About MCBM

The Maritime & Classic Boating Museum of Florida was incorporated in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995, moving to its home in 2003. Easily accessed by land or sea, via the south fork of the St. Lucie River, MCBM with its own marina, was located in a small cottage on Kanner Highway, along with a boat restoration facility. The museum’s valuable artifacts, spanning the twentieth century, were maintained in a secure off-site warehouse, with selected artifacts exhibited in two galleries in the cottage.

In November 2009, MCBM temporarily relocated to the Frances Langford Pavilion in the Indian Riverside Park in Jensen Beach, where its permanent Ralph Evinrude Exhibit is now housed. This interim relocation will be used during the construction period of the new MCBM facilities, also in Indian Riverside Park, located between the Leach Mansion and the U. S. Sailing Center. MCBM’s temporary home will provide enlarged facilities for exhibition galleries and other museum spaces which will permit an immediate expansion of programming for museum visitors.

The Maritime & Classic Boat Museum of Florida’s Board of Trustees is prepared for the museum’s bold, new growth. Three new buildings will be constructed to house MCBM’s collection, exhibition galleries, and educational programs. The primary museum building, situated on a bluff overlooking the Indian River, will house three exhibition pavilions, a research library, classrooms, an auditorium, a museum store, and a café. The second building will contain an antique boat building and restoration shop, exhibition space for finished boats, an antique engine repair shop, and a boat model building and conservation shop. The third building will house art studios and galleries for our maritime art program.

Endorsements
The Maritime & Classic Boat Museum enjoys the support of the Martin County School Board and Indian River State College through program development, and it is endorsed by the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, St. Lucie Power Squadron, and the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce.

 
Current programs include two small exhibition galleries in the cottage which contain artifacts that span the twentieth century and explore the history and use of boats: military, commercial, and recreational, as well as antique engines. MCBM offers docent tours daily, including Saturday and Sunday. The museum also has a small but content-rich library for researchers and the curious. Outreach programs include visits to classrooms and lectures at civic and community meetings and events and outreach exhibitions at secure satellite spaces.

MCBM’s most active program is the preservation and restoration of antique boats. The Museum has restored five excellent examples of 1930’s mahogany recreational boats and stores more than a dozen valuable antique boats to be restored.

MCBM maintains a large restoration facility and teaches visitors who have an interest. MCBM envisions the restoration program to expand to the point of becoming a service to the maritime museum field and to serve the educational needs of students interested in maritime fields of study.

MCBM currently serves residents of Martin County, particularly schoolchildren and retirees, as well as many visitors to the area, in the limited space available. School tours are limited to eight to ten schoolchildren at a visit because of the small scale of the galleries.

Growing numbers of visitors to the present location, expanded attendance at MCBM’s lectures and programs, and emerging collections, have strained the current facilities. MCBM has made enormous strides over the past twelve months in charting a course for the museum that leads to a new location with professional spaces for an expansive Maritime & Classic Boat Museum that will take its place as a significant cultural institution for the many current and potential audiences.

 
Yachting Exhibition Semi-Permanent Installation which includes Evinrude Gallery, Whiticar boats, tools, and artifacts, possibly a half boat for sport fishing exhibition.

Maritime History Exhibition Semi-Permanent Installation which includes a fabricated Sharpie (small schooner) and didactic materials and artifacts on life in the past four centuries with emphasis on the 1880’s to 1930’s.

Exhibition Series Changing exhibition gallery drawn from partnership/sister museum collections and private collections.

Maritime Art Gallery Changing exhibition gallery which showcases exceptional historical and contemporary maritime art from public and private collections.

Boat Model Gallery Changing exhibition gallery that focuses on international history of transportation and boats

Archive Gallery Showcase archival materials and photographs from our and other public and private collections.

Open Collections Storage Allow scholars and visitors to view restored antique and classic boats in storage.

Preservation and Storage Appropriate storage for care of collections: paper, art, photographs, boat models, tools, navigational tools, wooden, steel, aluminum, and fiberglass boats with rigging, etc.

Boat Building Area          Sail boat building from kits in partnership
                                              with the U. S. Sailing Center.
                                              Restoration of boats
                                              Restoration of antique engines
                                              Restoration of models

Library Books, archival materials like captain’s logs, letters, maps, etc. Rare books and materials limited access.

Education The education department’s goals are multi-level: to teach history, math, science, environmental conservation, boating safety, geography and navigation; to enhance formal schooling goals through reading, literacy, vocabulary, and other academic disciplines; with tours, classes, workshops, after-school programs, and school partnerships.

Classrooms          Summer Camp
                                 Seasonal Camps
                                 Classes and Workshops
                                  Lectures and Symposia

Auditorium Films: maritime adventures and documentaries, and partnership programs

Other Programs Rendezvous and other festival events; launches, boat model races, exhibition openings, and gallery walks; pavilion and sidewalk tours; binocular astronomy

 2009 Board of Trustees

Douglas Smith, Chairman
John Gear, Vice Chairman for Development
Richard Pontynen, Treasurer
Mary Lersch, Secretary
Eric Crawford, Past Chairman
Sherri Evinrude
Kevin Foley
Bill Lersch
Norman McCarvill
Randy Prange
Karl Sandstrom
Anne Schmidt
Blake Capps

Executive Director

Sheila Stewart-Leach