Launch of the Captain (2025)
Images by Brad Deal and Josh McDaniel
Caleb Seney, Executive Director of MedCamps:Officially broken in early this summer, the Captain’s Launch was finished soon before Memorial Day. Our ADA-compliant paddleboats that are wheelchair accessible are stored and staged at the Captain’s Launch. It enables us to dock the boat and take a wheelchair-bound camper on board for a lake trip. We are using solar electricity for the first time at camp, and after only a few weeks, the project is already yielding positive results. We anticipate thousands of campers enjoying it in the years to come, as well as hundreds this summer.
Tech Professor Brad Deal: Kendell Webb, who graduated from the 2015 studio, returned as an instructor for The Captain’s Launch. The kids constructed the camp’s second floating structure, a welcoming and peaceful area to let hesitant campers ease into the water, using houseboat floats and donated steel. We faced certain structural and mechanical difficulties because of floating floors with fixed roofs, but the team overcame them.The solar array that runs the boats is a particularly noteworthy investment that will benefit the camp for many years to come.
Program Overview: A summer camp for kids with special needs is launching a new paddle boat that is completely accessible.
Program Statement: For campers who face the biggest obstacles to boating, The Captain’s Launch turns a shady cove into an accessible riverside sanctuary. Wheelchair users are able to enjoy open water without ever leaving the comfort of their own wheelchairs thanks to specially made floating ramps and slide bumpers that allow them to move smoothly aboard pedal boats equipped with remote-controlled trolling motorcycles.
Utilizing 55-gallon drums, jet dock modules, and repurposed houseboat floats, the floating deck revitalizes a previously unutilized area of the lake and adjusts to fluctuating water levels. On-site programs have also been expanded with a new fishing pier and the restoration of an adjacent amphitheater.
Inspired by the humble tugboat, this straightforward, hospitable design has a pointed bow in the floor plan, sloping guardrails that mirror the contour of the hull, and a gear-storage bridge for supplies, paddles, and life jackets. A 1.2 kW solar array that supplies nighttime lighting and replenishes boat batteries is supported by a robust steel roof made from donated drill stem and rod. Every element emphasizes safety and dignity: a linear skylight above and an enlarged metal ribbon in the deck signify the campers’ transition into ship captains.
The Captain’s Launch, which takes its title from the last line of William Ernest Henley’s Invictus, embodies its motto: “I am the captain of my soul, I am the master of my fate.” It encourages respect for both its modest materials and its significant influence by providing universal access to the water and honoring each participant’s journey.
Team for the Project:
Instructors: Kendall Webb and Brad Deal
Cooper Dewitt, Emily Deshotel, Juan Colorado, Emily Deshotel, Kaitlyn Edwards, Lauren Ellzey, Ellie Falcon, Connor Fonseca, Lorraine Freeman, Nyaleima Gbondo, Alexander Gibson, Travis Heard, Mitchell Jones, Grace Julius, Kyle Kieronski, Emma Lee, Macy Mclean, Kingston Nicholas, Travis Oehlert, Jacob Rodrigue, Wanda Ryba, Gavin Savois, Ashton Schlotterbeck, Elliott Scott, Phillip Stephens, and Rian Woods are among the students.
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