Students Launch Hand-Built Town Class Sailboats on Sebago Lake

After nine months of dedicated work, students from The Landing School in Arundel, Maine launched two 17-foot Town Class sailboats on Jordan Bay at Sebago Lake in Raymond, Maine. The boats, built by students as part of the school’s hands-on boatbuilding program, represent the culmination of an intensive year of craftsmanship, teamwork and on-water learning.

From Workshop to Water: The Build Process

The pair of Town Class sloops were constructed over the course of nine months, giving students the opportunity to work through every phase of a traditional small-boat build. The program emphasizes practical skills: lofting and fairing hull lines, cold-molding or plank-on-frame joinery, fitting decks and interior components, and installing spars and rigging. Throughout the year students gained experience in reading plans, selecting materials and managing a long-term project—skills that translate directly to careers in boatbuilding and marine trades.

Learning on the Water

For many of the students, the launch was their first time sailing. Watching a boat move under sail for the first time is a powerful moment after months of effort, combining technical achievement with the simple joy of being on the water. Instructor Jake Greiner described the milestone not as a final exam but as a reward for the students’ perseverance. He emphasized that launching and sailing a boat they built themselves validates the countless hours spent in the shop and confirms the students’ capacity to finish complex projects.

One student, Maxwell Keas, a former Coast Guardsman, helped paddle one of the boats out into a patch of breeze and was exhilarated when the boat caught wind and began to sail. Keas described the experience as almost unreal, noting how distant the finish line had seemed at the start of the year and how satisfying it felt to reach it. That reaction captures a common theme among builders: the transition from uncertainty to confidence as a completed vessel leaves the ways and takes to the water.

Boat Details and Availability

Both 17-foot Town Class sloops are being offered for sale at cost—covering materials only—approximately $26,000 each. Pricing at material cost reflects the school’s educational model, where students gain real-world experience by building vessels that subsequently enter the market. Buyers purchasing from a school program often receive detailed documentation of the construction process, maintenance guidance and the added value of a boat built under instructor supervision.

Educational Impact and Skills Development

Programs that combine boatbuilding with sailing instruction offer a broad set of educational benefits. Students develop hands-on skills in woodworking and marine systems, learn project management and problem solving, and build teamwork and communication abilities. The combination of shop work and on-water testing provides immediate feedback: faults discovered during initial sails can be traced back to construction choices, enabling students to connect theory with practice and refine their workmanship.

Beyond technical skills, completing a long-term build fosters perseverance and self-reliance. Students learn to balance deadlines, material constraints and collaborative decision-making. For many, the boat they launch becomes both a tangible result of their effort and a stepping stone toward careers in boatbuilding, marine restoration or other maritime trades.

Community and Tradition

Launch days also reinforce a sense of community. Family, instructors and classmates often gather to help move boats from the shop to the water, contribute to final rigging, and celebrate the first sails. The ritual of launching a hand-built boat connects modern students to a long tradition of small-boat design and craftsmanship, carrying forward techniques and values that have defined small-boat culture for generations.

These two Town Class sloops now carry the work and learning of an entire school year onto Sebago Lake. Whether they remain as instructional examples, enter private ownership, or continue as teaching platforms, each boat stands as a lasting testament to the students’ skills, teamwork and dedication.