the seaport boat shop
The Seaport Boat Shop
Welcome to the Seaport Boat Shop at the Independence Seaport Museum! Located just inside the main entrance, nowhere else in Philadelphia can visitors witness maritime trades and crafts that have withstood the test of time.
What is The Seaport Boat Shop?
The Seaport Boat Shop is dedicated to the skills and traditions of wooden boat building and sailing in the Delaware Valley and New Jersey. Open to the public, visitors can interact with staff and volunteers as they work on various projects.
Not only is it a place for visitors to watch the skilled boatbuilders in action, but it also serves as an education center. Our staff leads programs for high school students and adults alike, all to encourage the exploration of this maritime tradition and to build their future.
What Happens in The Seaport Boat Shop?
The Seaport Boat Shop builds and restores privately owned vessels as well as maintains the museum’s own boat collection (some of which are on display in the building and in the boat basin where Paddle Penn’s Landing operates), plus has conducted restoration work on Olympia with the skylights on the quarterdeck, as some of their most recent work. The staff and volunteers are also active in our local community, collaborating on many projects with local partners.
Visit the Boat shop
The boat shop has daily visitation hours, so make sure to stop by and see what the crew is working on the next time you come to the museum.
*Please note that access is included with any general admission package and is free for ISM members.
visit the seaport museum
Immerse yourself in award-winning exhibitions and climb aboard the Olympia, a nineteenth-century cruiser, and the Becuna, a World War II-era submarine.
