What Rocking The Boat does

Rocking the Boat is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization (EIN 13-4177814) founded in 1997 in the South Bronx and incorporated in 2001. It serves nearly 5,000 community members annually across two physical locations — its 812 Edgewater Road headquarters adjacent to Hunts Point Riverside Park in the Bronx, and a second site at 900 Innes Avenue in San Francisco's India Basin Waterfront Park that opened in fall 2024 — plus programming delivered at partner school sites. The organization operates four integrated youth-development program tracks: wooden boatbuilding (students have built 54+ traditional boats including 19 Whitehall rowboats using steambending techniques), sailing (accredited as a U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Center since 2018), environmental science (NOAA-aligned microplastic and water-quality monitoring on the Bronx River), and licensed social work support. Public-access offerings include free community rowing, summer camps, on-water classroom group programs, and corporate teambuilding experiences priced from $5,000 per group.

The core technology stack is craft-based rather than digital: traditional steambending boat construction, hands-on sailing instruction, and field-based environmental monitoring using established NOAA protocols. There is no proprietary software platform; the technology differentiator is the integrated, experiential-learning curriculum and the waterfront facility access required to deliver it. The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure combining foundation grants (FY24 reported $602,327), government grants ($307,441), individual donations, corporate teambuilding engagements, planned giving/bequests, and vehicle/boat donations processed through Advanced Remarketing Services. Student programs are delivered free of charge; revenue diversification is an active management priority evidenced by the addition of workforce-development funders (RPM Foundation, Workforce Development Institute) and a San Francisco-specific fundraising track. The customer base is segmented across enrolled youth (primary), corporate groups seeking teambuilding experiences, and the general public accessing free community rowing, with student recruitment sourced through partnerships with 30+ Bronx schools and community organizations.

Name

Rocking The Boat

Legal name

Rocking the Boat

Website

https://rockingtheboat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rocking the Boat is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free youth development programs in wooden boatbuilding, sailing, environmental science, and social work to nearly 5,000 community members annually from locations in the Bronx and San Francisco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails) (THAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Wooden boatbuilding education
• Sailing instruction services
• Environmental science education
• Community youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bronx

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Revenue from private foundations supporting youth development and environmental programs. Total foundation grants reported: $602,327.
2. Government Grants: Government funding support for programs. Total government grants reported: $307,441.
3. Vehicle/Boat Donations: Partnership with Advanced Remarketing Services for car and boat donations; 75-80% of gross selling price returned to organization.
4. Corporate Teambuilding: Corporate groups pay for teambuilding experiences including oar making, boat refinishing, site maintenance, and wetland care. Typical starting point is $5,000 for groups up to 25.
5. Planned Giving: Bequests, beneficiary designations, and trust arrangements for long-term charitable giving support.
6. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals through online platforms and fundraising events including Rocking the Boathouse and Rocking Manhattan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rocking The Boat is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization that delivers hands-on boatbuilding, sailing, and environmental science programming to youth in the South Bronx and San Francisco. Participants construct real wooden boats, learn to sail on local waterways, and conduct environmental monitoring (e.g., Bronx River water quality and oyster restoration), supported by licensed social workers providing counseling, academic guidance, and college persistence support. Programs are delivered directly at the organization's waterfront facilities, at partner schools, and through community access events.

Product overview

Rocking the Boat is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization offering a multi-disciplinary program portfolio centered on boatbuilding, sailing, and environmental science. The organization operates as a unified platform combining three core youth development tracks (Boatbuilding, Sailing, and Environmental Programs) with integrated social work support services. Programs serve nearly 5,000 community members annually across three locations (two in the Bronx, NY and one in San Francisco, CA). The Boatbuilding Program teaches students to construct wooden boats from plans using hand and power tools. The Sailing Program, accredited as a U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Center since 2018, provides learn-to-sail instruction. The Environmental Program focuses on Bronx River ecosystem research and restoration. Social workers provide counseling, academic support, and career guidance. Public programs include community rowing, summer camps, school group programs, and corporate teambuilding experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boatbuilding Program
• Sailing Program
• Environmental Program
• Social Work Program
• Middle School Program
• Corporate Teambuilding
• Summer Camp
• On-Water Classroom Group Programs
• Rocking the Boat San Francisco
• Free Community Rowing

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 out of 13 graduates enrolled in college (class of 2017)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 3rd Street Youth Center & CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides licensed social workers to support Rocking the Boat San Francisco participants with individual counseling, referrals, advocacy, workshops, and college and career guidance.
• Advanced Remarketing ServicesminorOthers35-year-old technology company that recycles and resells cars and boats benefiting nonprofits. Returns 75-80% of gross selling price to Rocking the Boat.
• Blue Hill TroupeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll-volunteer theater group designating Rocking the Boat as beneficiary of 2016-17 season net profits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• The Landing School: Maine-based marine trades education institution. Referenced in Rocking the Boat data as a destination school for boatbuilding alumni receiving Ddora Foundation scholarships; comparable marine craft training mission.

Direct peers

• Clearwater (Hudson River Sloop): Hudson River-based environmental education nonprofit operating a sailing vessel for hands-on estuary education. Closely aligned on the combination of sailing instruction and environmental science education.
• Community Boat Works: Hudson Valley-based nonprofit that introduces young people to boatbuilding and on-water activities, with a near-identical youth development + wooden boatbuilding model. Explicitly mentioned as a participating peer organization in Rocking the Boat's programming.
• The Center for Wooden Boats: Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to maritime education and traditional wooden boatbuilding, offering hands-on boatbuilding classes and public sailing. Directly comparable on the wooden boatbuilding education mission.
• Brooklyn Boatworks: Brooklyn-based youth development nonprofit using boatbuilding and on-water programming for underserved youth. Operates a near-identical model in the same NYC metropolitan area.
• New York Harbor School: NYC public high school specializing in marine trades and maritime education, and a Rocking the Boat alumni and rowing partner. Comparable career-pathway and maritime skills training mission.

Broad incumbents

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Large environmental education nonprofit running boat-based and on-water learning programs across the Chesapeake Bay region. Comparable in combining environmental science, sailing, and youth education, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Regional players

• Hudson River Community Sailing: NYC-area nonprofit providing learn-to-sail and boating access to the public, including youth programming. Comparable sailing-education mission but with a public-access (rather than youth-development) orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rtbbronx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rocking The Boat