Tacoma Boat Builders

What Tacoma Boat Builders does

Tacoma Boat Builders is a Tacoma, Washington-based nonprofit founded in 2014 that delivers one-on-one mentorship to marginalized and court-involved youth through traditional wooden boat building, woodworking, rowing, and sailing. The organization operates from a single boat shop at 1120 East D Street on the Thea Foss Waterway and pairs each youth with a volunteer mentor-craftsman, combining hands-on craftsmanship with social-emotional skill development and restorative justice principles. Programming is delivered free of charge to participants and includes a Community Boating component that has been opened to broader Tacoma and Pierce County families since 2021.

The core delivery model integrates traditional maritime craft with culturally significant programming, including Salish Sea heritage, Native American carving, and participation in Tribal Journeys aboard the Umiak 'Skullich'. Referrals are driven primarily by a deep partnership with Pierce County Juvenile Court, with PCJC probation officers working alongside TBB staff at the shop, supplemented by Tacoma Rescue Mission, Safe Streets, schools, and other youth-serving agencies. Operational scale is modest, with roughly 10-15 staff, 36 active mentor-craftspeople contributing over 4,100 hours annually, and 600+ youth served cumulatively since inception.

The organization is funded through three streams: private donations, government and foundation grants (notably Tacoma Creates and Pierce County Violence Prevention funds), and annual fundraising events such as the Promising Journeys auction at the Tacoma Yacht Club, which raised over $118,000 in 2019. The 2020 Ripples of Hope campaign raised $54,751 during the COVID-19 pivot to virtual programming. There is no disclosed revenue, and the business model is donor-funded rather than fee-based.

Name

Tacoma Boat Builders

Legal name

Tacoma Boat Builders

Website

https://tacomaboatbuilders.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tacoma Boat Builders creates life-changing opportunities for at-risk youth through boat building and positive mentorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Boat Building (336612)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects (IMAJAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB), Yacht Tenders & Auxiliary Leisure Craft Manufacturing (IMAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Traditional boat building
• Restorative justice services
• Community woodworking education
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donors contribute to fund programs for marginalized and court-involved youth. The Ripples of Hope campaign raised $54,751 in 2020. Donations fund mentorship programs, supplies, and operational costs.
2. Grants: Funding from government and foundation grants including Tacoma Creates grants (City of Tacoma) and Violence Prevention funds (Pierce County). Also supported by the Stanley Selden Maritime Fund through Tacoma Waterfront Association for boating equipment.
3. Annual Fundraising Events: Annual auction events such as the 'Promising Journeys' gala at the Tacoma Yacht Club, featuring silent auctions, plated dinners, live auctions, and opportunity to raise paddles in support of TBB. The 2019 auction raised over $118,000.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tacoma Boat Builders is a nonprofit organization that delivers free, one-on-one mentorship programs pairing marginalized and court-involved youth with volunteer craftsperson mentors who guide them through traditional wooden boat building, woodworking, and water-based activities on the Thea Foss Waterway. Programming emphasizes relationship building, social-emotional skill development, and restorative justice outcomes as an alternative to incarceration. A Community Boating program extends waterway experiences to youth and families across Pierce County.

