Alex Hiscock with his final senior project at The Landing School: A cooler that doubles as a boombox, with DC input, Bluetooth capabilities and LED lights that look like they pump to the music. Submitted photo
Wilton native Alex Hiscock graduated from The Landing School in Arundel in May with a diploma in its composite boat building program. He’s got big plans that are, no surprise, very nautical.
Name: Alexander Hiscock
Age: 25
Lives: Wilton
Did you join the military right after high school graduation? Yes, I left for the military directly out of high school, where I went to basic at Fort Benning, Georgia. After that I did training as a diesel mechanic in Fort Lee and later was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. After getting back, I finished out at Fort Hood until finishing my contract and coming back to Maine in 2017.
What brought The Landing School to your attention? What brought me to The Landing School was my interest in boats. I had been working building boats and wanted to find a way to further my knowledge in the industry and had family already in the marine industry who told me about the school. A couple months later, I was there in the systems program. After spending the year in systems, I moved to the composites program where I graduated from this year.
Coolest project you had a hand in there? At my time in The Landing School I was given the opportunity to do a lot of projects, from designing exhaust systems to repowering sail boats and even building composite boats from scratch, but for me the coolest project I did for the school was construct a carbon fiber gauge panel for one of the systems project boats to go in the console.
Was anything more difficult than you’d imagined? The school is amazing for veterans who have been out of school for a while and are looking for a new and exciting career or way to enter college and further their education. The school is very challenging, but the teachers and staff really go out of their way to make your experience fantastic and even will make time for students to work one-on-one. As an older student, I was worried about the transition back into school life from the military, but The Landing School made it so easy to become a student after not being in school for so long!
My final project for this year’s capstone was a carbon fiber addition to a cooler that was able to hold a Bluetooth stereo system, phone charger, USB ports and LED lighting. The cooler can be run off a 110 plug or even wired right into a boat! Music has always been a big part of who I am and everyone enjoys a cold beverage, so I wanted to be able to make them one in the same.
What’s next career-wise? Next, I will be transferring to Maine Maritime Academy for small vessel operations. The Landing School showed me not only did I enjoy building boats, but I enjoyed being on the water even more. And I hope to use Maine Maritime to advance my career in marine construction and hope to get into marine salvage down the line as well.
You walk into your backyard. All the materials you’re after are magically there. What’s your dream build project, boat or otherwise? I would build a 1923 T-bucket — this was the car my father built when I was growing up. Although not a boat, with the composite knowledge I gained from the school I would build my own bucket for the car, building a plug, pulling a mold, than finishing with the part. I would do it plumb purple to match the one he built. Then, using my marine systems knowledge, I would install the engine, drive train, lighting and more. Although the school is focused on boats, the training I received is very universal in many industries.
Although my time spent at The Landing School was busy, it was also fun. I am grateful for the lifelong friendships that were made and the connections in the industry that I gained throughout the process!
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