The Maryland Dove sets sail from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (background) en route to Historic St. Mary’s City. Photograph by George Sass, courtesy Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
When visitors to Historic St. Mary’s City, a living museum of history and archaeology, step aboard Maryland Dove, a replica of the 17th-century trading ship Dove, they not only immerse themselves in the rich history of the colonial era, but they also gain an appreciation for the craftmanship of wooden boatbuilding. An homage to the original ship, Maryland Dove serves as a critical reminder of the past and celebrates the establishment of the Maryland colony.
Embarking on a historic voyage in 1633, the Dove accompanied the Ark, a merchant ship that transported about 140 English settlers to what is now known as Maryland. The pair of ships arrived in St. Clement’s Island in the Potomac River on March 25, 1634, and, shortly after, the colonists established St. Mary’s City as the first settlement and first capital. Today, Marylanders celebrate Maryland Day every year on March 25 to commemorate the anniversary of the arrival of the Dove and the Ark.
Shipwrights work on the new Maryland Dove in October 2020. Photograph by George Sass, courtesy Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum shipyard. Photograph by George Sass, courtesy Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
So, when the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission selected the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) to build a brand-new replica of Maryland Dove in 2018, the team was excited about the project, which offered them the opportunity to construct a significant symbol of Maryland’s cultural and maritime heritage. The museum’s working shipyard and its team’s expertise in building historic ships and utilizing traditional wooden boatbuilding skills made CBMM an ideal fit for the project.
A reconstruction of an earlier replica, which was built in 1978, the current Maryland Dove represents three years of construction (2019–2022) and incorporates decades of new research—allowing for a more historically accurate ship than the original Maryland Dove.
“Building Maryland Dove was an ambitious undertaking—a collaborative effort that brought together the skills and talents of several experts in their respective fields,” says Sam Hilgartner, vessel conservation manager at CBMM, who served as the lead rigger on the project. “A ship tells a story, and our challenge was to construct a vessel that reflected the original time frame and maintained its structural integrity. It’s a meticulous process, and attention to detail is critical. Above all, it’s vital to build a ship that honors its history and preserves as much of its character as possible while ensuring that it meets U.S. Coast Guard ship inspection standards.” Maryland Dove sailed to its home port in Historic St. Mary’s City in August 2022, where it serves as the organization’s floating ambassador and an educational exhibit.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Shipwright Apprentice Program trains the next generation of wooden boatbuilders. Photograph by George Sass, courtesy Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
Steeped in History
Ship replicas, such as Maryland Dove, serve as a testament to Maryland’s rich history of wooden boatbuilding—a cultural tradition that is deeply rooted in the region’s connection to the Chesapeake Bay. Tracing its origins to Native Americans, who built dugout canoes, the tradition evolved into European-style boatbuilding and thrived during the colonial era with the development of distinctive wooden vessels.
Wooden boatbuilding was critical to the economy and essential for transportation, trade, and the fishing, crabbing, and oystering industries. Indeed, the region’s abundance of timber and its extensive waterways enabled it to become a critical hub for wooden boatbuilding.
“Up until the last century, boats were traditionally made from trees and other natural materials,” says Ronnie Cutts, owner of Cutts & Case Shipyard, a business in Oxford that specializes in designing, building, restoring, and maintaining wooden boats. “Traditional wooden boats are built in tension, where each plank naturally becomes one with its neighbor over time. As a result, they are more time and human labor intensive, but there is also a greater human connection to them. Wooden boats have soul.”
According to CBMM, the Chesapeake Bay shoreline used to abound with small shipyards where shipwrights built and maintained wooden vessels—not only supporting the region’s commercial growth but also passing down skills to the next generation. Most of these shipyards—and the skills that kept them in operation—are now reminiscent of another era. Today, wooden boatbuilding blends traditional skills with modern techniques.
Ronnie Cutts and Dennis Risher in front of Hotspur. The crew had just dropped the rudder. Courtesy Cutts & Case Shipyard.
Keeping the Tradition Alive
Although wooden boatbuilding declined in the 1960s due to the shift to modern materials, such as fiberglass, it’s not a dying art. Hilgartner says there is a distinct subculture of enthusiasts who find wooden boats beautiful. Their passion for the historical and practical aspects of wooden boatbuilding preserves the craft. And while wood is no longer the dominant material for modern boatbuilding, some shipwrights contend that wooden boats have a proven track record.
