Ship Model, Ketch
Ship Model, Ketch
- Description
- In 17th-century New England, the ketch (or “catch”) was a small, two-masted craft with a square stern. Ketches had small crews of around four men, and they are believed to have had fore-and-aft rigs, rather than square sails, for ease and simplicity of handling. They were used mainly for local coastal trade and for fishing on the shallow sand banks off the New England coast.
- In the early 18th century, this boat type disappeared from contemporary records and descriptions. It was replaced by the “scooner” or schooner, a similar boat type with a fore-and-aft rig that was easy and economical to sail. In fact, some scholars think that only the name changed, and that the two boat types were almost identical in rig and construction.
- Object Name
- ketch
- ketch, rigged model
- Other Terms
- ketch; Maritime
- Date made
- 1978
- original ship built
- ca 1600
- maker
- Hoff, Jr., William Bruce
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- metals (overall material)
- textile (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 21 1/2 in x 19 in x 8 1/2 in; 54.61 cm x 48.26 cm x 21.59 cm
- ID Number
- TR.336377
- accession number
- 1978.0351
- catalog number
- 336377
- subject
- Fishing
- Colonization and Settlement
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Maritime
- Food
- Work
- Transportation
- Exhibition
- On the Water
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.