’re building someone’s actual lifeboat and home for months at a time. Most new builds go race or cruise or involve spilling lots of beer on deck. These boats crossed oceans unassisted soon after leaving the shop. It was important to do good work and get it right.” Seven rowboats later and three as lead boatbuilder, Korey branched out to work independently in the local boatyard and eventually landed at Haven Boatworks for three years. During his time at Haven, he worked on several notable northwest yachts including the 65-foot 1917 MV Carlisle II, the last of the working mosquito fleet of the Puget Sound, the 97-foot 1941 MV Sea Wolf, an expedition charter vessel, and two Ted Geary-designed fantails, the 96-foot 1928 MV Blue Peter and 120-foot 1930 MV Thea Foss, as well as many other interesting boats. He views his time in the boatyard as a formative experience and plans to carry the love of problem solving and the yard’s work ethic through his teaching.
Tyler Johnson
Marine Systems Instructor
Class of 2018 & 2019
tyler.johnson@nwswb.edu
While living in Galveston, Texas, Tyler picked up a book on how to build boats out of one sheet of plywood, which sent him on a path he never saw coming: to work on boats. He quickly got involved with the Ply-Wooden Boat Festival in Port Aransas, Texas teaching boatbuilding using stitch and glue methods as a part of the family boat building activities. He began working as a shipwright’s apprentice and volunteered on the Tall Ship Elissa as a part of the restoration crew. That’s where he met alumni from NWSWB and realized it could be a viable career path. He completed both the Wooden Boatbuilding and Marine Systems programs at NWSWB. After graduation, he spent several years working at the Port Townsend Shipwright’s Co-Op as a Systems Technician. Learning about construction, repair, and refit methods of a boat’s hull led to a curiosity about marine systems and how they work together to keep us safe out on the water. He has worked on hundreds of vessels from commercial fishing boats, historic and classic yachts and sailboats, and recreational vessels. He brings a wide range of skills to share with students including woodworking, composites, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, hydraulics, metalworking and rigging.
