Florida's maritime heritage preserved by volunteer boat builders

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. (FOX 13) - Founded in 2009, Crystal River Boat Builders, a chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association gather regularly, working to preserve and recreate Florida's maritime heritage.

Volunteers mostly work with hand tools and their craft often mimics the work of mariners of earlier days.

"Really who we are is a group of guys who love boats, we love building and we love telling stories," explained Joel Abramowitz. 

The volunteers are currently working on a replica of a boat that was used one hundred years ago for fishing.

"By building these artifacts that are really going to do what they once did we preserve a little part of how people lived," Abramowitz said.

For more information about Crystal River Boat Builders, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/crbbs/.