Existing comment:
From front to back:
Martha:
"To the waterman, a workboat represents far more than just a work platform. An essential tool, the boat is usually his largest investment... The boat is a working partner. She -- for the boat is always referred to as female -- bears the responsibility for life as well as livelihood, for a sound boat can make the difference between a safe return and none at all." -- Paula J. Johnson and Anne Witty, "Working the Water".
You can see why this type of boat was called a draketail, dovetail, or fantail. Draketails first appeared on the Chesapeake Bay at about the same time as the internal combustion engine, their graceful stems similar to those then common on racing boats and naval vessels. Martha was built in 1934 (at a cost of about $350) by Bronza Parks of Wingate, Maryland. He built her for Willie Lewis who named her for his daughter, Martha. Draketails were also called Hooper Island launches after the island in Dorchester County where they originated.
Volunteer:
Potomac River Dory Boat:
This boat is a large example of a type common on the Potomac River from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Used for harvesting oysters and, in the off-season, herring and shad, these boats often sported green, red, and yellow stripes. The origin of this tradition remains a mystery. This boat worked the Potomac for half a century before being donated to the Museum.
This dory boat represents a shift from the older sailing boats to the new motor boats. Most dories were rigged for sailing. Despite the fact that this was a power boat throughout its life and never had a sail rig, its hull continues to conform to that of a traditional sailing vessel.
Delaware tugboat (see description elsewhere). |