The 14-foot Wright Skiff is a traditional, flat-bottom utility boat deeply rooted in the maritime heritage of Deltaville, Virginia. Designed and built in the early 1930s by local shipwright John E. Wright, these sturdy wooden vessels were originally crafted in backyard shops for oystering, fishing, and general transport on the bay.

Origins and Early History

• The Creator - John E. Wright, along with his brothers, began building skiffs in Deltaville in the early 1900s.

• Materials & Design - Wright utilized the abundant timber resources from the lower Chesapeake Bay region. The skiffs were traditionally built using cypress planks on fir frames, designed flat-bottomed to handle shallow marsh waters and creeks.

• Historical Utility - The 14-foot version was highly favored for its load-bearing capacity and durability, serving as the primary workhorse for local watermen.

Modern Revival and Preservation

• Family Boatbuilding - In 2002, the Deltaville Maritime Museum launched an initiative to preserve local wooden boatbuilding skills.

• Workshop Phenomenon - During the museum's annual Family Boatbuilding Week, participants construct the 14-foot Wright Skiff from scratch over five days. The program was founded by the late Steve "Kaptain Krunch" Smith and perpetuated by directors like Chuck McGinnis and John England.

• Consensus and Community - Over 200 of these skiffs have been built by families, gaining wide acclaim for continuing the tradition of local craftsmanship.

The Wright Skiff Today

• Construction Specs - Today’s museum-built skiffs typically feature traditional cypress planks and Douglas fir framing held together by stainless steel fasteners.

• The "Great Skiff Race" - The week-long building program culminates every summer with the iconic Great Skiff Race in Mill Creek, located adjacent to the museum. The race starts at 10:00 a.m., and all are invited.

• Get Involved - Visitors can watch the construction of these boats or participate in the annual workshop. Check the Deltaville Maritime Museum's website for upcoming dates and additional information.

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Other Cool Stuff

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Want to know more about boat building?

A comprehensive list of U.S. maritime museums and closely related maritime heritage organizations that sponsor hands-on wooden boat-building programs is provided below. They are grouped by the types of participants they serve.

Programs Specifically Designed for Families

• Deltaville Maritime Museum

  • Family Boatbuilding Week

  • Five-day skiff-building program ending in the launch and racing of the completed boats. (Deltaville Maritime Museum)

• New Hampshire Boat Museum

  • Family Boat Building workshops

  • Parents and children build a wooden boat together and take it home.

• Northwest Maritime Center

  • Family boat-building classes offered through the Wooden Boat Foundation partnership

  • Short workshops and festival events. (AllTrips - Olympic National Park)

Museums with Youth Boat-Building (Parents Often Volunteer)

• Cape Cod Maritime Museum

  • Bevin's Skiff program

  • Students build a complete 12-foot wooden boat over several weeks. (Cape Cod Maritime Museum)

• Maine Maritime Museum

  • Discovery Boatbuilding

  • One of the nation's oldest educational boat-building programs. (Maine Maritime Museum)

• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

  • Longboats Program

  • Students build and row traditional wooden boats.

• Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park

  • Build-a-Boat STEM program

  • Twelve-week educational builds.

• Herreshoff Marine Museum

  • New Pathways Boat Shop

  • Youth learn traditional and composite boat construction. (Herreshoff Marine Museum)

• Lowell's Boat Shop

  • Apprentice boatbuilding

  • Scout, school, youth and model boat programs. (National Maritime Historical Society)

• Richardson Maritime Museum

  • Multi-day traditional Chesapeake boatbuilding workshops.

Museums with Adult or Mixed-age Boat-Building Schools

• Hudson River Maritime Museum

  • Wooden Boat School

  • Adult classes plus occasional youth and family workshops.

• Apalachicola Maritime Museum

  • Wooden Boat Building School

  • Traditional Gulf Coast boat construction and restoration. 

• Independence Seaport Museum

  • Historic Boat Shop

  • Boat restoration, demonstrations, apprenticeships, and public workshops. (Independence Seaport Museum)

• Mystic Seaport Museum

  • Preservation Shipyard

  • Demonstrations, apprenticeships, and periodic public workshops in traditional wooden boatbuilding. (Mystic Seaport)

• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

  • Small Boat Shop

  • Volunteer boat restoration and traditional craft demonstrations.

• Maritime Museum of San Diego

  • Historic vessel restoration with volunteer participation.

Maritime Organizations (Not Museums) Worth Knowing

These are often considered the gold standard for public wooden boat education:

• Wooden Boat Foundation

• Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding

• Rocking the Boat

• Teaching With Small Boats Alliance

• Urban Boatbuilders

Best Museums if your Goal is to Build a Boat on Vacation

For a family vacation centered on building a boat, these stand out:

1. Deltaville Maritime Museum — arguably the premier week-long family boatbuilding experience in the U.S.

2. New Hampshire Boat Museum — purpose-built family workshops where participants leave with their own boat.

3. Northwest Maritime Center — family classes combined with one of the country's richest wooden-boat communities.

4. Cape Cod Maritime Museum — excellent for families with middle-school-aged children.

5. Mystic Seaport Museum — ideal if you want demonstrations, restoration, and occasional hands-on workshops alongside one of the nation's premier maritime museums.