Dugout Canoes are the oldest type of boat constructed in the Carolinas as they were constructed by the various Native American tribes that lived in the region (Alford 2004:29). As the name implies these vessels were constructed by digging out/hollowing out a log and using that as a boat.
One early explorer to the region described the process of Native Americans constructing dugout canoes:
“The manner of making their boats in Virginia is very wonderful. For whereas they want instruments of iron, or other like unto ours, yet they know how to make them as handsomely, to sail with where they list in their rivers, and to fish with all, as ours. First they choose some long, and thick tree, according to the bigness of the boat which they would frame, and make a fire on the ground about the root therof(sp), kindling the same by little, and little with dry moss of trees, and chips of wood that the flame should not mount up so high, and burn too much of the length of the tree. When it is almost burnt through, and ready to fall they make a new fire, which they suffer to burn until the tree falls of its own accord. Then burning off the top, and boughs of the tree in such wise that the body of the same may retain his just length, they raise it upon poles laid over cross wise upon forked posts, at such a reasonable height as they may handsomely work upon it. Then take they off the bark with certain shells: they reserve the innermost part of the length, for the nethermost part of the boat. On the other side they make a fire according to the length of the body of the tree, saving at both the ends. That which they think is sufficiently burned they quench and scrape away with shells, and making a new fire they burn it again, and so they continue sometimes burning and sometimes scraping, until the boat have sufficient bottoms” (Harriot 1590:XII).
By Caleb O’Brien