Kids Building boats

As a child, growing up around boats was a way of life. Every weekend was spent, down on the bay. I was and am lucky to have that opportunity. It has shaped who I am today. Not everyone has that opportunity, even living in an area that water is everywhere. This is where Box of Rain come in. Kids that normally would not have a chance to get out on the water, get to learn what all the fuss is about. Winters can be tough, the water is right there, but it is just too cold to enjoy it. So what do you do? Build a boat!

As I eluded to in my last post, the "Goo Fest" was in full swing. We had 12 kids show up for another building session. All of the strips had been installed, staples pulled and the surface sanded. On Tap for the day was adding two layers of 6oz fiberglass to the bottom and one to each side. 


 The day started by cutting the fiberglass sheets to size. It is two sheets overlapped on the bottom to form a double layer, for maximum protection. Below, George is holding a class on the do's and don'ts of fiberglassing.

 The kids caught on very quickly, some had experience from the previous years boat building projects. They all did a fantastic job. I am amazed how quickly they can master a new skill.


 George has been the driving force behind the Boat Building by the Bay Program. You can see his commitment in the way he interacts with the kids. There is a high level of mutual respect. Here he is fine tuning the technique for for applying the epoxy.



As you can see, the beauty of the wood is shining through. These guys did an awesome job. One that any boat builder would be proud of. The best part, it was done by kids.



The Petrel is progressing in the shop at CLC. There is not much to show right now, so I will spare you the boring details. The deck is being stripped in preparation for the Maple feature. There are but so many ways I can show pictures of adding strips and make it interesting. The progress should be worthy of an update early next week, when I have the accent and the first of the Maple strips, on the forms.

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