After consulting with officials, event partners, and other interested parties, organizers determined that there was too much uncertainty regarding whether or not we would be able to accommodate mass gatherings this spring. Therefore, the 2021 Annual Wooden Boat Show has been canceled.

Staff and volunteers will instead focus our energies on planning for the 2022 show and look forward to welcoming everyone then.

Whether you’re a boating enthusiast or prefer to keep your feet on dry land, the Annual Wooden Boat Show has activities for all ages. This free event, held each year on the first Saturday in May, celebrates the art of North Carolina traditional wooden boatbuilding and the sport of boat racing. Dozens of handcrafted wooden boats will be on display, along with nautical demonstrations, and activities for children.

The annual Wooden Boat Show has received top honors from the Southeast Tourism Society as a “Top 20 Event for the Southeast” four consecutive years.

Throughout the show, please feel free to tag your photos with #BeaufortBoatShow.

Join us in 2022 for the Annual Wooden Boat Show

Schedule Of Events

The Annual Wooden Boat Show’s schedule of events will be packed full of exciting things to do. Set sail in a traditional wooden boat, or practice your boating skills in the Virtual Trainer. Don’t forget to stop by our vendors and, of course, visit all of our wooden boat exhibits. Wooden boat owners come from all over to be a part of the Beaufort Wooden Boat Show!

Beaufort National BoatBuilding Challenge

If you think traditional boat building has its challenges, you don’t have to look any further than the Annual Beaufort National BoatBuilding Challenge. It’s an afternoon of fun and competition as the event showcases the art, skill and speed of traditional boat builders.

Beaufort Cardboard Boatbuilding Challenge

Cardboard and duct tape, that’s it. Three hours later a cardboard boat that will go into Taylor’s Creek for a rowing race. Some make it, others will wish they had used more duct tape!!

The History of the Annual Wooden Boat Show

It was 1975 and Mr. Charles R. McNeill and friend Michael Alford were conversing about their love for traditional wooden boats when they decided to hold an event for the community that would inspire others to foster similar feelings about something handcrafted, something worthwhile, something beautiful: wooden boats.

Register Your Boat

Registration will open in February for the 46th Annual Wooden Boat Show, the longest ongoing wooden boat show in the Southeast.