We are in mid winter-mode in the Watercraft Center and working on several interesting projects. One is the restoration of our old 28-foot Barbour Work Boat, circa 1937. We are Several months into the restoration of the boat, which is new to our collection. We started work in October. Right off the bat it was evident that the stem and several planks on the forward starboard side below the waterline needed replacement. It looked as though the boat had been damaged in that area at some point and the repair was less then adequate. So our first plan of attack was to replace the stem and several planks on both sides forward below the water line. We also refastened the whole boat as best we could. And we removed the cabin house, which was obviously not original (or correct).  [gallery columns="2" ids="2690,2686,2689,2691"] Currently, we have completed that work and are in the process of...

Grant Caraway, manager of the Harvey W, Smith Watercraft Center attended the 31st annual Antique and Classic boat festival on June 15-17 2018. The show was hosted by the Chesapeake chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. The show takes place on the beautiful campus of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. This is a top-rated antique boat show that has over 60 exhibitors and nearly 100 boats including several in-water boats, drawing participants from 9 different states. The weekend consisted of seminars and educational outreach promoting classic boat history and industry. Grant entered a 1952 Barbour racer which is part of the collection here at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. The boat was built by the owner of Barbour Boats in New Bern NC for his grandson to race in the ACBS circuit of the 1950s. The racer was powered by a Mercury Super 20hp...

Would you spend $5 to win a 1907 tender replica from the yacht “Black Wing”? Lots of people did during the last year as they visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. As with most raffles, there can only be one winner. This year, Lyn Knoke from Minnesota won the boat valued at $8,500. In addition to the 12’5” boat, the winner also received a 2014 Tohatsu 6 hp 4-Stroke motor. The replica boat was built at the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center, across the street from the North Carolina Maritime Museum, by the volunteers and staff of the Museum. Museum staff member and boat builder Tim White selected the design for the 2016 boat. “It’s the first time we had built a motor boat for the raffle,” he said. “We wanted to do something different since the staff and volunteers historically build sailboats,” stated Mr. White. The original boat was designed...