A brief history of boatbuilding

Throughout history there have been many different boatbuilding methods. Each area of the world has developed its own variations, evolving both from the available materials and the boats intended use.

Carving a boat from a solid log or piece of wood has always been the easiest method of boatbuilding with respect to tools and materials. For many generations, logs have been hollowed and shaped using fire or hand tools such as adzes and chisels. As long as large trees were available, this method was an efficient way to build. It is very labor intensive however, and the size of the hull is limited by the size of the available trees.

One famous type of boat built with this construction method was the Chesapeake Bay Log Canoe. Fast and powerful, the log canoes were built with a central solid log forming their backbone. Pairs of shaped logs were added to each side of the keel, making a "5 log" or "7 log" canoe. Some of these beautiful craft may still be found racing on the upper Chesapeake Bay, but unfortunately many are abandoned and rotting in marshes and creeks. An exhibit and restoration of a log canoe, the Annie C., may be seen at Kerr Place in Onancock, Virginia.
Skin-and-frame boats were another step in the evolution of boatbuilding. Traditionally, a framework is assembled from wood or bone, over which a watertight covering of skin, cloth, or bark was stretched. Aleut and Greenland kayaks are the most famous example of this type of construction. Built with bone frames and skin coverings, these craft were paddled many miles in open ocean water to fish and hunt for aquatic mammals. The North American Indian canoe, which was covered with a layer of birchbark or painted canvas, was built in lengths of up to 30' using this method.
The most common method of construction for traditional wooden hulls is plank-on-frame. With this style of boatbuilding, a skeleton framework consisting of a heavy timber backbone with strong ribs and frames is erected to define the hull's shape. After the framework is assembled it is planked with lumber to give rigidity to the hull, and caulked with cotton or oakum (a natural fiber) to create a watertight skin. Many wooden workboats in service today were built using the plank-on-frame method. These boats require quite a bit of skill and experience to build, and depend on the availability of quality lumber, which is rapidly disappearing.

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