“Wood offers a natural, sustainable resource with a far smaller environmental footprint than fiberglass,” Cutts says. “When properly maintained, a wooden boat can last generations—something few fiberglass boats can claim. In terms of beauty and warmth, there’s simply no comparison. A wooden hull finished in varnish or gleaming paint radiates life and character. Wood naturally insulates against heat, cold, and noise and absorbs vibration for a quieter, more comfortable ride. Many wooden boats built in the 1920s and 1930s are still cruising today—proof of their enduring design. Fiberglass boats, on the other hand, have only been around a few generations and already face widespread issues with blistering, oxidizing, and cracking.”
Today, shipyards and maritime museums throughout Maryland continue to preserve the art of wooden boatbuilding and celebrate the craft as one of Maryland’s most significant cultural traditions.
Left: Chris Neustadt and Clint Ray varnish La Mouette’s main mast in the Railway Shop. Spellbound is seen hauled out on the railway behind them. Courtesy Cutts & Case Shipyard. Middle: Dennis Risher (back) and Ronnie Cutts (front) discuss the cording on Julia. Courtesy Cutts & Case Shipyard. Right: Ronnie Cutts operates the crane while the crew flips Julia over. Courtesy Cutts & Case Shipyard.
Cutts & Case Shipyard has been building and restoring wooden boats since 1965—continuing a legacy that began when Ralph Wiley founded the shipyard in the 1930s. Wiley built more than 75 boats before Ed Cutts, Sr., and his financial partner, John Case, purchased the property and elevated wooden boatbuilding into a true art form.
“My father, Ed Cutts, Sr., developed and patented the Cutts Method, which incorporates modern materials like epoxy and Kevlar cording to strengthen traditionally built hulls, extending their lives for another century without sacrificing the feel or integrity of a wooden boat,” Cutts says. “New wooden boats can be built with this method, making them lighter and more watertight than the traditional plank on frame wooden boats.”
Cutts & Case currently has six boats—dating from 90 to 115 years old—undergoing various stages of restoration. An especially exciting project is the complete restoration of Hotspur—restoring the bottom with the Cutts Method. Designed by Linton Rigg and built by Casey Baldwin in 1929 for yachting writer Alfred F. Loomis, Hotspur was a 32-foot cutter created for both racing and cruising. Hotspur is one of the oldest and most famous boats at the shipyard.
Other noteworthy boats at Cutts & Case include Julia, La Mouette, and Spellbound—all of which were designed by Ed Cutts, Sr., and built at the shipyard.
The tradition of wooden boatbuilding is on full display at CBMM, where the shipyard staff preserves and maintains the museum’s floating fleet of Chesapeake Bay vessels and its historic small boat collection. Staff members actively engage with visitors and allow them to observe their work. The museum also offers hands-on learning experiences through its wide selection of educational programs and volunteer opportunities.
Perhaps one of the most exciting educational programs is CBMM’s Shipwright Apprentice Program. According to CBMM, the shipyard contributes to the preservation of the craft of traditional wooden boatbuilding, repair, and maintenance through its state-certified program, which is also certified by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Shipwright Apprenticeship Program provides training in various maritime trades, including carpentry, electronics, and welding, through hands-on learning opportunities and work experience.
“The skill set for traditional wooden boatbuilding, repair, and maintenance has a great deal of transfer to other maritime trades,” Hilgartner says. “So, our program provides a solid foundation for a variety of jobs within the broader maritime industry. I’m proud of the work our apprentices are doing.”
Patuxent Small Craft Guild group photo with “The Lighthouse Keeper’s” boat. Courtesy Calvert Marine Museum.
The Patuxent Small Craft Guild restored the Deeof St. Mary’s. Courtesy Calvert Marine Museum.
CBMM is also committed to maintaining historic vessels and keeping them afloat. Its current project is a multi-year refit of Winnie Estelle, a buyboat built in 1920. Hilgartner says the project is nearly a complete rebuild, and the CBMM team will maintain as much of its historical integrity as possible. The work is expected to be completed in May 2026.
