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Boat Builders Finish 2016 Season!

Middle School students set out to build a 14-foot canoe from scratch in third year of collaborating with Project U.S.E. - and they launched it in Deal Lake this May!
This article was updated May 26, 2016

Throughout the winter and spring, Ranney seventh-graders worked together after school to build a canoe from scratch. This is the third year in a row that the Middle School Boat Builders project has taken place under the direction of Art Teacher Madeleine McCarthy and Project U.S.E., a nonprofit educational organization that provides acclaimed experiential learning opportunities to more than 6,000 young people and adults each year. Students launched their 14' self-constructed boat - starting with just two sheets of marine plywood - in Deal Lake on Saturday, May 21. The students launched their canoes with the Sisters Academy and Oak Hill Academy schools, who also participated in the program.

"The boat building program offers our Middle School students a very unique opportunity," says Advisor and Art Teacher Madeleine McCarthy. "Through the process of building their boat, they were faced with 'challenges by choice.'  In addition to team building, they used how to safely use shop tools such as saws, drills and screw guns and learned basic construction techniques. This annual program successfully empowers students to take on challenges which are out of their comfort zone and persevere to completion."

View a video about Design Thinking & Boat Building at Ranney

This year's boat builders included: Tatiana Lanfranchi, John Leventhal, Elena Raccuia, John Tager-Geffner and Hubert Wang. Students recorded their experience in an online "journal," with entries below. 

“It is a great pleasure to have partnered with Ranney School on another Project U.S.E. boat-building initiative,” said Brendan Meehan, the nonprofit’s program director. “Project U.S.E.’s model of experiential learning serves as a great platform for creativity and character building. It is great to see how the students react with each step in the process of construction.”


WEEK 1: Measure Twice, Cut Once

  • “It’s like fun math class!” -John L
  • “Building boats is super cool, but a little different than I thought it would be, in a good way of course! Now I have finally learned how to read a ruler!” -Elena 
  • “It is a little complicated at first, making a billion lines and reading the basic ruler (which is a lot more complicated than I always thought it was) but it is slowly coming together piece by piece.” -Tatiana 
WEEK 2: Using Power Tools 
  • "Learning to use the power tools is lots of fun! At first, it was a little bit scary, but once you get the hang of it, the saw slides right through the wood." -John L
  • "There are bunch of different saws depending on the kind of cut you anticipate on making. There are weird looking saws and ones I had never seen or heard of before. It is all about practice, at first it is a bit hard and frustrating but after you make a few cuts and put your hand in a straight position that you want it becomes easier. It is lots of fun once you get the hang of it!" -Tatiana 
WEEK 3: Construction

  • "We put the frame together. We then put the stem down. A stem is what gives structural support to the front and back of the boat. We used epoxy to attach the frame to the boat and attach the stem on. You have to be careful not to make the epoxy too thick because otherwise it will drip and the epoxy it totally solid in 24 hours." -Tatiana 
  • "We took the screws out from our frame. It still held together because of the epoxy. Tip when using epoxy: if you get it on your fingers, and hold your fingers together for 24hrs, your fingers will stick together. We are now attaching the stem to our boat." -Elena 
  • "We took screws out of the frame and sides of the boat. Then we glued them onto the side of the boat. We then glued the stem onto the side of the boat and put screws inside it." -Hubert 
  • "We took the screws out of the frame and connectors. We also traced the stem and glued them to the boat and then we put screws in them and we also did the same thing on the other side and at the end we learned where all of the tools go." -Jon TG

WEEK 4: Construction Continued

  • "We now officially have the shape of the boat. He looks like the boat we had in the blue prints, minus the bottom of the boat. We have the sides and the frame that supports the middle and will support the bottom. It is going very well and I’m so excited for once we put the bottom on because then we can paint it and do all the decorative, cool stuff!" -Tatiana
  • "Dear Boatie, You Look Great! You've Got Your sides together and soon we will put on your bottom! Boatie, I can’t wait to sit in you in the open sea!" -John L
  • "Dear Boatie, You are finally beginning to look like a real boat! We attached your sides together. You are coming together very nicely and soon we will be able to put on your bottom!" -Elena 
  • "Dear Boatie, You are finally coming together! Today we attached your sides together and made you look like a real boat. Soon we will be able to add a bottom so we can ride on you. You are coming together very nicely!" -Jon TG

WEEK 5: Installing the Chine Locks & Gunnels
  • “We just attached the gunwales to you. We are also currently deciding what to name you. We need it to be a very cool and original name. We didn’t attach your bottom yet, but while we were driving,we had the chance to go inside of you for the first time!” -Elena
  • “We attached the gunwales to you and we are all trying to agree on a name and what colors to paint you!  Were also in the process of attaching the bottom and we all got to go inside of you for the first time!” -Jon TG
  • “We attached the gunwales, are thinking about what to name the boat and what to paint it. We are putting in screws on both sides to further stabilize the boat.” - Hubert


Follow the photo gallery week to week:

Week 1
Week 2
Weeks 3 & 4
Week 5
Week 6
Weeks 7 & 8
The Final Stages
Video
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.