Boat Building Project

The students at Oak Hill Academy have been given an opportunity by Project U.S.E. to participate in a boat building project. This experience is offered to 7th and 8th grade students. These students meet after school every Friday to work on this project. Oak Hill Academy participants will learn how to effectively work as a team.

Important Dates

Boat Building Log

Day 1: 1/31/14

  • Icebreaker Activities
    • Students were asked to draw a picture of a boating event that has happened in their life and then take turns telling everyone about their story.
  • Pre Test
    • Students took a pre- test that covered relevant material to building a boat.

Day 2: 2/7/14

  • Team Building Activity
    • Students were divided into 2 teams and were given various materials to build a tower with their teammates.
    • The purpose of this activity was to learn how to work effectively as a team.
  • Full Contract
    • The group came up with rules that were to be followed for the duration of the boat building experience and then signed the contract.
  • Labeling & Measurements
  • Students started to measure planks of wood and label certain points.

Day 3: 2/21/14

  • Team Building Activity
  • Combination Lock Activity: Students had to step on 30 numbers in the circle in numerical order within a 25 second time limit. Only one foot was allowed to be the circle at any given time. This game worked on communication and organization.
  • Labeling & Measurements
  • Students continued to measure and label the wooden planks in several sections.

Day 4: 2/28/14

  • Tool & Safety Review
  • Students reviewed all of the different tools that were going to be used throughout the boat building project. Everyone was reminded of the different safety precautions that are associated with each tool.
  • Boat Parts Review
  • Students identified and reviewed the different sections of the boat.
  • Cutting
  • Students took turns using a jigsaw to cut out pieces of the wood.

Day 5: 3/7/14

  • Cutting
  • Students cut out sections of the frame using a bear saw.
  • Gluing & Drilling
  • Students glued parts of the boat together and then drilled the sides of the boat to the frame.

Day 6: 3/21/14

  • Measuring & Cutting
  • Students measured chine logs and cut out the corners
  • Gluing
  • After cutting the students glued the chine logs to the bottom part of the boat and clamped it together
  • Drilling
  • Once the chine logs were glued and clamped to the boat the students drilled in screw to further secure it.

Day 7: 3/28/14

  • Students initially broke up into two separate groups to complete different tasks
  • Group 1 – Screw Removal
  • Students in this group took turns using the drill to remove the screws from the outside of the boat to prep it for planing
  • Group 2 – Boat Design
  • This group was in charge of creating a name for the boat along with a color design
  • Sawing & Planing
  • After the screws were removed and a rough design was sketched the students regrouped to saw off a knob from the front and back of the boat
  • The final step of the day was planing the chine logs to even out the bottom of the boat

Day 8: 4/4/14

  • Tracing & Cutting
  • Student placed the bottom plank of wood against the sides of the boat to trace where they had to cut
  • Once the bottom part was traced the students cut out the bottom plank of wood using the jigsaw
  • Gluing & Drilling
  • After cutting the piece of wood the student then glued it to the boat
  • The final step of the day was drilling the bottom piece of the boat to further secure it

Day 9: 5/1/14

  • Screw Removal
  • Students removed the screws and proceeded to fill the holes with epoxy and filler
  • Gunnel Attachment
  • Students attached the four gunnels to the sides of the boat with epoxy and then clamped it to the boat
  • Drilling
  • Students took turns drilling screws to further secure the gunnel to the boat after clamping it

Day 10: 5/2/14

  • Planing
  • Students took turns planing the remaining epoxy off of the boat
  • Painting
  • Students painted the boat and designed a theme for the boat

Day 11 & 12: 5/8/14 & 5/9/14

  • Painting
  • Students continued to paint and complete all the final touches for the boat launch

Day 13: 5/10/14

  • Boat Launch
  • The students all took turns paddling their boat around Deal Lake. It was great to see all of the students’ dedication and commitment come together for this memorable day.
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