Product overview

Tacoma Boat Builders is a non-profit community organization offering a portfolio of youth mentorship programs centered on woodworking and traditional wooden boat building. The core offerings include one-on-one mentorship pairing marginalized youth with volunteer craftspeople, hands-on woodworking instruction, traditional wooden boat construction, and rowing/sailing activities. A Community Boating Program extends water-based experiences to youth and families. All programs emphasize relationship building, life skills development, and restorative justice principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Mentorship and Boat Building Program Core free program pairing marginalized and court-involved youth one-on-one with volunteer craftsperson mentors for hands-on traditional wooden boat building, woodworking instruction, and water-based activities (rowing and sailing) on the Thea Foss Waterway. Designed to develop life skills, social-emotional competencies, and self-confidence as a restorative alternative to incarceration.
• Community Boating Program Free, open-to-the-public waterway exploration program offering Tacoma and Pierce County youth and families the opportunity to row and sail on the Thea Foss Waterway. Sessions held most Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, weather permitting, with registration via JotForm.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pierce County Juvenile Court (PCJC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA boots-on-the-ground partnership offering restorative alternatives to detention and further entanglement in the justice system for youth of Pierce County. PCJC staff (including Probation Officers) work closely with TBB staff at the boat shop every week. This is a central referral pathway for court-involved youth entering TBB programs.
• Safe StreetscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization dedicated to creating a safe, healthy, and thriving community where members take charge and make change. Dr. Priscilla Lisicich, Executive Director of Safe Streets, was honored with the 2019 Lifesaver Award by TBB. Safe Streets staff participate in TBB programming and referrals.
• Tacoma Rescue MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for referring and serving underserved youth in the Tacoma area. Part of TBB's expanding network of referral streams beyond the juvenile justice system.
• Sound ExperienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime education organization in the region that TBB collaborates with for waterway exploration and shared programming opportunities for youth.
• Schooner AdventuressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric sailing vessel that TBB partners with for maritime education and youth programming on the water, providing additional experiential learning opportunities.
• Cowichan Maritime MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated the boat 'Elder Spirit' to TBB as a gift to further the program's ability to empower young people to develop life-skills, leadership abilities, and community spirit.
• Women on the WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization serving alongside the Vérité boat (a replica of a French Admiral's gig captured in Bantry Bay, Ireland in 1796), in service to maritime heritage and youth education.
• Carvers' Camp / Tribal JourneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn open group that participates in the Tribal Journey annually. TBB's Umiak 'Skullich' and mentors join the journey, a 10-day meditative paddling trip that connects youth with indigenous maritime traditions across Pacific Northwest communities.
• Sea ScoutsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth maritime organization that shares space and programming with TBB, including use of the Vérité boat, supporting TBB's community and educational goals.
• Auction Sponsors (Promising Journeys 2019)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate and organizational sponsors of TBB's annual fundraising auction including Bargreen Ellingson, Belina Interiors, Dwyer Pemberton & Coulson, Flagship Maritime LLC, Foss Waterway Development Authority, Gray Lumber Company, La Berge Insurance Company, Maddock & Associates LLC, Marine Floats Corporation, O Bee Credit Union, Puyallup Valley Dental Care, Seldens Home Furnishings, The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse, Tacoma Subaru, and Tacoma Waterfront Association.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Center for Wooden Boats: Seattle-based nonprofit that uses traditional wooden boat building and sailing as vehicles for community education and hands-on learning. Closely comparable to TBB in combining maritime craft with public-facing youth and community programming on Puget Sound.
• Northwest Maritime Center: Port Townsend, WA nonprofit offering wooden boat building classes, maritime education, and youth programming. Comparable to TBB as a Pacific Northwest maritime-education nonprofit that builds boats as both craft and pedagogical tool.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound: Regional affiliate of the national one-on-one youth mentoring nonprofit. Comparable to TBB's mentorship-driven model serving at-risk youth in the same Pacific Northwest geography, though without the boat-building modality.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Pierce County: Local youth-services organization serving Pierce County youth with after-school and mentorship programming. Directly comparable to TBB on geography and target population, with broader programming but less individualized mentorship intensity.
• Sound Experience: Pacific Northwest nonprofit that runs sailing-based environmental and youth education programs aboard traditional vessels. Comparable to TBB's water-based youth programming and is already a programmatic partner.
• Northwest Youth Services: Bellingham, WA-based nonprofit providing intervention and housing services for at-risk and homeless youth. Comparable to TBB in serving court-involved and marginalized youth in the Pacific Northwest with wraparound support.
• Sea Scouts: Maritime-focused youth program (a division of the Boy Scouts of America) operating traditional sailing vessels for youth seamanship training. Comparable to TBB's maritime-youth programming and is already a space-sharing partner.
• The Wooden Boat Center: Nonprofit wooden boat school offering instruction in traditional boatbuilding and restoration. Comparable to TBB on traditional wooden boat building as a core activity, though more craft-instruction focused than youth-mentorship focused.

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: National workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults from low-income communities with skills training and corporate placement. Comparable to TBB on the at-risk-youth mission and outcomes-tracking ethos, but operating at much larger scale and using professional rather than craft-based training.
• Job Corps: Federal program providing vocational training, including maritime trades, for at-risk youth nationwide. Comparable to TBB in using hands-on skill building to redirect opportunity youth, but at vastly greater scale and as a government-run program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TacomaCommunityBoatBuilders
• Instagraminstagram.com/tacomaboatbuilders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tacoma Boat Builders