After 11 years and 30 boats, Rocking the Boat's Boatbuilding Program is going stronger than ever. Different building methods and materials have been used over that time—lapstrake (overlapping planks), carvel (edge set planks), solid wood, plywood, firebending, steambending—and have all contributed to building great boats and great kids. The following inventory reflects the hard work and devotion of more than 500 Rocking the Boat students and Apprentices.
Building a wooden boat from scratch might seem to be just about the most random thing a kid in the South Bronx could ever do. But then again, for a neighborhood surrounded by water and for a community that came from countries where boats were central to daily life, maybe it isn't so random after all. In 1995, Adam Green and a handful of students built a dinghy in a science classroom and launched it in the swimming pool in the school's basement. It floated! And just look at what Rocking the Boat students and Apprentices are doing now, 15 years later.
actively participating in the woodenboat show
For the sixth consecutive summer, the Apprentices traveled to Mystic Seaport to spend three days at the WoodenBoat Show. Running boatbuilding, oar making, and fishing demonstrations, our kids charmed hundreds of people into stopping at Rocking the Boat's display tent and learning about their work in the Bronx, camped out, swam-and even learned how to eat their first lobsters! The visitors and other professional exhibitors were consistently impressed by the students' polished demeanor, technical skill, and personal accomplishments.
turning the job skills boatbuilding program into an income generator
Paying customers to date include New Netherland Routes, the Adirondack Museum, and Historic Hudson Valley, all using custom built Rocking the Boat boats as active exhibits. The Hunts Point Alliance for Children ordered 10 elegant Chesapeake Light Craft kayaks. And Kevin Curnin, who runs the Public Service Project (the pro bono arm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP, where Rocking the Boat is a grateful longtime client) was the first individual to commission a boat. Next up is Mystic Seaport, which recently invited Rocking the Boat to be one of just seven boatbuilding shops from around the country to construct the 29-foot whaleboats that will hang from the davits of the restored Charles W. Morgan whaleship.
Building a wooden boat from scratch might seem to be just about the most random thing a kid in the South Bronx could ever do. But then again, for a neighborhood surrounded by water and for a community that came from countries where boats were central to daily life, maybe it isn't so random after all. In 1995, Adam Green and a handful of students built a dinghy in a science classroom and launched it in the swimming pool in the school's basement. It floated! And just look at what Rocking the Boat students and Apprentices are doing now, 15 years later.
