Bushwack Boat -- Chesapeake Bay Skiff

A model I built for the Chesapeake Wooden Boat Builders School of the Upper Bay Museum in North East, MD (www.upperbaymuseum.org/).

These workboats were used for market gunning at the turn of the last century and were ubiquitous on the upper Chesapeake Bay, and working around the Susquehanna Flats. I built this model using plans from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels (www.cbmm.org/2010/store/plans.htm). The primary need was for a lightweight model that would be strong enough to survive transport to and handling at the museum's numerous off-site shows. Scale is 1-inch to the foot, and the model is almost two feet long. Note the hole near the waterline in the transom for the sculling oar that is used to sneak up on the targeted waterfowl.

It was an interesting project and I achieved the weight and toughness criteria by using foamboard for the hull. I tried building using individual "planks." They were too stiff to bend to the lines. The trick was to score the board on inside of the bend, every half-inch or so. The cut lines could be faired afterwards. Individual planks were then scribed onto the board, and the assembly was considerably stronger than if it were built with planks. The rough workboat finish was easy -- light grey primer Krylon spray paint. It has taken the abuse of traveling with the museum's shows amazingly well, although the canvas didn't last more than a couple of seasons.

A full-size example of a bushwack boat in excellent condition is located in the Upper Bay Museum. And I know where a lot more of them have been squirreled away...