1953 Shrewsbury Crabbing Skiff

This 18 ft Shrewsbury crabbing skiff was built by a Fair Haven, N.J. boat builder and waterman for his own use in catching Atlantic Blue Claw Crabs commercially to supplement his income.  Kristiansen, a builder of pound boats and other local working craft was familiar with the New Jersey boxed garboard and rolled garboard construction of lapstrake boats, and incorporated a rolled garboard keel into this crabbing skiff, making it a completely unique example of a boat.

     Kristiansen kept the boat until 1991, at which time he donated it to the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pa. 

    In 1994 the museum corresponded with Maynard Bray about the boat’s suitability for a dedicated article in Woodenboat Magazine.

    In December, 2022 the crabbing skiff was deaccessioned from the museum along with a dozen or so other regional boats and sold at public auction.  At that time, I purchased the crabbing skiff along with two other historic New Jersey small craft.

    In a state of significant disrepair, the crabbing skiff has just undergone a sympathetic restoration, with a concerted effort to maintain every bit of original fabric as possible as well as maintaining the real look and feel of a midcentury working craft that is a tool of the trade for a local waterman.

Work required included:

• Replacing top 1 ¼″ of the shear strake
• New inwales and outwales
• Rebuild frame heads
• New breasthook and quarter knees
• new stern post
• New transom
• Scarf in new plank butts and replace butt blocks