Captain John Smith’s Shallop

Explorer is a full-scale replica of the shallop Captain John Smith used to explore and map Chesapeake Bay in 1607-1608. Built by the Deltaville Maritime Museum as a community project for Jamestown’s 400th birthday in 2007, it was based on a thumbnail sketch on Smith’s Chesapeake Bay map and on period writings because no plans or pictures of the original boat survived. Those sources indicated that the shallop was a knocked-down boat shipped disassembled in the hold of the Susan Constant and reassembled at its destination, about 30 feet long, able to carry about 15 people, and described by Smith as “an open barge of near three tons burden.” It had a flat-bottom open hull, carvel sides, low freeboard, a small transom, an external rudder, one and possibly two free-standing masts with lug-rigged sails, and 12 rowing positions, six per side. Explorer is 31 feet long, with an 8-foot beam, a 22-inch draft, displacement of 2.5 tons, 300 square feet of sail area, an eastern white cedar hull over oak frames, a fir mast, and pine oars. Its construction took 1000 man hours and cost about $65,000. Explorer has traveled throughout Chesapeake Bay sharing the story of Captain John Smith, his men’s months of exploration, and Smith’s near-fatal encounter with a stingray at Stingray Point in Deltaville, while also serving as an interactive boat that visitors can row and sail on designated days.

Deltaville, Virginia · United States