F.D. Crockett Restoration

See a slideshow of the restoration on the pages of the Southside Sentinel:

The Restoration of the F.D. Crockett

In September of 2005, when the log-bottom buyboat F.D. Crockett was towed up the bay from Poquoson to her new home at the Deltaville Maritime Museum, even the people who loved her shook their heads at her condition. Old shirts and greasy rags had been stuffed between her leaky planks to keep her from sinking, although her majestic lines were still visible beneath the decaying wood. Sometimes men fall in love at first sight—and a boat with this much beauty left in her deserved to be restored. A crew of stalwart volunteers, led by project manager John England, has worked over 7000 hours through finger-numbing winters and sweltering summers (along with plenty of gorgeous spring and fall days) to restore the historic boat. They have used a combination of time-honored methods, traditional materials, and innovative techniques that should keep it alive for another century. After over four years of dedicated work by Deltaville Maritime Museum volunteers, the once derelict log boat F.D. Crockett has regained her dignity. Built in 1924 by Alex Gaines of Seaford and John Smith of Dare, the Crockett is one of two boats in existence that were built of massive logs specifically for an internal combustion engine. The low decks of this log-built buyboat made her good for oyster and crab dredging as well as for transporting seafood and produce throughout the Chesapeake. The Crockett was continually worked until the 1990s, so the logs, some of which reached to 55' long, were still in excellent condition. However, her decks and pilot house started crumbling and her sides deteriorated once she was no longer an active workboat.

First rebuilt was the Crockett's pilot house, which, independently of the boat, has traveled to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and been in numerous parades. While the decaying hull was still in the water, the Crockett's lines were preserved by the addition of new frames and timbers. (Detailed lines drawings have been taken by boat and model builder Ray Rodgers.) During winters at Chesapeake Marine Railway, volunteers completely restored her bow and stern, using modern methods of chunking wood with glue and epoxy along with centuries-old techniques to hew the shape of the hull. The sides were re-planked during summers back at the museum dock; then began the meticulous process of setting the deck timbers and laying the deck. On Saturday, August 29, 2009, the reconstructed hull was towed to Chesapeake Marine Railway, where the refurbished engine and mast were fitted and the rebuilt pilot house was lifted onto her deck timbers. As she was maneuvered back to her home at the museum's Pierwalk, the Crockett was once again a buyboat.

The F.D. Crockett is the Deltaville Maritime Museum's very own Cinderella. The rag covered workboat has been converted to a princess, though she still has more ahead of her before she's ready for the ball. The process of finishing the inside of her pilot house, making operational the engine (a Gray Marine 671, donated and refurbished by Henry Lackey of Deltaville Diesel) and the transmission (donated by Curt Kellum of Kellum Seafood), and restoring the electrical and navigation systems, will require additional expertise and funding. Instead of a fairy godmother, the F.D. Crockett has been transformed by the crew of "Crocketteers," the support of the museum, and the contributions of many well-wishers, both financially and with in-kind gifts. First among the donors is Ron Turner, who gave the boat to the museum. Keith Ruse of Deltaville Boatyard has been generous with the services of his marina and equipment. Warren Milby of Urbanna provided lumber early in the process. Jon and Rick Farinholt of Chesapeake Marine Railway have allowed the Crockett to spend winters hauled at their yard, and provided their facilities to put the pieces of the boat together. The Southside Sentinel has been an ongoing supporter, documenting the process with videos and slide shows (www.ssentinel.com). A knowledgeable onlooker commented that in order to get the Crockett to this point at a paid facility, it would cost close to a million dollars. Perhaps along with the sweat, vision and donations from individuals, she has had some magic involved in her transformation.

Inside the museum is an exhibit which details the history of the F.D. Crockett and the process of her restoration. Please visit, learn, and consider donating to the completion of this historic project, in order that the F.D. Crockett may teach future generations about the unique heritage of the workboats of the Chesapeake Bay.

History

In 1924, sailing schooners and skipjacks would have still been working the waters around Deltaville, carrying the produce of the Chesapeake Bay and the farmlands that bordered its shores. But the gasoline engine was changing the way oysters, crabs and watermelon were transported. In Seaford, Virginia, Alexander Gaines, with the assistance of John Franklin Smith of Dare, was building a boat that incorporated several centuries of knowledge and tradition with the newest technology of the time. The 62 foot nine-log bottom buyboat, the F.D. Crockett, now being restored by the Deltaville Maritime Museum, combines a craft adapted by European settlers from the Native American log canoe with the then-cutting-edge internal combustion engine. Its construction marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

Built for Ferdinand Desota Crockett of Seaford, the Crockett is one of only two large log deck boats still in existence built specifically for power, and was one of the last large log boats ever built on the bay. The last flurry of log boat building came about because the low sides of the log boats made it easier for men working in the burgeoning oyster and crab dredge fisheries to haul the dredge full of oysters and crabs up onto the decks. Because of this, demand for large log canoes continued into the 1920s. By then, deadrise, plank construction had pretty much evolved. As electricity and powered sawmills became more available, as occurred in the area around Deltaville, frame built boats (such as the museum's other buyboat, the Iva W, and smaller vessels such as the Deltaville deadrise) replaced the log boats that had once been common.

Visit the Crockett

Visitors can observe the restoration of the F.D. Crockett at the museum docks during the warmer months. During the winter, when the boat can be hauled without fear of drying out its logs, it can be found at Chesapeake Marine Railway in Deltaville. Progress is on-going. The day will come when this symbol of the bay's glory days will again travel from port to port, spreading the stories of the maritime heritage of the Chesapeake.

You can also visit the Crockett online, following its progress through the restoration blog.

How to Help: Fundraising for the Restoration of the F.D. Crockett

Donations are urgently needed to support the work of restoring this historic vessel. Corporate and individual sponsors are welcomed. The opportunities to contribute include the following donation levels and sponsor gifts:

• $500 - A framed rendering of the F.D. Crockett
• $2,500 - A carved replica of the F.D. Crockett's name board
• $5,000 - A hand-carved builder's half model of the F.D. Crockett

Prints of a watercolor of the Crockett by artist Anne Smith are available for purchase at the museum gift shop. We appreciate any contribution to help put this log buyboat back on the bay.

All donations directly benefit the restoration of the F.D. Crockett