By Jonathan Phelps
MANCHESTER — The Police Department's 17-year-old patrol boat now looks brand new — thanks to the work of several local high school students.
A collision repair class at North Shore Technical High School in Middleton helped the Police Department update its 24-foot long Boston Whaler boat with a new paint scheme to match the department's cruisers as part of a recent special project.
The paint was faded and the boat looked weathered before the students started their work from its many years of service to the town. The boat was returned to the town last week with the help of workers and equipment from Crocker's Boat Yard.
"The students did an outstanding job with an obvious focus on quality," Police Chief Glenn F. McKiel said in an e-mail to the Times. "I am very pleased with the finished product."
The project was part of an effort by the department to upgrade the patrol boat for the upcoming boating season. McKiel has also requested a town meeting warrant article to replace the outboard engines, which were last replaced in 2000 with a seven-year life expectancy, he said.
The department is also looking to replace failing electronics that were original to the boat when it was purchased in 1993. This includes the radar unit, a GPS, chart plotter and three radios.
McKiel said he asked the school about refinishing the boat after some of the department's cruisers were repainted — with a classic black and white patrol car finish — during a similar project in 2008, which also involved North Shore Tech students.
When it came to the boat, the students repainted the whole boat, refinished the wheel house, painted all the metal railings and buffed and detailed all surfaces. The underside of the boat had to be painted with special paint requiring rolling, not spraying, because of the boat's exposure to salt water.
McKiel said the town only had to pay for the cost of materials for these projects — with the work being done to refinish the boat costing approximately $200.
"It's a win-win scenario," said McKiel. "The students get the practical experience and the town (only) pays for cost of materials."
Ron Trottier, who teaches the class with Tom Duda, said it is not everyday that the collision repair students get to work on a boat. He said the students mostly work on automobiles.
"It was a little out of the ordinary, but the students did a great job," said Trottier. "It was nice for the students to see that there are other avenues they can go into besides automobiles."
He added it was a good experience for the students and could lead to work at the many boat yards across Cape Ann and the North Shore.
"When it comes to repair and refinishing, knowing the materials is part of the curriculum," said Duda. "And, the skills required for this job are similar to working on a car or truck."
North Shore Superintendent Dan O'Connell noted that the school provides such repair services for any municipality in its district, which includes Cape Ann and many North Shore municipalities.
"It is nice to help out the towns," said Trottier.
The project was for juniors and seniors and took about three weeks to complete.
What did the students think of the project?
"They got a kick out of it," Trottier said.
Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3447, or via e-mail at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com
