About Bruce

Bruce MacKenzie is a shipwright, boat-builder and educator with 50+ years experience in all manner of woodworking, from basic cabinetry to serving as Senior Shipwright on USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor for 10 years. This culminated in building three of the replicas of the ship’s boats, built with participation by students from Baltimore City schools through a STEM-based program at the Living Classrooms Foundation. 

Bruce’s work as an educator began in 1978 when he founded the boat building program at Cape Fear Technical Institute, now Cape Fear Community College where the program is ongoing. Bruce’s methods in teaching applied math through boat-building have been adopted by Building to Teach, a national program designed to use proven hands-on methods, projects and exercises to teach math.

Bruce hails from the state of Maine where he learned and pursued his craft in many of Maine’s most prestigious yards, including Rockport Marine and Wayfarer Marine, and worked on some of the world’s finest yachts. He spent two years in Philadelphia as director of Workshop on the Water, the boat-building shop at Independence Seaport Museum. There, he oversaw the building of two replica whaleboats for the Charles W. Morgan--the last surviving American whaler--for the National Whaleboat Project at Mystic Seaport.

When not trying to figure out how things fit together, Bruce pursues sailing, diving, and playing blues harmonica in a band. These days, Bruce has set up an independent shop and chooses to work on projects that captivate his interests.

Bruce MacKenzie describes his craft, the projects in the shop he manages, and how the craft of boat-building teaches important lessons. Excerpts of an interview conducted by Chris Landers; photos and editing by Tim Hill.