The Boat School At Eastport
by Fishermen's Voice Staff

This example of the work of Boat School students was at the Boat Builders Show in Portland. Training at the school ranges from wood construction through composites and electrical systems. The Marine Technology Center is a working boatyard where wood hand tools and computers are featured. Photo: Fishermen's Voice

The Boat School at the Washington County Community College exhibited some of their students work at the Boatbuilders show in Portland on March 2-4. One exhibit was a wood row boat, with an interior finished bright and lapstrake planks painted in traditional white. The boat represents just one area of training the at the school where wood building to composites and marine systems are taught.

The goal says instructor Dean Pike, “is to graduate students well prepared for entry level skilled employment in marine industries”. Maine has a 300 year long history of boat building and anyone who knows anything about Maine’s coastal economy today knows it is still a vibrant sector of that economy.

In order to keep that sector here, the state needs skilled boatbuilders and engineers, which means a funded training facility. Providing employees for the industry and likewise keeping the opportunities here for the young people of Maine. That is what the Boat School at Eastport has been striving to do, said Pike.

As the only boat building school east of Rockland, the Boat School plays a significant roll in providing the practical education that leads directly to employment in the communities where many of the students live.

However, boatbuilding has changed for the most part since the shift to fiberglass building. The skill, information, experience and equipment for fiberglass boatbuilding has passed into the hands of fewer people than once built in wood. The Boat School teaches the skills and technology of modern boatbuilding. Its been said that for Maine to not have a boat building school today, would be like Nebraska closing its agricultural college.

The Marine Technology Center is a fully equipped working boatyard. Wood construction, from drafting to traditional building techniques are taught. Marine Systems covers everything from electrical to standing and running rigging. Composite and fiberglass construction builds on what is mastered in wood construction, which ranges from mold preparation to resin types and construction techniques.

Considered an affordable program, the Marine Technology Center is part of the Washington County Community College, which is part of the Maine State University system. The college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is approved for financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and work study.Certificates, diplomas and degrees are offered.

More information is available 207-853-2518 or 1-800-806-0433. The website: www.wccc.me.edu