BIDDEFORD — On Sunday afternoon, six teams were working to finish their 10-foot wooden skiffs inside the Pepperell Mill Campus event space.

The teams were participating in the Biddeford Boatbuilding Festival, a two-day event that started Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Put on by the Compass Project, which teaches at-risk youths how to build boats, the festival featured the skiffs along with a raffle to win a finished skiff, children’s activities such as toy boat-building and face painting, a presentation on boat-building traditions, and booths on marine wildlife conservation, boating and fly fishing.

According to Compass Project Program Director Shane Hall, the organization and festival had been in Portland for a number of years before moving to Biddeford, where it is now a program in conjunction with the nonprofit arts organization Engine Inc.

Four family teams and two corporate teams – Caleb Johnson Architects + Builders and IDEXX – built the custom-designed boats with the aid of a Compass Project assistant boatbuilder volunteer.

Chris Mitchell and his family decided to participate in the festival as a 60th birthday gift for Mitchell’s brother-in-law. Mitchell is from Chicago, and spends summers at Round Pond. The rest of his family lives a little more locally, in New Hampshire or Massachusetts.

“It’s just an amazing experience,” said Mitchell, a pencil behind his ear and pants covered in sawdust. “I had no idea how much it takes to build a boat.”

Boat-building is more difficult than it may seem, as Mitchell found out after his team accidentally snapped a piece of their hull – twice. However, he said, they were on track to finish their boat by the 5 p.m. deadline Sunday. He credits the “fabulous teachers” from Compass for his team’s success.

“What blows me away is to focus on something entirely, to see everyone in it,” said Mitchell. “If you can do something that brings more people together – usually woodworking is solitary. I can’t imagine how incredible it must be for the students.”

So far, Compass has worked with over 2,000 students, and Hall said they “try to make it a really empowering experience” for “anyone who wants to build a boat.”

They partner with different groups, from schools to nonprofits, and focus on skills, confidence and mentorship. Compass also runs programs for adults who are looking to gain new skills and for companies looking to team-build.

Tammy Ackerman, executive director of Engine, said the Compass Project is still trying to rebuild after its move from Portland, but there are many key players in Biddeford that will help sustain the program, such as the support of Biddeford School Department Superintendent Jeremy Ray.

Pepperell Mill Campus owner Doug Sanford was a key player in getting the festival off the ground. Sanford, who has been involved with Engine for around three years and regularly helps with events, donated the room space for Compass.

“What they do, it’s just great stuff,” Sanford said.

Hall hopes to grow the festival to eight to 10 teams next year.

“I’m telling myself we’re going to start planning next year’s Monday,” Hall said.

While the festival takes weeks of planning, Mitchell got everything he hoped to out of the weekend, saying that everybody “had a vital role” and that it was wonderful to see everyone working together.