As the volunteers and organizers begin adding planks to the brigantine named for Benicia shipbuilder Matthew Turner, they also are organizing an April fundraiser to raise money toward the ship’s completion.

The Matthew Turner, patterned after Turner’s “Galilee” that set a record by sailing from Tahiti to San Francisco in 22 days, is under construction by Call of the Sea and Educational Tall Ship and a group of volunteers that meets in Sausalito daily.

Turner himself built at least 154 wood-hulled sailing vessels at the foot of West 12th Street at what is now the 30-acre Matthew Turner Shipyard Park.

Along the way, he developed the “Turner Model” of rigging that made his ships easier to handle in Pacific storms, and designed competitive racing ships in addition to his swift commercial vessels.

Many of his company ships set sailing records, important because Turner originally was a businessman who needed goods transported swiftly.

As his business grew, Turner went into shipbuilding, using skills he had learned alongside his father at Lake Erie, Ohio.

His first ocean-voyaging ship was built in Eureka. From there he went to Hunter’s Point in San Francisco; he opened his Benicia shipyard in 1883.

Besides the park and the ship now under construction, Turner’s name lives on locally at Matthew Turner Elementary School.

The brigantine will provide educational experiences too, said Alan Olson, executive director of Educational Tall Ship, a nonprofit started so the San Francisco Bay Area could have a tall-masted flagship of its own, as Baltimore and other cities do.

When economic downturns prevented an immediate start to his dream, Olson began using the 80-foot schooner Seaward as a “classroom on the Bay.” Call of the Sea, partner of Educational Tall Ship, teaches children from fourth grade up to senior year of high school, incorporating California education standards for fourth and fifth grades.

But the lessons in ecology, maritime history, navigation and other subjects have become so popular that the program is outgrowing the schooner. And the improved economy inspired Olson to find a place to build the Matthew Turner in 2011. He chose Sausalito, his long-time home base.

The ship’s keel was laid in 2013. Its “bones” — its framework — were blessed last October; the next notable accomplishment will be installation of the final plank, called the “whisky plank.” Each is marked with a ceremony and party, particularly honoring the volunteers, donors and other supporters who have worked on the first tall ship to be built in the San Francisco Bay Area in decades.

“We’re shooting for late fall 2016,” Olson said of the Matthew Turner’s launch. Initially, the ship will be sent out on local sailing trips around the Bay Area and the California coast. Its first expedition will take it to Mexico, he said.

Since October, volunteers have framed the deck and installed water-tight bulkheads.

Now, “We are ready to start the planking,” Olson said.

While some areas near Sausalito have been affected by the storms earlier this month, “The rain has not been a problem,” he said.

The ship is being built in a large building, and volunteers have prepared the hull for planking, other parts of the ship for tanks, and have ordered parts for the rudder and steering. They’ve been milling deck planks, too, he said.

The April fundraiser will feature specialty drinks, “delicious food,” live music and viewings of the Matthew Turner.

Those attending will be able to buy ship-related merchandise, bid on silent and live auction items, buy drawing tickets for other gifts and make direct donations to help underwrite the project.

Donations of items for auction or drawings are welcome, Olson said.

He said his organization is hoping to raise $45,000 through the fundraiser, the 10th annual one for the educational program and shipbuilding project.

The fundraiser will be April 11 from 6-9 p.m. at 2330 Marinship Way, at the Matthew Turner Shipyard in Sausalito.

Tickets are $75 per person, available online at educationaltallship.org. Those interested may call 415-331-3214 or email info@callofthesea.org.