Urban Boatbuilders
Urban Boatbuilders is a Saint Paul, Minnesota 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs paid youth boatbuilding apprenticeships, school partnerships, and adult woodworking classes, generating revenue through boat sales, restoration services, classes, and charitable donations in the Twin Cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Urban Boatbuilders does
Urban Boatbuilders is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that delivers youth workforce development through traditional boatbuilding and woodworking. The organization engages hundreds of young people annually in the Twin Cities metro area via three core program channels: a paid Apprenticeship Program in which youth construct wooden boats under instructor supervision, a Partnership Program delivering boatbuilding curriculum through schools, and a Boat Donation Program that channels donated watercraft into restoration projects. Marc Hosmer has served as Executive Director since 2012, leading a small staff of 1-10 employees. The organization has earned the Candid Gold Seal of Transparency (2025) and participates in the Harbor Freight Tools Fellows Program, indicating a deliberate posture around donor trust and external validation.
The product portfolio comprises completed wood-canvas canoes and small boats built by apprentice crews and sold at price points between $630 and $3,800, paid boat restoration services, and adult woodworking classes covering paddle-making and cutting boards. Technically, the offering is labor-intensive craftsmanship rather than a software, platform, or technology product; competitive differentiation rests on accumulated curriculum, instructor expertise, and community relationships rather than on digital infrastructure.
The business model is a hybrid of earned and contributed revenue. Earned income flows from boat sales, restoration services, and adult class tuition. Contributed income — donations, grants, and event proceeds including the recurring annual 'Untapped Potential' fundraiser — likely constitutes the majority of total revenue, consistent with comparable small 501(c)(3) youth-workforce non-profits. Go-to-market is community-based, anchored in Twin Cities schools, local boat buyers, and the regional donor ecosystem, with no visible signals of geographic expansion or commercial scaling beyond the current metro footprint.
Urban Boatbuilders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban Boatbuilders
- Legal name
- Urban Boatbuilders
- Website
- https://urbanboatbuilders.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Urban Boatbuilders is a Saint Paul, Minnesota 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs paid youth boatbuilding apprenticeships, school partnerships, and adult woodworking classes, generating revenue through boat sales, restoration services, classes, and charitable donations in the Twin Cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban Boatbuilders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development Services
- NAICS
- Boat Building (336612), Ship and Boat Building (3366), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects (IMAJAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Semi-Custom & Series Production Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAEAM)
Keywords
Where Urban Boatbuilders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urban Boatbuilders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Boat Sales: Sale of handcrafted wooden boats and kayaks built by youth apprentices. Boats range from $630 to $3,800. Direct sales via phone/email inquiry with customer pick-up only. Commission-based sales for custom boats.
- Boat Restoration Services: Professional wood-canvas boat restoration services. Pricing: $175-$250 per foot for general restoration, $100 per foot for interior hull work, $75 per foot for re-canvassing, $25-$75 per foot for wood repairs. Proceeds benefit youth programming.
- Woodworking Classes: Adult woodworking classes including cutting board classes ($85 per person with BIPOC discount) and paddle making classes ($199 per person). Class sizes range from 4-8 adults. Sold through Eventbrite.
- Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and foundations. Includes donor-advised fund contributions, non-cash assets, stock gifts, and planned giving options. Major annual fundraiser is 'Untapped Potential' event.
- Apprenticeship Program: Paid apprenticeship program for underserved youth at $15/hour starting pay. Youth gain technical skills, work experience, and career readiness. Program runs 3-12 months with opportunities for raises and consecutive cohort participation up to 15 months total.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Youth-built boats available for direct purchase |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Boat restoration services priced per linear foot |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Adult woodworking classes |
| Subscription | Monthly | Apprenticeship program compensation |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Partnership Program classroom woodworking |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Urban Boatbuilders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban Boatbuilders is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that empowers underserved youth through paid boatbuilding apprenticeships and school-based woodworking programs in the Twin Cities. Its core services include the Apprenticeship Program (paid job training), the Partnership Program (classroom woodworking for schools and community organizations), boat restoration services, adult woodworking classes, and the sale of youth-built wooden boats and kayaks. All programs combine traditional wood-canvas craftsmanship with social-emotional learning and career-readiness training.
