Cole Durbin

“Cold Brew”

14 foot custom power skiff built on commission. 20HP outboard power, solid mahogany sole and trim, 316 stainless steel hardware, and a rigid wood + fiberglass hull finished with polyurethane marine topcoat. Built from plans by Jacques Mertens-Goossens for the FS14 and adapted for custom designs.

Walkthrough video here

Constructed a 12' wood-fiberglass skiff using plans from Bateau for their FS12 model, from plywood to finished boat in less than 3 months. Assembled marine plywood frame and hull panels, and used stich and glue technique to epoxy weld together the hull panels. Coated with fiberglass cloth and epoxy interior and exterior. Designed and manufactured custom mahogany gunwales, and hatches for under seat storage. Selected stainless steel hardware for hatches and mooring. Finished by hand with Interlux Brightside, Epifanes Varnish, and TotalBilge paint. Powered by a Yamaha 9.9 portable outboard, boat achieves 20mph easily with two people on board. 

Custom designed and fabricated a cedar strip surfboard from the ground up. Starting with a surface model in Solidworks, I constructed a full CAD model of the internal frame and blocking, and the external decks and cedar stripping.

Printed scale models on the Form 3 SLA 3D printer in Clear and Rigid resin to check the internal structure and visualize the external curve geometry.

For the full gallery of project photos, click here.

Mid-century modern desk, built from white oak with hand-cut joinery and grain-matched flush drawers.

3D printed dowel drilling jig printed on Formlabs Form 3 in Grey Pro resin.

Desk designed in SolidWorks.

Finished with matte Arm-R-Seal (oil-based polyurethane).

Designed and built an adjustable-height control console for my homemade 12’ wood-fiberglass skiff. Allows swap from tiller steering to wheel + mechanical binnacle control, with the option to drive standing or sitting comfortably. Allows for accessible life jacket storage and 2 rod holders, as well as a compass for navigation (and definitely not just looks).

Belmont Hill School, Woodworking Independent Study

Fall 2013-Spring 2014

During senior year of high school as an independent study in woodworking, I constructed a cedar strip canoe using classic canoe building techniques. As a fully functional canoe, it serves as a crossover between art, design, and engineering. This project employed advanced woodworking techniques such as steam bending, and work with fiberglass and epoxy to make the boat seaworthy, light, and strong. 

For more photos of this project, check out this gallery.

Cherry and mahogany hand-cut dovetail box for tool storage. Finished with Waterlox Original oil finish.

Converted a severely cupped 2” thick sugar maple slab (sourced from Vermont) into a coffee table, complete with solid brass dovetail keys and raw steel hairpin legs. Utilized ShopBot CNC router to face one side of the slab flat, and generated toolpaths for pockets for the hairpin legs on the back side, to preserve as much thickness as possible in the slab itself. Used an OMAX ProtoMax waterjet machine to cut out brass dovetail keys, and custom fit them into the table the old fashioned way- using hand chisels. Finished the table with Arm-R-Seal, an oil-urethane stain finish.

Restored an antique lathe that belonged to my great-grandfather in his shop in Indiana. Likely hacked together by him from an old ceiling belt-powered system, this still runs on its “original” Delco ¼ HP motor and uses tapered cast iron bearing surfaces, yet achieves runout of 2 thousandths of an inch.

Removed copious rust on the cast iron and resurfaced with black enamel machine paint. Replaced motor and switch wiring and replaced leather drive belt. Restored three jaw chuck with rust removal and new grease. What was previously a squeaky mess now runs clean and quiet!

Designed and implemented a theremin/piano hybrid instrument capable of playing pitches at different octaves based on user hand height, detected by an IR sensor. One hand is used to control the pitch, while the other hand controls the octave. The user can toggle between normal theremin mode to a digital piano mode using a manual switch and control the volume with a potentiometer. The resulting frequencies are filtered and then passed through a speaker for smooth listening.

Project completed along with partner André Dupuis as final assignment for ES52, "Joy of Electronics," an introduction to electrical engineering course. 

As a weekend project, built a small deck area to convert unused space on top of a sea wall into an area to relax and take in ocean views. Designed deck to minimize environmental impact on the dune, while also providing a comfortable and stable platform to sit, stand, and lie on. Utilized pressure treated lumber and stainless steel hardware for longevity in salt air environment. 

Belmont Hill School, Introductory Woodworking

Fall 2010

During sophomore year of high school I completed this Cherry and Mahogany dovetail box project for a woodworking class. The top insignia is hand-carved, and all the dovetails are hand cut. This box won a Silver Key in the Design category of the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards competition.