STUDENT PROGRAMS

""The passion for boats / building boats / being around and being in boats, that exudes from everyone at the BMC is so contagious. I have a way deeper appreciation for the water because of my experience with the BMC. Your patience and the time you spend with our students means more than you know. Thanks again for everything you do for the students at SMSD.""

- Ron Czech, Teacher at St. Mary's School for the Deaf

Whether it’s building in the Buffalo Maritime Center boatshop, in your school or community center, or paddling on-the-waterways of Western New York, our student programs provide hands-on, minds-on learning. Students will gain new experiences using traditional hand tools to build wooden boats and shape basswood canoe paddles, paddle in canoes, or sail in historic vessels. The lessons of patience, mindfulness, and teamwork that are learned throughout the boatbuilding process are valuable and applicable to all aspects of life.

The boatbuilding programs are completed with an Annual Student Boat Launch where students launch their boats for the first time. Friends and families are invited to Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park to see our students use the boats they built and the canoe paddles they shaped. Throughout the summer, students that completed a program with the BMC can visit Hoyt Lake and rent the wooden boats for free.

Students involved in our education programs will:

  • Learn real-life applications of STEM and design principles
  • Increase their communication and teamwork skills, self-confidence, and engagement
  • Demonstrate proper tool use, safety awareness, and craftsmanship
  • Engage in critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making
  • Build confidence and pride while completing the build
  • Gain confidence being on-the-water
  • Gain knowledge of the Lake Erie Watershed and Buffalo's maritime history

    • We currently offer Hand to Hand programs that invite students into our boatshop, Navigator Programs that bring boatbuilding to the community, and on-the-water programs that explore the waterways of Buffalo.

    HAND-TO-HAND
    PROGRAM

    HAND-TO-HAND PROGRAM INFO

    The Hand-to-Hand program happens in the BMC Boatshop. Students visit the shop as a class and work as a team with a volunteer mentor to build a wooden boat. This program can vary in length and duration depending on the build. We will work with groups to develop individualized programs. Some of the designs that have been built in the BMC shop include:

  • 6-Hour Canoe
  • St. Ayles Skiff
  • Prospector Ranger Strip Canoe
  • Olmsted Skiff

    • LAUNCH DAY!

    NAVIGATOR
    PROGRAM

    NAVIGATOR PROGRAM INFO

    The Navigator Program brings boatbuilding to the community. This program is delivered to your school or community center to overcome transportation barriers that some of our students face. Some of the programs that have been delivered in the past include:

  • Building 6-Hour canoes
  • Shaping wooden canoe paddles

    • DROP-IN
    PROGRAMS

    BiVoy-4
    DROP-IN PROGRAM INFO

    The BMC offers 1-day programming for events or partner organizations looking to share hands-on activities with their audience. Students can drop-in and spend time trying traditional hand tools and learning about Buffalo’s maritime heritage.

  • Draw knives
  • Block planes
  • Traditional boatbuilding methods
  • Buffalo’s boatbuilding heritage

    • ON-THE-WATER
    PROGRAMS

    ON-THE-WATER PROGRAM INFO

    The BMC offers paddle programs that vary in length from one day, to once a week for the summer. Students will paddle in our fleet of tandem canoes and over the course of one day, can learn to paddle and feel more comfortable in a boat. Over the course of a summer, students will keep journals, learn about Buffalo’s waterways, the history of Buffalo as a maritime city, and explore the plants and wildlife that our waterways are home to. This program is limited to 12 students during a paddle.


    The BMC also offers FREE, on-the-water programs for the public. Visit our on-the-water page for more information about our Tuesday night paddles, Wednesday night sails, and Electric Thursdays.

  • Tuesday night paddles
  • Wednesday night sails
  • Electric Thursdays
  • Scheduled programs

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    VOLUNTEER MENTORS

    BMC’s educational programs exist because of passionate, dedicated, and committed volunteers. Adult and student mentors accompany us during both our Hand-to-Hand and Navigator Programs to provide students with diverse styles of mentorship and career advice that are crucial for their professional development. We aim to continue expanding our programs and need dedicated volunteers to accompany us. We are always looking for mentors who are passionate about education and hands-on, minds-on learning. Please inquire about becoming a mentor!


    If you are interested in participating in any of our programs or if you’d like to become a mentor in our educational programs, please contact:

    Chelsea Moore
    BMC Education Director
    chelsea@buffalomaritimecenter.org

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