National Maritime Museum Cornwall

Your voyage of discovery begins in the Boat Hall, where you can orientate yourself in the building, admiring the hanging flotilla of small boats on display over your head.

Flying across the top of the Boat Hall is our flotilla of small boats from The National Small Boat collection. Preserving a collection of international importance, including craft used for survival, work, competition, leisure, pleasure, exploration and war… from the Inuit kayak, a deadly hunter’s tool of skin and driftwood with an unbroken pedigree stretching back 10,000 years to the Mirror dinghy, as much a part of the ’60s social revolution as the Mini car. The museum doesn’t just tell the story of inanimate objects – it relates the tales of the lives and the times of those who made and used them.