The Center for Wooden Boats Reviews

Wonderfully interesting, lots to see, great volunteers!

A really cool spot that is not on the radar for most Seattlites. This place really allows you to get a feel for the history of wooden boats and the Lake Union. Extremely cheap prices to allow you to either take your own boat out or ride with some staff. Sunday mornings allow you to ride for free as well. Not too much history and exhibits as they're in the middle of building a brand new museum.

What a fun place to visit! Check their workshop schedule before you plan your visit, fun to see how boats are made... and many other stuffs to see there... and free!

A true hidden gem here in Seattle. The place by itself is already amazing. When you walk down the docks to the CWB you will see plaques along the way explaining the diffrent boats there and the exhibits at the outside. Every sunday you can go for a free sail boat trip on the lake. That was amazing and everybody is so friendly and welcoming.

We were back to Seattle for a getaway weekend and luckily had a break from rain this past Sunday. A beautiful sunny day and of course we did visit the center for wooden boats. We were offered to go for a free boat ride aboard the pretty sail boat Chloe ; we loved it and had a great time but I learned how the attitude and behavior of a gentleman could make this experience a memory of lifetime. Thank you Captain Brandt Faatz for your politeness and friendly way of welcoming us on your boat.

Recently opened to the public, but not seeming to be fully functional. Great building and location, so will be watching this one waiting for it to develop into something

We love hanging around there watching the boats and feel the wave. Might try to row the boat next time.

Best part of our vacation to Seattle. Excellent and fun volunteer guide. Our kids and teen have lots of fun. They have a donation box in the registration room, please do donate so they can keep the place running for free on Sundays. Parking might be an issue on Sunday so do find parking spots on the street.

Very cool place. There are some beautiful boats to see and rent. I took out a single place wood kayak and did a lap around the area. It's a great way to spend a couple hours in Seattle. I'll be back for some wooden boat sailing next.

Their customer service is horrible. If you can even find anyone working when you are there, youre most likely going to get a canned response of "You can find that out on our website". - Im here, now, talking to you, I don't want to have to go look online to find out information about the place I'm am at and talking to an employee!

A great place to rent a boat/kayak, see the city from the waterfront, and by far the best place in the city to catch water based Pokemon...

Always a great place to see boats and meet people. Particularly International Travelersl

My mom and I went on the free sail ride and it was amazing. All the volunteers were nothing but extremely nice and friendly. Very knowledgeable and obviously dedicated. This is one of the highlights of our trip to Seattle! Coming away with an amazing respect for these people and a genuine appreciation for the boats.

Don't miss a part of Seattle history. The new building/workshop is an amazing well designed space. Walking out on the docks and seeing their collection of wooden boats never gets old. You can also rent boats from their collection!

Fun place to check out old and modern wooden boats.

Very nice place for a stroll and to see all the various yachts/boats in Lake Union. They also have a cool workshop. You can take classes and rent canoes, kayaks, row boats. etc.

Great place to bring kids! We went after Thanksgiving, kids were so happy building wooden boats

Upon arriving, I was confused about what the Center was, but soon found the Boat House which serves as a source for visitor information. Basically, the Center for Wooden Boats encourages you to walk along the dock and look at a few boats (free) or rent a boat and go out on the water ($$). There were a few signs with information about sailing, but overall there isn t much substance if you re hoping for a museum-type experience. Though they do offer the experience of sailing on a larger boat with an employee, I wish they offered it some days other than Sunday.

Wonderful wooden boat Museum on South lake union. Lots of photographs in history which is free to the public. On Sundays there are free rides in South lake union in wooden boats. They have wooden sell boots for kids for free. Classes that you can take. You can rent a sailboat and row boats. A special place in the city.

A good place for sure, the boats and the local crafts are very beautiful and interesting, well worth the visit.

Free public sail on Sundays -- can't beat that! There is limited space, so would recommend getting in line at least 30-45 minutes early on nice weather days if you want to guarantee a spot.

You need to take a boat ride and really get to know the history of the boats in the area

I've been here once, and it looks amazing. They have small boats for rent (both sailed and rowed), and offer classes on small boat handling & sailing. Definitely will be back - summer on the water, what could be better?

This is a touchable musume. You can even take a ride on a 114 year old Gillnetter sailboat. The best time to visit is on Sundays (all year round) for they offer free rides on some of their vessels. During the summer months, it's best to show up early to get a seat.
The docks are always open just for a stroll or read a book. There are sailboats you can rent and lessons for children and adults. You can even rent a rowboat with no experience. If you have some spare time, there are plenty of volunteer positions. You can even earn free rental hours.

Offers wooden boat tours in electrically powered wooden boat for up to 6 people at a time.

So much to do - rent boats (sail, row, pedal) the festival, sailing lessons, explore ships, free Sunday boat rides. Amazing place!

Beautiful new building by Olson Kundig and chaming area to stroll

Awesome customer service. Tons of was for anybody to get in the water. Super laid back and the best way to spend the day. On lake Union.

I love the CWB! If you are looking for an oasis in the city where you can escape the rat race and recharge your battery (spirit and soul) you wil find just that and more at the Center for Wooden Boats

It was my first time here. The staff was really warm and they communicated well
I went on Betsy D and had a great time
I recommend this to everyone

So much fun!!!! Awesome staff. Elisabeth the guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Fun activities, historically important, hands on education.

