Boat Building Can Transform a Teen’s Life
Josef Biberstein and Liam Wade are two teen-aged boys who live in the town of Freeport, Maine. In the summer of 2009, Josef and Liam set off to the Maine Maritime Museum to undertake the task of building a small boat. Almost a year later, Josef and Liam, with help from the master boat builder, Kurt Spinadakis, had fully built and rigged for sailing a Bevin skiff, named the Kathy B. Later, in the summer of 2010, Josef and Liam left on the skiff’s maiden voyage in the high seas surrounding Flying Point, Maine.
By then, Josef and Liam had changed. They had become savvier with the use of tools, their math and problem solving skills had improved, and they were motivated to get off the couch and explore the world around them, especially the islands off the coast of Maine. Josef’s and Liam’s lives had changed and they had benefitted enormously from the experience. In fact, most teenagers who build boats will benefit from it later in life.
In itself, the process of building a boat teaches several beneficial skills. Before they had even begun to build the boat, Liam, Kurt and Josef sat down at the workshop’s table and spread out the plans for the boat. The three builders spent the next hour analyzing the charts and organizing the information into a comprehensive plan. They made a list of the tools and materials they would need and even planned the order in which to assemble the skiff. Teachers often encourage students, especially teens in middle school, to develop certain organizational skills that will benefit them in their later school careers. Working with charts and plans, such as those Liam and Josef used, is great practice for those skills.
Next, the teens assembled materials and tools and set to work. They began by using a band saw, a kind of electric saw, to make angular cuts for the mast braces. Next, they flipped the boat upside-down and used a jig saw, a hand held band saw, to cut a hole for the center board in the boat’s keel. Then, they used rabbit planers to plane down two glued together four-by-fours into a smooth, cylindrical mast. The full boat building procedure contained many more steps, often using increasingly exotic tools. The two teens, as expected, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of tools they used, most of which they had never even seen, let alone operated. So, Josef and Liam had a unique opportunity that might otherwise not have been available to them. By learning how to use such a plethora of tools, teens are equipped with the basic knowledge they might need to take on future building projects they might encounter, or even certain household tasks. Also, as cuts can only be made once, using tools like band and jig saws will quickly help teens develop fine motor skills that will help them in almost any life path they choose.
Another benefit that boat building can provide for teens is the chance to apply math and geometry skills to a real life situation. When the boys first began to install the braces for the mast in the bow of the skiff, they were surprised to find that the brace pieces were not pre-cut to fit, as many of the previously used pieces had been. So, with pencil and compass in hand, they proceeded to circumscribe the angles of the boat’s curved bow onto the brace piece so that, when they cut along the lines, the piece would fit snugly into its selected place in the bow. This was not the first time the two teens had seen this math, but it was the first time either of them had applied it to a real life situation. Since there are so few chances during teenage life to apply math to a real life situation, an experience like this is invaluable to teens. Applying math to the world around them helps teens understand that the rules of numbers and angles are not just theoretical, but work in the real world. Having a perspective like this on math will allow teens to have a greater appreciation of what math can do for them in later life and motivate them to pay attention and do better in math class.
Also, having a boat will encourage teens to get outside and explore. With many teens spending the majority of their time inside watching TV or playing video games, motivation is needed to get them out of the house and into the world. The oceans and islands off the coasts of America, and its many beautiful lakes, are wonderful and exciting places to explore. In New England, for instance, there are not many better ways for teens to exercise then to sail along the coast and explore the myriad islands that populate its waters. Having a boat lying around will encourage teens to get off the couch and use it. For instance, Josef made several journeys to explore the islands around Flying Point, despite the fact that the Kathy B was launched only a few weeks before his school year started. After school started, Josef still managed to find time to sail the Kathy B and even managed to spend the night camping on Whaleboat Island with his next door neighbor.
Clearly, building a boat benefits teens in their later life. However, just reading about boat building and the benefits it can provide for teens can’t capture the sense of extreme satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from building a boat, let alone teach the skills and benefits explained here. So, if you’re a teen with some extra time on your hands, if you like adventure, the ocean, or just building things, do like Josef and Liam did. Look for a boat shop near where you live and sign up to build a skiff, dinghy, or whatever kind of ocean craft that takes your fancy. When you finish, the skills that you will have gained will help you for the rest of your life.