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The Boat School was founded in 1969 and is today Maine's most broad based and affordable school of professional boat building. Located in a large well equipped facility right on the water on Moose Island with its own docks and harbor The Boat School offers complete instruction in traditional wood construction, modern wood and epoxy construction, fiberglass and other composite construction methods and marine systems. Maine has been a center of fine boat building for centuries, yet today there is a shortage of qualified applicants for jobs in boat repair and construction facilities the full length of the Maine Coast. In addition Maine trained boat builders are highly sought after by boat building operations on the entire East Coast of the United States. Boat building, restoration, and repair pays well and is a highly respected skill with continuing demand for skilled workers higher than the supply. It is routine for boatbuilding firms to offer to hire every person that they can get their hands on from the graduating classes of this school. Classes are conducted in large well equipped shops, drafting rooms, and computer laboratories at the facility in Eastport, which also has an extensive marine library, and an excellent waterfront facility with a 60 ton Travelift and a large granite launching ramp. Students who bring their own boats will be able to take advantage of the last unspoiled protected cruising grounds in the United States, where they may see whales, eagles, seals, ospreys and just about any other kind of water or land animal native to the Northeast. Through a combination of technical instruction and practical boat building experience, students acquire an understanding of the basic principles of marine drafting and marine systems as well as the skills needed to loft, build, and maintain wood and fiberglass boats.
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Downtown Eastport - The Easternmost City in the United States |
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Wood Construction This portion of the program introduces students to wooden boat building. The first year focuses on traditional construction methods combined with an introduction to marine drafting and lofting. Generally small teams of students each build a 17' traditional plank on frame carvel planked pulling boat.
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Part of the School's Large Pier and Float System at The Boat School's Harbor |
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Marine Systems The marine systems portion of the program covers AC and DC electrical systems, refrigeration and air conditioning, steering and controls, marine plumbing, standing and running rigging and other components.
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One of the 17' Pulling Boats Built by 1st. Year Students. Boatbuilding Firms Know If Students Can Build Beautiful Three Dimensional Shapes in Wood, They Can Build Anything |
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Fiberglass and Other Composite Construction Methods This section of the program will build upon the skills mastered in the "Wood Construction" portions of the program and introduces the student to fiberglass. Mold preparation and use, resin types, fabric options, synthetic core materials and other materials will be taught. Students will learn both construction and repair techniques. A major portion of this instruction will focus on current and emerging technologies. Projects will involve vacuum bagging, infusion, cold molded, hand laid fiberglass construction.
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You Can Be Sure Boat School Students Can Handle Even the Most Exotic Materials Safely |