Composite Boat Building Program

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Educational Objectives

The Composite Boat Building Program instructs students in the construction of modern boats and related parts using composite materials such as fibers, resins and core materials. Please click here to view the complete course description in our academic catalog.

For more information about careers in Composite Boat Building, please click here.

Career Options for Graduates

The curriculum prepares students to work with modern composite vessels. A graduate can assume a career as a boat builder, boat repairer or composite technician in the marine industry, or use his/her skills in other manufacturing fields including transportation, infrastructure and energy.

Course Description

The Composite Boat Building Program provides a broad education in the rapidly evolving field of composite construction. The course is taught through lecture, labs, field-trips and construction of one or more composite boats. Students learn how to use modern composite materials and construction processes to create boats of varying sizes.

Students study the strength, stiffness and structural mechanics of many different materials, so they are knowledgeable about the range of choices available to today’s boat builders. They are given instruction in the fabrication of those materials, from hand layup to vacuum-infusion and pre-preg part-making in both open- and closed-molding environments.

In the lab-based segment of the curriculum, students work on the construction of one or more composite hulls, decks and related boat parts. Student-builders construct one or more plugs and molds, starting with the lofting process and including fairing and finishing. Equipment such as ovens, vacuum bags, testing machines and woodworking tools are used in the processes.

Throughout the school year, students examine the effects of the various composite materials on the production methods, assess their structural strengths first-hand and witness how the choice of materials interfaces with the design and production of a boat. Design and systems elements are also incorporated into the cur

Curriculum

The following modules are taught through lecture and lab work as part of the Composite Boat Building Program:

COM120 Composite Shop Practices and Materials
COM121 Composite Construction and Repair Techniques
COM122 Composite Plugs
COM123 Composite Molds
COM220 Topics in Composite Boat Building
COM221 Composite Fabrication Techniques
COM222 Composites Personal Project

Classroom Size

The maximum number of students enrolled at one time in the Composite Boat Building Program is 12.

Boat Building Projects

Instructors of The Landing School’s Composite Boat Building Program select the designs for the project boats based on the depth of information and skill that students can gain from their construction. Some of the designs built by students in the past include: