Poquoson 3-Log Canoe, Queen of the Fleet

Courtesy of Mariners' Museum Archives as follows: Terms SMALL CRAFT, 3-LOG CANOE, CANOES AND CANOEING, WATER TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT, PLANS, BLUEPRINT, CULLING BOARD, QUOSIN CUNA, CHESAPEAKE BAY, OYSTERING, FISHING, OYSTER, FISHERMAN, FISHERMEN, Entity HUNT, WILLIAM, Builder CARMINES, D. W., Related Person Notes SHORT DESCRIPTION: "Queen of the Fleet" is a 27’, 3 log dugout sailing canoe used for oystering and fishing in lower Chesapeake Bay. She was built by William Hunt in 1880 in Poquoson, Virginia and has a centerboard and rudder. The hull was constructed from 3 pine logs which were fastened together with trunnels and then hewn to shape. There are no interior frames. Length overall 26'10", 7'2" beam. INVENTORY: 2 sails; blue print - These items are associated with this boat. Please see the component parts supplemental record for additional information. NOTES: Oysters were dumped onto a culling board to sort or "cull" undersized oysters out of the catch. The culling board on this boat is a reproduction made by Paul Hogge in 1989. BOAT INFORMATION - BOAT TYPE: POQUOSON 3-LOG CANOE BOAT ORGIN: POQUOSON, VIRGINIA BOAT DIMENSIONS: 26-10-0 (Length OA); 7-2-0 (Beam) Label Copy LABEL COPY: "Queen of the Fleet", A Poquoson 3-Log Canoe, used or oyster tonging Built in Poquoson, Virginia by William Hunt, c. 1880 Constructed from 3 pine logs fastened together with trunnels and hewn to shape LOA-26'10" BEAM-7'2" DRAFT-1'3" Early colonist first copied the Indians' simple one-log dugout, but needing larger boats, they soon began joining two, then three, five or seven logs to form the hull. The canoes built for oystering often had hulls six inches thick and were virtually indestructible. Originally propelled by oars, sails were added in the 18th century, and gasoline engines in the 20th century. Poquoson canoes were last built commercially in the 1930's, and only a few are still in use today. LABEL COPY: Poquoson Three-Log Canoe, Queen of the Fleet, 1880 William Hunt, Hampton, Virginia, builder LOA-26'10"; Beam-7'2"; Draft-1'3" Museum Collection 34.1 This canoe is constructed from three pine logs fastened together with trunnels ("treenails") and hewn to shape with an adze. There is no framing. The use of the European tools and the ingenuity of the early colonists changed the shape of the Native American canoe by adding a sailing rig, centerboard, rudder, shaped bow and stern, and narrow decks known as "washboards". Poquoson, Virginia was noted for the fine log canoes built there in the nineteenth century. LABEL COPY: QUEEN OF THE FLEET (1880), Three-Log Sailing Canoe Built in Hampton, Virginia by William Hunt The Chesapeake Bay log canoe is a direct descendent of the Indian Dugout Canoe observed by the first European settlers in Virginia in the early 17th century. In later years the single-log dugout was enlarged and constructed of several logs joined by iron rods. The log canoe has long been a favorite of Chesapeake watermen for oyster fishing. Many of these boats are still in use under power and some have been restored for pleasure sailing.