The Small Craft Collection

FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEXT BUILD - VISIT OUR DORIES, BARGES & SKIFFS

Sharptown Barge Fleet

Our fleet of 24’ Sharptown Barges is the perfect way to get large groups out for rowing lessons and salt marsh explorations on the Essex River.

The boats were built by teams of students from Essex, Gloucester, Manchester, and Texas that were paired up with Essex Shipbuilding Museum shipwrights for intensive building sessions.

They are supremely stable and are the most versatile boats on the river, handling anything from a single rower to a group of 6 on the oars, and will even plane and carve into turns with a small outboard on the back.

American Banks Dory built for ADVENTURE

This American Banks Dory was the first boat built in collaboration with Topsfield Vocational Academy students. With wood donated by H.A. Burnham Boatbuilding and dimensions and specifications from Lowell’s Boat Shop (which also built an identical dory for ADVENTURE), the students lofted, measured, cut, planed, riveted, prepped and painted their craft. The two dories are now at their permanent home on the Schooner ADVENTURE, berthed at Maritime Gloucester.

Historic Essex Clam Skiff

Originally built for Harold Burnham’s Great Aunt Mary, this clam skiff was reportedly built 6” narrower on the bottom than was standard to make it easier and more comfortable to row. Small boats of this type have been used for work and pleasure alike, powered by oar, sail, and eventually outboard motor power. As the name suggests, these small craft are mostly identified with the local clam industry, a staple of life in Essex since the early days of settlement. Whether for cod bait or for food, the digging of clams by the inhabitants of Essex is a core life-way that continues today, albeit in modern small boats. 

Traditional Essex Clam Skiff

EHSSM shipwright Jeff Lane and students from the Topsfield Vocational Academy built this 16’ Essex Clam Skiff over the winter of 2018/2019 as part of our ECCF supported Skiff and Basket project.

It is a re-creation of an early 20th century example lent to EHSSM by the Burnham Family.

Skiffs like this one were originally used for clamming and a myriad other on the water tasks. It rows easily, tracks straight, and is easy to maneuver, making it ideally suited to use on the Essex River and other protected waterways.