The Skipjack type of boat evolved from traditional, generally flat-bottomed bay crabbing skiffs, enlarged and given a V-shaped hull. Meeting the need for an easily and inexpensively-constructed vessel, they often were built by house carpenters or by the watermen themselves. In 1985, a large number of the remaining skipjacks were documented by the Maryland Historic Trust and the Maryland Historical Society and submitted for recognition in a thematic National Register nomination. Seven of the skipjacks recognized through this process presently dock at Wenona, Chance, Janes Island and Deal Island in Somerset County where they continue to be used for harvesting oysters.

Text is from: Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Plan, The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Committee, Inc., February 2, 1994