Last week Portsmouth Herald reporter Elizabeth Dinan filed an interesting story about a wooden boat being sold online at auctions on eBay and craigslist. The 14-foot skiff, built decades ago at Strawbery Banke Museum, somehow made its way to Ohio. (Continued below with bonus photos)

Mistakenly advertised as built in 1959, the Portsmouth-made dory was likely created in the 1970s. After years of use it was left outdoors, filled with water, and heavily weathered, but still sturdy. The boat was initially offered at $499 and jumped to $1,001 as the Internet auction clock ticked down. Then a final bidder offered $1,011 with five seconds to spare. Above is a photo of what may be the same boat being built in the boatshop at Strawbery Banke. On the left is master builder Aubrey Marshall and Ralph Lowell is on the right. That tradition continues today at Lowell’s Boat Shop in Amesbury, MA, established in 1793. A hand-crafted 14-foot sailing skiff built today, according to Dinan’s research, could sell for up to $15,000. Photo by Doug Armsden from the book Strawbery Banke: A Seaport Museum 400 Years in the Making by J. Dennis Robinson. (Courtesy Strawbery Banke Museum).

Strawbery Banke dory in OHIO for sale on eBay

Bonus Closeups of Aubrey Marshall and Ralph Lowell

Copyright (c) Strawbery Banke Museum Collection