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Patuxent Small Craft Center
Located next to the Small Craft Building and adjacent to the boat basin, the Patuxent Small Craft Center serves as the headquarters for the small craft program. Here, volunteers of the Patuxent Small Craft Guild under the direction of the museum's boatwright, Mark Wilkins, maintain the museum's fleet of historic boats and preserve the art and skills of wooden boat building. Boat building classes are held year-round for those interested in building a traditional wooden boat, or we can build one for you. Contact CMM Boatwright and Curator of Maritime History for details.
Join the Patuxent Small Craft Guild
Click here to view the Patuxent Small Craft Guild Facebook Page.
Row and Pedal Boats
Row and pedal boats will be available for visitors use in the basin on Saturdays and Sundays, noon until 4 p.m., June through August. Check in with the attendant at the floating dock. This activity is free with museum admission.
Patuxent Small Craft Center Toy Boatbuilding
Build a toy boat on the fourth Saturday of each month (with the exception of May, October, and December) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sessions start on the half hour; $5 donation per boat requested. Please contact Ed Gies to make an appointment.
Solomons Island Model Boat Club
The Patuxent Small Craft Center is also the home for members of the Solomons Island Model Boat Club (SIMBC), one of the most active clubs at the museum. A fleet of 48" radio-controlled skipjacks built by club members races on summer weekends at the museum waterfront. They also hold regattas, inviting enthusiasts from up and down the east coast to demonstrate their skill. The SIMBC also demonstrates its fleet of radio controlled "Victoria" sailboats and other model craft.