Objectives

One objective of the Erie Canal Boat Project is collaborating with the community to teach and preserve traditional boatbuilding skills. Another goal is to inspire awareness and conversations about how the Erie Canal has affected people and places in New York State and across the country. Drawing inspiration from the boat’s name, the Seneca Chief, the Buffalo Maritime Center aims to provide a more comprehensive history of the Erie Canal, encompassing its cultural, environmental, and economic impacts. This project is a step toward broadening the narrative of the Erie Canal and fostering connections within the community.

For more information about the Haudenosaunee and the Erie Canal, please visit our exhibit on our Museum & Exhibits page.

Building the Boat

This project was one of the largest community boatbuilding endeavors in the world and one of the few being constructed on public display. From the beginning, the public was encouraged to become part of the project by volunteering to help build and act as public greeters. Many students and partner organizations had the opportunity to work on the boat and contribute to this enormous community build. Over 200 volunteers were actively engaged in the project, and with only two professional shipwrights leading the build, it was a true volunteer-driven effort.

Building the Seneca Chief allowed us to practice, teach, and preserve traditional boatbuilding skills. The boat’s keel, frames, and other structural timbers were made of white oak. The keelson was a single 60-foot-long piece of reclaimed Douglas Fir. This rare timber, generously donated by Higgins Erectors & Haulers, was previously used in the early 1900s as a gin pole crane.

The planking consisted of two layers of 1-inch-thick cypress with a waterproof dynel cloth set in epoxy between the layers. The outer layer of planking was caulked with cotton in the traditional manner. This combination of modern and traditional planking methods was designed to help the boat stay watertight even if it spent winters out of the water.

All of the bolts used in the backbone structure were forged in the BMC’s own machine shop by a crew of volunteers. This crew also produced several specialized tools and hardware needed to build the boat.

The cabin’s interior was outfitted with cabinet-grade hardwood and finished in a style consistent with the 1820s, measures 73 feet long, and weighs 40 tons.

This community boatbuilding project was made possible by the generous support of the David & Joan Rogers Family Foundation, NYS Canal Corp., Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.