2 Duck Boats Created, Launched By Southold Students

SOUTHOLD, NY — Southold students saw the fruits of more than a year of work unveiled this week as they gathered Tuesday to christen and launch two duck boats they created.

Despite fierce winds, students and staff stood proudly at the Founders Landing boat ramp to see the school project set sail.

According to a release from Southold School Superintendent David Gamberg, technology teacher Matt Pfister helmed a school club where Southold high school students build the duck boats as a way of learning practical skills and honoring Southold's marine heritage.

“It was a project that encompassed many skill sets, which was very much supported by the students, their families and the school district," Pfister said.

Gamberg said he envisioned the project as just a start of the kind of learning that honors the North Fork's heritage and teaches students valuable lessons.

“Building boats from scratch — and by hand — creates a real sense of accomplishment, incorporates math, science, and even history when we consider the history of Southold and the maritime focus from the first settlers in 1640," Gamberg said.

Down the line, a larger-scale program, involving boat building, could help support the marine industry on the East End, giving students opportunities for employment and recreation, Gamberg said.

“This may evolve into a North Fork vocational opportunity for students at some point in the future,” Gamberg added.

Southold Secondary Principal Bill Galati pointed out how the project supports a more comprehensive approach to the study of boating whereby students have access to securing a boating license through a 7th grade technology course run in conjunction with The U.S. Power Squadron.

“Boating safety is a both a practical and enjoyable course elective that is perfectly suited for Southold students,” Galati said, in the release.

Photos courtesy Southold School District.