The Carolina Maritime Model Society exists to promote the production of high quality ship models and encourage members and the public to participate in this craft that is as old as shipbuilding itself.

The society is the only such organization in the entire state and has become a major vehicle for widening public interest in North Carolina’s maritime history and culture.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum and the Museum’s support group, the Friends of the Museum, formed the Carolina Maritime Model Society in 1995.

The society exists to encourage interest and active participation in the hobby, to improve the standards of members’ models through the free exchange of ideas, techniques and information, and to emphasize to both members and the public at large that research is the foundation for the production of high-quality ship models.

A newsletter is sent out to members and interested parties eight times a year. Over the years the Carolina Maritime Model Society has used surveys to create a database of members’ interests and skills. The members of the society mount a substantial, one-day exhibition in conjunction with the Museum’s Annual Traditional Wooden Boat Show each May which includes a pond for radio controlled models.

Members also showcase their talents through a rotating exhibit entitled “Model of the Month.” The Carolina Maritime Model Society’s activities since 1995, combined with expanding educational programs offered through the Watercraft Center, have drawn enthusiasts into ship modeling.

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