The
Book section has exciting stories
of shipwrecks, rescues, and ghost stories of those who remained
behind. There are gifts for the gentlemen and jewelry for my lady
including beautiful scrimshaw artwork.
Boats
and boatbuilding have been an important part of life on the coast
of North Carolina since the time of the first settlers. Boats
were not only used for the catching of seafood but for transporting
goods and people from community to community. The creeks, rivers
and sounds became the highways of the region long before roads
were built. People built boats for themselves and the ones that
had a knack for it began to build boats for friends and relatives;
and for some boatbuilding became a business. Today, at the North
Carolina Maritime Museum's Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center they
are in the process of preserving the wooden boatbuilding heritage
of North Carolina for this and future generations.
The
North Carolina Watercraft Center at Beaufort, NC, offers an extensive
range of boatbuilding classes throughout the year. These include
boatbuilding carpentry, lofting, lift half-model carving, oar
and spar construction, and plane making. During regular one-week
classes students construct individual skiff, while the Boat-in-a-Day
program is an opportunity for parents and children to join together
in building a small flat-bottomed rowboat.
One
of the most famous ship recently discovered (1997) is believed
to be that of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, the Queen Anne's
Revenge. It was run aground off of Bogue Sound. State archaeologists
and divers have retrieved from the wreckage many interesting artifacts,
which can be seem at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and Museum's
Repository. For more information on wooden boat building and the
programs at the Watercraft Center, click on the link below.
We
hope you enjoy your visit and shopping experience. If you are
not familiar with scrimshaw be sure to read The Art of Scrimshaw.
To find out more information about any of our Artist and Craftsman
just click on this link.
If
you do not find a particular item of a boat/ship you would like
to purchase, just complete the Special Request form and we will
try to obtain it for you. Many of our craftsmen will build or
create by special request. An estimate of the cost and the time
required for finishing the item (and a picture, if available)
will be emailed to you for you to determine if you wish to purchase.
We require one half of the cost at the time when the order is
placed and the balance upon completion before shipping.
Visit us often to see new merchandise as it becomes available.
Please fill in your name and email address below and click the
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items, previewing new limited editions, and to receive exciting
member specials.