A noteworthy past project was the restoration of Edna E. Lockwood, a bugeye built in 1889. During the two-year historic restoration (2016–2018), CBMM’s shipwrights and apprentices completely replaced the boat’s nine-log hull. Referred to as the “queen of CBMM’s floating fleet,” Edna E. Lockwood, the last of the historic sailing log-bottom bugeyes, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
Like CBMM, the Calvert Marine Museum (CMM) is also dedicated to preserving the art of wooden boatbuilding. Mark Wilkins, boatwright and curator of maritime history at CMM, leads a group of volunteers, known as the Patuxent Small Craft Guild, who builds, repairs, and restores wooden boats at the Patuxent Small Craft Center, the museum’s boat shop. Their current project, the “Lighthouse Keeper’s Boat,” is a replica of a boat that would have hung in the davits of Drum Point Lighthouse during the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The boat was designed by Wilkins and his predecessor, George Surgent, and is being built using traditional techniques and materials. It is expected to be launched during summer 2026.
“I’ve been working with wood my entire life,” Wilkins says. “It’s immensely satisfying, but it can also be unforgiving and challenging. Perhaps one of the more poignant aspects of wooden boatbuilding is the camaraderie that develops when a group of people build a boat together. It’s an incredible bonding experience.”
In addition, CMM offers a comprehensive collection of Chesapeake Bay boats for museum visitors to view—from its skipjack, Dee of St. Mary’s, to its historic buyboat, Wm. B. Tennison, and almost every type of smaller vessel.
Built in 1899, Wm. B. Tennison celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2024. The only Coast Guard-licensed, log-hulled vessel in the United States, Wm. B. Tennison is a National Historic Landmark. Dee of St. Mary’s, which was built in 1979, is currently undergoing a refit, which is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
“Wooden boatbuilding is truly an art,” Wilkins says enthusiastically. “It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful and inspiring a wooden vessel is. And it’s interesting how a tree loses its life only to be reborn into another living thing: a wooden boat.”
The skipjack Wilma Lee. Photograph by Jay Fleming,courtesy Annapolis Maritime Museum.
Fulfilling its mission to preserve the region’s rich maritime history and heritage, Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park (AMM) features two outdoor exhibits that showcase wooden boats.
The Herbie Sadler exhibit honors the life and legacy of the well-known Annapolis waterman. Born in 1902, Sadler spent his entire life working on the water. He later established Sadler’s Seafood, which became an Eastport landmark. The display features one of Sadler’s workboats, a wood deadrise, Little HES. The outdoor boat exhibit also includes information about the history and evolution of Bay boats.
AMM’s historic skipjack, Wilma Lee, is available for public cruises, private charters, and educational programs. According to AMM, the boat is truly the gem of its collection. Built in 1940, Wilma Lee is listed on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties.
“Our exhibits offer museum visitors an opportunity to learn about the history of our waterways,” says Heather Ritterpusch, curator of museum collections at AMM. “By taking a cruise on the Wilma Lee, they can step back in time and imagine what life was like when the Bay was filled with skipjacks dredging for oysters.”
AMM also provides a variety of educational programs for students, including its popular Build-a-Boat program, which is offered through Box of Rain, a program that connects under-resourced youth to the Chesapeake Bay and its rich maritime heritage. Established in 2009, the Build-a-Boat program offers participants the opportunity to construct a boat from a Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) kit. An Annapolis-based wooden boatbuilding company, CLC provides kits with all the materials necessary to complete a variety of boatbuilding projects.
“It’s awesome to provide meaningful skills through our educational programs,” says Zack Hoisington, director of education and partnerships at AMM. “Our programs help participants form a sense of place and cultural identity. Wooden boatbuilding is a tradition that is critical to Annapolis and our maritime history. Students not only learn basic carpentry skills; they also learn life skills, such as following instructions and working as a team. And they have a lot of fun.”
Herbie Sadler outdoor exhibit. Courtesy Annapolis Maritime Museum.
An Enduring Legacy
A cherished tradition, wooden boatbuilding continues today, thanks to the efforts of shipyards and maritime museums that preserve this critical part of Maryland’s heritage through new builds, replicas, restoration projects, and educational opportunities, such as apprenticeships, workshops, and classes. Actively engaging the community and teaching traditional boatbuilding skills to new generations of enthusiasts ensures that the skills are not lost.
Marylanders’ deep connection to the Chesapeake Bay, their love of the stories that historic wooden boats tell, and their admiration for the craftsmanship and beauty of wooden vessels help keep the wooden boatbuilding tradition alive—solidifying its legacy for future generations.
“Working with your hands is honest and gratifying work,” Ronnie Cutts says. “Acquiring traditional skills that were handed down from previous masters, applying them to current restoration projects, and educating those interested in learning and developing these skills is an honor. I feel privileged to continue the legacy of crafting and maintaining wooden boats.”
