This article appeared in the Waterline. A publication of the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Recently the North Carolina Maritime Museum participated in a 5-day seminar for K-12 teachers entitled “North Carolina Echoes: Exploring Cultural Heritage Online.” The seminar was presented cooperatively through the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, managed by the State Library of North Carolina), and LEARN NC (a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education). David Smith (NCCAT seminar staff) explained that the seminar was one of a series “designed to assist classroom teachers who want to develop top-notch lesson plans based on a wealth of local resources.” He had read about the boatbuilding classes offered through the N.C. Maritime Museum’s Watercraft Center and contacted Paul Fontenoy, Curator of Maritime Research, to discuss ways to introduce the teachers to North Carolina boatbuilding. Mr. Smith wanted to incorporate a hands-on component into the seminar that would be distinctly different from the focus on electronically accessing information through online research.

Paul Fontenoy saw an opportunity to present the concept of indigenous boatbuilding by having each participant build a model of a flatbottom skiff by “rack of eye” – without using plans – building so it “looks right.” In the museum’s North Carolina’s Working Watercraft exhibit, indigenous (vernacular) watercraft are described as “boats made by individuals in remote coastal communities using ingenuity and acquired skills.* Unlike manufactured boats, which are produced in quantity to suit a broader market, indigenous boats reflect specific local environmental and economic factors as well as the culture and background of the people who make them. Indigenous boats are not built from plans or written specifications. The shape and structure of a boat depends on how it is to be used, the materials available for its construction, the background of the builder, and his ingenuity in manipulating these materials. Such boats can be sources of information about their builders.”

The teachers participating in this seminar, held at the Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores, came from all over North Carolina – Winston-Salem, Princeton, Hickory, Pilot Mountain, Taylorsville – and taught a broad range of grade levels and subjects. Each of the seminar participants were provided with a simple line drawing of a skiff, their own set of tools, and materials needed to build the skiff, including a building board platform to represent their “backyard.” Session one challenged the teachers in ways that at first brought frustration – a confluence of problem solving, manual dexterity, and precisely following instructions. Paul demonstrated each step of the process, cajoled when necessary, and reassured the teachers that in the end they would have a model skiff and a feel for vernacular boatbuilding.

A visit to the N.C. Maritime Museum’s Watercraft Center gave the teachers an opportunity to see a full-size example of a flatbottom skiff under construction. As Paul pointed out parts of the process – stempost, transom, midship mold – there was a definite “ah ha” moment. They could visualize the next stages of construction. Paul’s tour of the museum’s North Carolina’s Working Watercraft increased their knowledge about indigenous boatbuilding and produced a concurrent increase in confidence with their own project back at the Trinity Center.

By the third and final session the teachers were thoroughly engrossed in the last of the gluing, beveling, and sanding of their model skiffs. All the while the seminar staff and teachers discussed classroom applications for this workshop. It proved a strong reminder of what it is like to be the student faced with a challenging project or topic. As students we have different learning styles and strengths and prefer to work within our comfort level. Nearly all of the participants admitted they are more comfortable when they know “where they are going” at the beginning of a project. Paul’s workshop forced them to work on faith, in that they didn’t immediately know how their final project would look. The teachers left with an appreciation of the talent and skill of the indigenous boatbuilder – and a fine flatbottom skiff model.

*(The “rack of eye” factors were simplified for the classroom and to accommodate students who have not developed that facility or skill.)