SOUTH SHORE BOATWORKS
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About South Shore Boatworks

Four Generations of Wheel Building, Wooden Boat Restoration, and Craftsmanship
​Bob Fuller, his daughter Christina, and their team of highly trained craftspeople are the custodians of a century-old tradition of precision woodworking that produces hand-crafted wooden boat steering wheels for vessels of all sizes.

Located in Carver, Massachusetts, South Shore Boatworks’ services include custom boat design, wooden boat restoration, designing and installing custom interiors in both wooden and fiberglass boats and, of course, the creation of our world-renowned wooden steering wheels. 

Among our marine carpentry services, we also provide planning, management & consultation services on larger projects, custom teak accessories and hand-made children’s rocking boats.
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wooden traditional boat and yacht steering wheels on stands in the south shore boatworks shop awaiting varnish with bronze hubs and wooden handles

Our History

downeast style boat restored and refit by south shore boatworks hanging in slings as it is being dropped back into the water of the ocean
The South Shore Boatworks shop is located in Carver, Massachusetts. It’s filled with modern, industrial machinery, and has the aroma of teak, mahogany, and cedar that is being worked by hand.

This is where Bob Fuller carries on the traditions he learned from his father and grandfather, and where he passes along that accumulated wisdom to his apprentices and his own daughter, Christina, a fourth generation of Fuller wheel craftspeople.

South Shore Boatworks' methods preserve the techniques and materials that have been part of our maritime traditions for hundreds of years.

Our Team


Bob Fuller
“I can go to almost any harbor anywhere and see something my family has done. I can tell by the turnings whether my grandfather made it, or if I did it.”

Fuller proudly continues the traditions of his family. He’d always been a part of it, and will occasionally see a wheel out in a harbor that he built 40 or more years ago. A fine wooden wheel is passed down from generation to generation, just like a finely crafted boat.

Fuller worked with his father and grandfather, starting at age 14. “A teenager working around that machinery — you couldn’t do that today. There’s no place else I could have learned that except working with my family.” He learned the art of pattern making, of selecting just the right woods for a given project, and of working with wood for wheels and other marine applications. Restorations, refits and the construction of small wooden craft are all in his wheelhouse.

In keeping with the family traditions, Fuller has established a world-wide reputation for precision and attention to detail. Building on these traditions, he has also cultivated his craft as an art, unafraid to introduce new and exciting elements to established processes.

Fuller estimates that in the past 45 years he has constructed over 1,000 wheels – and refurbished hundreds more. He is also an instructor and has taught numerous classes in traditional wooden boat building, pattern making, and wheel building for the WoodenBoat School, Lowell's Boat Shop, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Upper Cape Voch Tech, the National Park Service, and the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Bob is an avid boater, and can often be found rowing pilot gigs out of Plymouth harbor.

Bob fuller of south shore boatworks portrait next to varnished wooden traditional ship or yacht steering wheel

Christina Fuller
Bob’s daughter, Christina, represents a fourth generation woodworker, is Vice President of South Shore Boatworks. She grew up helping her father in the shop, assisting with painting, gluing, and other shop duties. She would also accompany her father on trips, hunting for fittings, mountings, and other treasures of the trade. She worked her way up to woodcarving, and gained experience with power tools.

Christina was awarded an apprenticeship through the Massachusetts Cultural Council and National Endowment of the Arts to learn the craft of wheel building and preserve this maritime tradition. This makes Christina a fourth generation wheel builder. 

Christina also has a particular focus on South Shore Boatworks' Plymouth Rock’rs. This dory-shaped rocking boat is built in a manner similar to a full-scale dory, but meant for the enjoyment of the young boater. She offers a course, alongside her father, Bob Fuller, on how to build a Plymouth Rock'r.

Christina loves being a part of the family business, working with her father, and carrying on the family traditions.
Christina fuller of south shore boatworks portrait next to a plymouth rock'r wooden rocking boat in the shop

Our Philosophy

Bob fuler of south shore boatworks in safety glasses measuring a handle of a wooden traditional yacht or boat steering wheel
We believe that craftsmanship is the basis for preserving our time-honored maritime traditions. We take pride in working with our hands to safeguard the timelessness of a bygone era, while also innovating a future that elevates our customer's on-water boating experience. Through four generations we have built and restored wooden boats, traditional steering wheels, and marine equipment, blending aesthetics with engineered strength, to withstand the harshest conditions.  We accomplish that through putting in the extra work,  and never taking a short cut.  At South Shore Boatworks, we want to earn your trust through our dedication and passion, and let our products speak for themselves.

We are also stewards of precision marine carpentry, wooden boatbuilding, and traditional wheel building. It is our responsibility to pass this knowledge to our community and the next generation. We make our expertise available through all of our classes, seminars, and consulting services, and welcome you to these learning opportunities. We are constantly advancing our techniques and grow our passion with each student that joins us.

Our Industry Partners

  • The WoodenBoat School
  • Teaching with Small Boats Alliance
  • St. Angelo Hardwoods
  • Ariston Engraving
  • Industrial Patterns
  • Massachusetts Cultural Council
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • Lowell's Boat Shop
  • Upper Cape Voc Tech
  • ​Chase Small Craft
  • Edson Marine
Bob Fuller at work bench sanding a teak wooden steering wheel component in the south shore boatworks wood shop

Our Stories

Bob Fuller and his team at South Shore Boatworks have built an international reputation with their high-quality, time-tested marine carpentry and classic wheels. Here are some of the press citations and news stories about South Shore or about projects we participated in, including stories about boat restoration and wooden boat building. If you like a wooden boat, read on!

Family Brings Traditional Ships' Wheels Back to Boating, Made in Mass, ABC News, 2022
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Building a Classically Inspired Ship's Wheel, WoodenBoat, March/April 2021
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Article of building a classically inspired ship's wheel in woodenboat magazine in the march april 2021 issue written by bob fuller of south shore boatworks

On the Water: Wind and Wheels, Chronicle, ABC News, 2017
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Building Modern Classics on Boston's South Shore, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, 2014
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article of building modern classics on boston's south shore in Maine Boats homes and harbors magazine in 2014 written about bob fuller of south shore boatworks

Crafted Like a Swiss Watch, Whitman-Hanson Express, 2014
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article on crafted like a swiss watch in the whitman hanson express newspaper in 2014 about bob fuller of south shore boatworks

Yankee Simplicity, Soundings Trade Only, 2010
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wooden downeast style boat refit and restored by south shore boatworks underway on the ocean

Custom Yacht with a Down East Pedigree, Soundings Trade Only, 2010
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wooden downeast style boat at dock that was refit and restored by south shore boatworks

Just Launched: Gurnet Point 25 by South Shore Boatworks, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, 2010
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magazine cover for article just launched gurnet point 25 by south shore boatworks in maine boats homes and harbors magazine in 2010

South Shore Boatworks' 'good little bay boat', Commercial Fisheries News, 2010
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magazine cover for commerical fisheries news featuring south shore boatworks good little bay boat in 2010

The Wheel Deal, South Shore Living, 2009
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magazine cover for south shore living magazine featuring article the wheel deal about south shore boatworks in 2009
South Shore Boatworks
1 Marion Drive, Unit B5
Carver, Massachusetts 02330
1.781.248.6446
info@southshoreboatworks.com
© 2023, South Shore Boatworks
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