16 Jun

With the summer season gearing up, the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center will expand its operating hours to accommodate our region's residents and visitors. The Watercraft Center and the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort will be open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting June 18. This change gives visitors an extra hour to explore our sites. Starting June 27, the watercraft center and the museum will resume Sunday operations. Both sites will be open from noon to 5 p.m. to wrap up the weekend....

14:34 / Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Blog
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01 Sep

The 2020 raffle boat is a traditionally built dinghy called a “Catspaw,” and the plans are available from Wooden Boat Magazine. It 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. The 13-foot rowing/sailboat was originally drawn and built by Nat Herreshoff and updated by Joel White. We built the boat in the traditional style using white oak for the backbone and steam-bent frames, Atlantic white cedar (aka Juniper) for the lapstrake planking and mahogany for the sheer plank, transom and seats and thwarts. The boat also comes with a beautiful set of handmade fir oars. The mast and sprit are also fir. This is a sweet boat that would be perfect for rowing or sailing and could also be fitted with a small outboard. Raffle tickets for the boat are available for $5 at the Museum Store...

11:20 / Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Blog
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10 Feb

It's been way too long since I last wrote about what is happening in the Watercraft Center. So I thought I'd update what's been happening. 2020 Raffle Boat We've completed and installed our new 2020 raffle boat, and tickets are on sale for $5 at the museum gift shop. The new boat is a traditionally built dinghy called a "Catspaw," and the plans are available from Wooden Boat Magazine. The 13-foot rowing/sailboat was originally drawn and built by Nat Herreshoff and updated by Joel White. We built the boat in the traditional style using white oak for the backbone and steam-bent frames, Atlantic white cedar (aka Juniper} for the lapstrake planking and mahogany for the sheer plank, transom and seats and thwarts. The boat also comes with a beautiful set of handmade fir oars. The mast and sprit are also fir. This is a sweet boat that would be perfect for rowing or sailing...

15:54 / Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Blog
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19 Jul

So we're fully engulfed in the summer season here at the Watercraft Center. Aside from trying to keep cool, we are also working on several projects. We have been developing a new mini sharpie that can be a child's row boat, a beer cooler for the backyard barbecue when filled with Ice or even a raw bar for serving oysters and shrimp. Or maybe a yard planter or even a book shelf. This 7-foot-8-inch row boat is the product of my "Introduction to Boat Building Class" which I run every month. In this weekend-long, two-day class we learn about building boats in the stitch and glue method; and we put together these mini sharpies. After the class is over, our volunteers and staff finish and paint these boats off as small boats or bookshelves; and we are offering them up for sale at the annual Boat Shop Bash in November — or sooner...

15:06 / Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Blog
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