Young boat builders are recreating another piece of Westport's maritime past, and plan to launch her this coming Saturday afternoon at the Head of Westport.

The students, enrolled in the Westport Middle-High School boat building program jointly run by Westport Community Schools and Dharma Voyage, are putting the finishing touches on their version of an old Westport Southard skiff that was popular in the last decade of the 19th century. Following tradition, students also chose the color and name. She'll be christened "Muddy Waters," the same name as the famous blues musician in a nod to the bright blue and gray color scheme which one student said reminded him of the blues.

While last year's project also focused on a Westport design — the sharpie sailing boat built in 2022 was well-known here a century ago — this year's is a bit more utilitarian. The skiff measures 10'3" with two rowing stations and according to the late Westport boatbuilder Bob Baker, "If one were looking for the ultimate in traditional boats that were easy to build, this one would rank high on the list."

"A skiff is a boat for the average anyone to get out on the water, for leisure, exercise, fishing, romancing ... you name it."

Baker, who loved little more than taking lines off old boats and recording them, was a crucial part of this year's build as he took the measurements off an original in 1979. The plans that resulted were later located and purchased from the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, which has a large repository of boat plans.

Master boat builder Jon Aborn updated the materials used in the student build, while staying true to the lines of the old skiff. He was assisted by fellow boat building teachers Jamie Soares and Dan Harrington.

For the students, the build has provided equal parts carpentry, maritime history and local lore.

"It's functional, purposeful learning," Packard-Luther said during last year's sharpie project.

"They're not only learning STEM subjects and carpentry skills, but also discovering a lot more about how Westport ties in with all of this. We had five active boatyards in our town. Barks, schooners, whalers, they were all built here. The students learn about boat building and all the trades that were associated with it."

Until last year, students built their vessels out of a workspace donated by Ted Titcomb on Forge Road. As was the case for the first time last year, they are now working out of the MakerSpace Boat Shop, a large, airy and modern shop at the new Westport Middle-High School.

While their work is about done, there are still some finishing touches to work on before the launch, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the public boat launch at the Head of Westport landing on Old County Road.