Throughout the 19th and 20th century Long Island has been the home of many boat builders, ranging from traditional boat builders such as Gil Smith of Patchogue, who constructed garveys and skiffs for local baymen, to the Scopinich & Maresca boat yards that outfitted coast guard vessels and commercial fishing boats. Numerous industries supported this […]
John Remsen is a traditional boat builder from Freeport, NY. He is featured in the Freeport Waters exhibit in Freeport.
Listen to Al Grover of Freeport describe his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1985 aboard his verity skiff.
Charlie Balsamo of South Bay Boat Repair in Patchogue is a master wooden boat builder and restorer. Born in Gibraltar, he came to Long Island in the 1950s where he has worked continuously. Charlie has worked on large scale wooden vessels including ferries, yachts, launches and other commercial boats. He also restores historic wooden boats, […]
The Weeks Boatyard is located in Patchogue, Long Island. It is one of the oldest surviving boatyards, run by Kevin Weeks. They specialize in building and restoring wooden boats, along with fiberglass boats. The yard has a well preserved collection of historic structures dating to the 19th century and early 20th century. The Weeks boatyard […]
Fred Scopinich comes from a long line of boat builders. In the early 1900s they built traditional fishing boats for Freeport residents. During the 1920s they built vessels for both rum runners and law enforcement. Like other builders during the two world wars they built military craft for the navy and other defense agencies. After […]
Boatyards There have been many boatyards throughout the estuary that provided commercial fishermen with draggers or trawlers, garveys, skiffs, dories, and other watercraft used in both the bay and the ocean. In addition there have been boatyards, mostly in the 20th century, who specialize in recreational boats ranging from luxurious yachts to simple skiffs able […]