Product overview
Urban Boatbuilders is a nonprofit youth development organization offering hands-on woodworking and boatbuilding programs. The core offerings include youth-built boats (canoes, kayaks, skiffs, rowing boats) for sale, boat restoration services, and educational woodworking classes (cutting boards, paddle making). The organization operates two main youth programs: an Apprenticeship Program providing paid job training in boatbuilding for underserved youth, and a Partnership Program bringing woodworking to classrooms. Products are handmade by youth apprentices under instructor guidance, combining practical skill development with social-emotional learning.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Youth-Built Boats
Quantifiable outcome
- 94% of apprentices complete the training program
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Urban Boatbuilders
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Urban Boatbuilders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Urban Boatbuilders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Harbor Freight Tools (Fellows Program)minorHayden, a youth instructor, earned a Harbor Freight Tools Fellows certificate during his apprenticeship at Urban Boatbuilders. The Harbor Freight Tools Fellows Program provides recognition and potentially tools/benefits to deserving individuals in trades education.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Urban Boatbuilders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- YouthBuild USA: National network of 250+ youth-development programs focused on construction trades and education for opportunity youth. Comparable in paid apprenticeship and trades-based youth development, though construction-focused rather than boatbuilding.
- Mystic Seaport Museum: Large maritime heritage institution offering boatbuilding apprenticeships, preservation programs, and youth education. Overlapping mission in traditional craft preservation and youth maritime training, but at a much larger scale and broader scope.
- Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: Maryland-based maritime museum offering boatbuilding workshops, restoration services, and youth education. Comparable in wooden boat craft focus and educational programming, though operating at a larger institutional scale.
Direct peers
- Rocking the Boat: Bronx, NY-based nonprofit that engages underserved youth through wooden boatbuilding, sailing, and on-water education. Closest direct peer—same youth-development-via-boatbuilding model with apprenticeship and school partnership elements.
- Lake Champlain Maritime Museum: Vermont-based maritime heritage nonprofit with hands-on boatbuilding programs for youth and adults. Comparable in combining traditional craft education with youth engagement.
- The Center for Wooden Boats: Seattle-based nonprofit operating a hands-on wooden boatbuilding shop, public workshop, and youth/adult maritime education programs. Closely aligned mission around traditional craft preservation and experiential learning.
- The Apprenticeshop: Maine-based nonprofit boatbuilding school offering youth and adult programs in traditional wooden boat construction. Directly comparable in combining craft-based education with youth-serving apprenticeship programs.
- Northwest Maritime Center: Port Townsend, WA-based maritime education nonprofit offering wooden boatbuilding classes, youth programs, and chandlery services. Comparable in craft preservation and educational programming.
- Community Boat Building: Boston-area nonprofit offering youth apprenticeships in traditional wooden boatbuilding and restoration. Directly comparable youth-employment model using boatbuilding as the medium.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Urban Boatbuilders social profiles
Digital presenceUrban Boatbuilders compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Urban Boatbuilders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban Boatbuilders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles28 records
Urban Boatbuilders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban Boatbuilders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urban Boatbuilders
What does Urban Boatbuilders do?
Urban Boatbuilders is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that empowers underserved youth through paid boatbuilding apprenticeships and school-based woodworking programs in the Twin Cities. Its core services include the Apprenticeship Program (paid job training), the Partnership Program (classroom woodworking for schools and community organizations), boat restoration services, adult woodworking classes, and the sale of youth-built wooden boats and kayaks. All programs combine traditional wood-canvas craftsmanship with social-emotional learning and career-readiness training.
Is Urban Boatbuilders a public or private company?
Urban Boatbuilders is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Urban Boatbuilders founded?
Urban Boatbuilders was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Urban Boatbuilders based?
Urban Boatbuilders is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Urban Boatbuilders make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Boat Sales are the primary driver. The others are boat Restoration Services, woodworking Classes, donations and Fundraising and apprenticeship Program.
Who are Urban Boatbuilders's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are YouthBuild USA, Mystic Seaport Museum and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Direct peers are Rocking the Boat, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, The Center for Wooden Boats, The Apprenticeshop, Northwest Maritime Center and Community Boat Building.
Does Urban Boatbuilders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban Boatbuilders.
What industry is Urban Boatbuilders in?
Urban Boatbuilders's product category is Youth Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAEAL, Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects, with a secondary code of IMAJAEAM, Semi-Custom & Series Production Yacht Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 336612 and its SIC code is 3730.