Press Release: "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Features Museum Boats

Youth Instructor and Boatwright Wayne Ford (left) and Wooden Boat School volunteer Ben Geskie (right) illustrate how the boat looks with people in it for the production crew. Photo courtesy Hudson River Maritime Museum.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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KINGSTON, NY – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

If you thought you saw a familiar image on Amazon Prime recently, you weren’t alone. Rowboats built at Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Boat Building Challenge were featured in Season 3, Episode 8 of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” available now on Amazon Prime.

Last summer, the museum was approached by film producers working in the area looking for boats to use in filming. The museum had several small rowboats – called Carolina bateaus – left over from that spring’s National Boatbuilding Challenge, generously donated by the challenge participants. 
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John Phelan, Hudson River Maritime Museum's Boat School Coordinator and Dockmaster said, “The producers liked the boat and the deal was done. They needed the boats in only a few days. So Wayne Ford went to work with the help of several great volunteers. We cleaned up the boats, faired some rough edges and installed a bow seat. In just one day the boats were ready to go.”

Screenshot from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" featuring the rowboat from the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Screenshot from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" featuring the rowboat from the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

The museum was informed of the appearance of the boats in the show by Tom Russell and Rob Dwelley, both organizers of National Boatbuilding Challenges across the country. Russell and Dwelley recognized the distinctive lines of the Carolina bateau – the only design used in the National Boatbuilding Challenge competition – and called the museum immediately.

“We are so pleased we were able to accommodate the production’s needs and look forward to potential collaborations with other films in the future,” said Lisa Cline, Executive Director of the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Another museum boat may be featured in an upcoming Netflix film. Stay tuned for more news when the film is released.

Those who are able to donate, we encourage you to visit www.hrmm.org/covid19. Thank you for your support. We won’t get through this without you.

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​For interviews or additional information, please contact Executive Director Lisa Cline at lcline@hrmm.org or 845-338-0071 ext. 20. 

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)3 organization established in 1979 to collect, preserve, research, exhibit, and interpret a collection of historical artifacts related to the maritime heritage of the Hudson River and its tributaries. This is the only museum in New York State exclusively dedicated to this mission.