Through an analysis of old boats and craft reconstructions, this thesis explores historical boatbuilding traditions in the Stockholm archipelago and how craftsmanship skills were shaped and transmitted in the past. The thesis investigates how these and other craft traditions can be understood and reconstructed when no living tradition remains. The focus of the thesis is on the practical reconstruction process, where the interaction between boatbuilders, materials and functions in local waters is central, and on the historical context, where archival material provides insight into the lives of 19th-century boatbuilders.