This place is great if you are into wooden boats from yesteryear. Kids sailing classes are just wonderful and what place in the summer. So much activity on Lake Union, it's amazing.

Stumbled across the centre by accident. Rented a row boat for an hour - it was great!

Was an intern there before, great community and nice people.

this place is great! my friend and i rented a rowboat. we made it all the way to the north side of the lake. The price is fair and the view is awesome. I decided to become a member the first time i was there.

Living museum where you can sail or row antique boats.

We came here on Sunday when they offer free rides by volunteer boat drivers. We were supposed to go whale watching but it got cancelled so this was a perfect second option. We had about 45 minutes out on the water with an amazing guide and got to see some amazing things we wouldn't have normally seen online. The day was beautiful and I could not recommend coming here more! They do take donations to keep them running.

Celebration of the Volunteers who help on the Virginia V

Great place for private sailing lessons and overall relaxed vibe

Extraordinary fun to sail their small, historic boats. The rentals aren't cheap, but they well worth the fun of sailing around Lake Union.

I was here for a week, got checked out on my first day and then took my girlfriend sailing that weekend.

When the lures are activated, it's the best place to Catch 'em All. Very popular during lunch time for that reason.

EDIT: With schools in Seattle resuming and the weather looking a little less sunny, the popularity drop has been very steep the last two weeks. It's still a fun place to walk through.

Really cool place to learn about boating and to just hang out!

An incredible resource that makes boats very accessible to the public. Sloops and pedal boats (the Cadillac of pedal boats).

dont bother becoming a member if its for the public sails. they dont really give members priority or better boats. you are better off just showing up on public sail sundays and picking out your own boat vs having them assign you a boat as a member. every time we have gone on public sail sundays and signed up the week before a a member and requested a specific boat we dont get our preference anyway even if the boat is available.

Great SAILBOAT instruction ... very professional .. clearly boating safety was highest priority

Go on Sunday morning for a free boat ride. Get their early to sign up! (8am or earlier!)

There is a free boat application on Sunday. Registration starts at 10 am. There are different types of boats. There are photos and shifts when registering. It is a wise decision to start queuing at 0900. The ship should be served by volunteers.

Wonderful little center. They provide free boat rides every Sunday morning and the staff is very knowledgeable about the variety of boats that they have. If I lived in the area, I would definitely take lessons with these folks to learn how to sail!

If you know how to sail and are looking to get out on the waters of Lake Union for a bit this is the place to go. Their fleet is a little funky but it's an awesome organization with a beautiful complex.

Cool historical place to hang out. Lot of pokemon players too if that's what you're into

Very, very cool place. Great history, fun boats. Don't miss it.

Bring your children... Often! A great experience for young and old. Adaptive sailing and activities... A day on the water... Sopricrasnia!

Cool place, it's as hot as the weather. Outside could be more lit up during the nighttime.

Went for the free Sunday Public Sail, and it was a great first-time sailing experience. The volunteer, Fred, was friendly and encouraged active participation. The policy about allowing 3 sign-ups that aren't present may be a bit too generous, however -- half of the line left when it appeared that the first half was consuming the spaces with groups. As a solo traveler, I was fortunate to slip into a single vacancy, but I know there were some disappointed couples and families that didn't have time to gamble on the wait list.

Nice volunteers, and a memorable experience. Worth donating!

Great rental boats and really helpful staff to show you the ropes (and how to tie them!).

Everyone is always friendly and helpful. I always cone away learning something new about boats or marine life.

The craftsmanship and hard work that goes into these boats. Highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a volunteer sail instructor here. However, even before I got involved, I rented sailboats here. Great staff and interesting boats. Lake Union can't be beat for interesting places to sail, seaplanes, view of the city, and challenging winds.

Such a cool location, very friendly and knowledgeable staff, and beautiful boats. A really fun place to learn how to sail, or to just get out on the water.

Very cool architecture and a scenic view make the center for wooden boats feel like the true Northwest. Great views across the lake. Awesome place to rent a sailboat for a tour around the beautiful lake.

There are many different kinds of boats here and you can see all if them up close. If you are a boat lover you will enjoy this site.

Truly one of the gems of Seattle living. Whether you want to learn to sail, take a knot tying class, or just walk among boats, they bring the nautical world home.

Great free sailing trips sundays! Do this if you're in town, but be early there

Beatiful collection of wooden boats. I know absolutely nothing about boats but the volunteers that run the place are very friendly and definitely passionate about boats.

I had a membership in 2005, and the staff was wonderful.

Love this place, we have our canoes here, Saaduuts Peele a Master Carver paved the way for us, G'ana'K'w Canoe Family to be here

Great place to see old boatz. Lightboat and stamp (ask at the gift shop) .

Friendly staff, wish we could come back for Sunday 9am sailing

Got to go in the workshop and hear stories from employee builder.

Cool place, arrive early for their Sunday boat rides.

Nice place to see if you're in the area. Free to the public. Has very nice photographs, featuring boats and boating of course, and there is an overhead viewing gallery of the workshop where visitors can watch the planning and making of new wooden boats. Don't forget about going to the dock and renting a row boat to go out on Lake Union.

Free boat tours on Sundays! Get there early because there will be a line and the tours are first come first serve (sign up starts at 10am but the line starts forming at 9am)! Definitely not something you should miss while in Seattle though - you get such great views of the city from the water!

One of my favorite places in Seattle since I was a little kid.

The 4th of July festival is not to be missed, classes and volunteer opportunities are wonderful and meaningful.