Junior Carpentry student Ricky Carpenter with the supervision of instructor Mr. Bisson worked on a special project this spring. Along with the help of fellow Juniors Josh Meeske, Tom Freeman, Mike Gigliotti, and Matt Williams, they constructed a full-size canoe. The shell is made out of ¼” poplar plywood and the other components are made out of southern yellow pine. The canoe is fastened together with a two-part West System Epoxy, bronze screws, and bronze nails. They applied three coats of clear marine varnish to waterproof the boat and named the canoe the U.S.S. RICKSON (Ricky and Bisson). It holds one person with a maximum weight of 300 pounds. Once finished, students and staff had an opportunity to test the canoe in the Connecticut River. Mr. Bisson reported, "It rides beautifully, NO LEAKS ! Next year we will try to out do ourselves."

Watch the a Short Video of the Carpentry Canoe Being Tested on the Connecticut River.

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