In the 1800s, the once-slow harvest of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay exploded. New technology like railroads and food preservation allowed oysters to reach new markets. To meet the growing national demand for this cold-weather fishery, larger vessels and more efficient harvesting tools were necessary.

Dredges were introduced from New England. The heavy iron frame had large teeth that raked through the oyster beds, harvesting many oysters in one pass. Chesapeake boat-builders created a new vessel powerful enough to pull the heavy dredges—an over-sized version of the log canoe. These bugeyes had a shallow draft and low profile to make pulling dredges onboard easy. Their wide decks accommodated large hauls of oysters.

Bugeyes were the preferred dredging vessel in the Chesapeake for 20 years at the end of the 1800s. However, as stands of the large timber needed to build these hulls began to shrink at the turn of the century, a less-expensive oystering vessel made of sawn lumber—the skipjack—replaced the bugeye.

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Edna E. Lockwood
Restoration
Bugeye Design
Skipjack Centerboard
Hooper Straight Light's Twin
For Whom the Bell Tolls
A Mighty Pull
Lost Overboard
Heard Through the Fog
Delaware

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