Many small boats were built at Jamestown. They were built by English
shipwrights and carpenters, who came from a long line of efficient
craftsmen. These small vessels afforded the principal means of
transportation through the uncharted wilderness tidewaters of Virginia.
They were used for fishing, trade, and discovery. A few small
handwrought iron tools used by Jamestown boatbuilders have been
excavated on the historic island.