The Last Builders

Boats have been constructed of wood for millennia. But as construction materials have changed, the art of crafting a boat from trees has been replaced by cheaper materials that can be mass-produced. Wooden boats have become either relics for display in museums, or toys for the ultra-rich. At the time of this writing, there are only three locations in the United States where those with the skills to restore and build wooden boats can find work: Maine, Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and the Northwest.

As someone who admires works made by hand, I began photographing the wooden boat builders of the Chesapeake Bay in the hopes of capturing some of that magic before it’s gone for good.

My project was shorter-lived than I’d hoped. Why? I ran out of builders to photograph.