From a piece of paper to reality, 45 teams started with a vision – a vision to design and build a boat.
Now they’re down to the top four -- two from Jamestown High School, the “Tug Life” and the “Wrecked Them” and two from York High School, the “Hamm Squad” and the “Deck Hands.”
On Saturday, the four teams will compete against each other to test the stability, maneuverability, and speed of each of their boats.
Friday was the first time they got to see what started off as an idea turn into an experience of a lifetime.
“It’s pretty awesome to see something that we spent so much time working on become a reality,” says Jamestown High School junior Craig Donvito.
“I’m happy that it’s all done now. It is performing a lot better than expected. We did a crazy design and we weren’t sure if it was going to work or not,” says York High School junior Joe Daly.
These Future Engineers of America started the process back in September. Each team or crew consists of three students.
Each student was given a 100 square foot piece of sheet metal with the goal of making a boat that can carry a specific payload and be less than 13 feet long.
“It’s weird to see it built. That eight hard weeks has paid off,” says Jamestown High School junior Andrew Smith.
None of this would be possible without the help of Newport News Shipbuilding and the Apprentice School. They are the ones who built the vessels from the design plans of the students.
“We just want to show people and give kids an experience and let them know exactly what we do,” says Dawn Hardister of Newport News Shipbuilding and Apprentice School.
Jamestown High are the reigning champions.
