UNITY – A 50-year-old boat that was languishing in Martha’s Vineyard may inspire a new generation of sailors, thanks to a Unity man’s donation and the vision of the community-building group Unity Barn Raisers.

The 23-foot “Rocket” sloop, built in 1957 by the A.R. True yard in Amesbury, Mass., was for sale on the island off Cape Cod, and Jim Macdonald thought it might be worth buying and restoring. Macdonald is a furniture builder in Unity.

After traveling to see the boat, its owner was happy to see it go to a good home, Macdonald said last week.

“It turned out to be a free boat,” he said, then amended that statement by noting that hauling it back to Maine in 2000 with friend Bill Buchholz of Camden did require some out-of-pocket expense.

Earlier this year, Macdonald realized he would not be able to restore the boat, and decided to donate it to the nonprofit Unity Barn Raisers. John Piotti, then director of the group, responded by asking, “Why one boat? Why not lots of boats?” Macdonald recalled.

Tess Woods, now director of the Barn Raisers, said the group had considered boating opportunities for the community on Unity Pond, also known as Lake Winnecook.

“There’s always been an interest in trying to get youth to do nonmotorized boating on Unity Pond,” she said last week. The donation of the boat by Macdonald “seemed like the perfect motivation.”

The Barn Raisers sought and won a $40,000 grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development to create the boating program, which will be open to all seventh- and eighth-graders in SAD 3, which serves 11 towns in western Waldo County.

The program will have students meet one afternoon after school and sometimes on the weekend, Woods said, to work together at building 111/2-foot shellback sailing dinghies.

With the grant, low- and middle-income students can join for free, while others will pay $750 in tuition for the yearlong program, she said. The actual cost to run the program is nearly $2,000 for each participant, Woods said.

Some of the boats will be sold to raise funds to keep the program going, and the group hopes other boats will be donated.

A key part of the endeavor will be teaching the students how to sail.

Woods envisions the students learning about “attention to detail, pride in craftsmanship,” and other values. Boat building is also a viable industry in Maine, she said, so some students may end up finding a career path in the program.

The donated boat was launched on Unity Pond on Saturday, and it represented the culmination of months of work by a shifting crew of volunteers.

“It was somewhat falling apart,” Buchholz said of the sloop, but there was no rot.

Work began on the boat in May, Macdonald said, with four to seven people showing up Wednesday evenings to pitch in. Last week, more than 10 were on hand. The crew has included 8- and 10-year-old boys, teens, Unity College students and middle-aged men.

“It’s been interesting,” he said, “not knowing who’s going to show up.”

Work included removing the paint, replacing a few planks and the cotton caulking, and replacing decking with mahogany bought at Marden’s.

“Everyone was willing to do anything and everything, including the nasty stuff under the boat,” Macdonald said.

The boat, which the men estimate weighs 3,000 pounds, will sail nicely on the lake, they said.

Students interested in enrolling should ask for information at the Mount View Middle School office.