Sultana Craftsmen at work

    The building of the old schooner to a new updated Sultana requires many skills of old crafts that are needed to provide an authentic replica. These old crafts include rigging, wood carving, sail making, blacksmithing, carpentry, and many other specialties that must be resurrected by today's craftsmen and women in a labor intensive time consuming arena. Theirs is the untold story of dedication and love to accomplish the authentication of a vessel true to it's history.

Norris White and his wife live in Sellersville, Pa. He has a shop there and creates lovely wood objects out of a variety of woods. Here he is creating creating deadeyes, blocks and other rigging  items for the Sultana out of Osage wood.

Here Jim Knowles is creating the carved Eagles for the side of the captains quarters windows on each side of the Sultana. In addition he is doing the prow and other carvings throughout the ship.

Mark Roesner keeps alive the art of rigging, though today the hawsers are steel cables covered with cord and pitch to create authenticity while lowering the costs of maintenance of the Sultana. Here he splices the "ropes", then covers them with cord and seals them with pitch.

Jim Wagner parceling the cable shrouds with manila hemp then sealing it with pitch.

Kelly Smyth, blacksmith, forging iron bolts for the Sultana

Nat Wilson, sailmaker, in his loft in East Boothbay, Maine. His son Nick.

Nat Wilson in his loft in East Boothbay, Maine

Ballast brick from Williamsburg, Va.

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Last updated: December 03, 2004 .