Top 10 Nautical Gifts For All Occasions 2017

One question that we are frequently asked here at Skipjack is...I'm shopping for a gift... something for an upcoming birthday, Mother's or Father's Day, maybe a house warming gift, military retirement, and a special Christmas gift for the nautical enthusiast. And of course when they're visiting our gallery we know that they're searching for something nautical. So here's our "customer's choice" top ten favorite nautical gifts for all occasions.

Our engravable crystal magnifier with compass coordinates
is a nautical gift for all occasions.

Number One-  Our crystal compass coordinate magnifier (pictured above) is a nautical gift for all occasions. This handsome optical-grade crystal glass magnifier features marked compass coordinates with "N" for north making it perfect for use with nautical charts. With crystal clarity and magnification of 4x, this magnifier enlarges small print on any task and is a welcome addition to desks or chart tables. The scratch resistant Crystal Magnifier is more durable than acrylic models and is packaged in an attractive felt-lined gift box, suitable for ceremonial occasions and as a gift for retirement. 

Engraving is available. Please allow an extra 2 weeks for engraving. Engraved items are not returnable or refundable.  Here's a link: Crystal magnifier with compass coordinates

Scrimshawed bone handled knives by Tony Perry make the perfect
gift for any nautical enthusiast!

Number two- Scrimshawed pocket knives by Tony Perry. Available in different style pocket knives, these bone-handled knives are expertly scrimshawed artwork are available in a variety of nautical designs. From breaching whales to racing schooners, there's plenty to pick from.
For a current selection of scrimshawed knives by Tony Perry, here's the link to Skipjack's sailors tools: Scrimshawed knives by Tony Perry.

Nautical table lamps is a good choice for a home warming gift and is also a
good choice for birthdays and Christmas gift giving.

Number three- Nautical table lamps is a good choice for a home warming gift and is also a good choice for birthdays and Christmas gift giving. Skipjack's lamp & Lighting workshop produces unique, one of a kind quality nautical table lamps created from antique and vintage retired seafaring ships lights and lanterns. We also produce marine inspired table lamps converted from other authentic maritime items such as wood blocks and other shipboard items. Our collection also includes handcrafted driftwood sculpture and fancy knotwork lamps and as well as colorful coastal creations including painted vintage lobster buoys and hand-blown glass jugs with netting and other beach home favorites. Skipjack also offers a wide selection of lampshades and lamp finials too! Here's the link to our current selection of nautical table lamps

Compass rose bar glasses will enhance for any nautical home or office.

Number four- Nautical themed wine, beer and cocktail glasses is, well, for everyone! Choose from stemmed wine glass, beer glasses and old fashion bar glasses and bar accessories. Available in nautical compass rose and fouled anchor designs. Here's the link to Skipjack's Tabletop, Bar & Entertaining
wine,

Leather and ribbon belts for men and women in nautical

and coastal designs. A perfect gift for everyone.

Number five- Nautical leather and ribbon belts for men and women is a gift that everyone loves. Choose between a variety of great nautical and coastal designs to choose from for everyday wear. In stock from sizes 32 to 48 in even sizes. Other sizes can be ordered. Expect up to two weeks for special orders. Here's the link to our selection of nautical belts for men and women (boys and girls too) in Skipjack's belts and caps.

Dress up his nautical image with silk neckties, bow ties
and cuff links from Skipjack.

Number six- While your at it, consider dressing up his nautical image with silk neckties, bow ties and cuff links from Skipjack! Another great gift idea for the nautical enthusiast. Here's the link to our selection of Skipjack's nautical silk neckties, bow ties and cufflinks.

Sterling silver sailboat necklaces and earrings from the
Barbara Vincent collection. A great gift for the sailor in your life. 

Number seven- Sterling silver sailboat jewelry from the Barbara Vincent collection. Choose from Barbara's original necklace and earring designs created for the people in your life that love to sail! Here's the link to the collection of sterling silver jewelry from Barbara Vincent.

Fine nautical designed door knockers makes a fine
house warming gift and one for yourself too!

Number eight- Door knockers have been a favorite as a home warming gift. We also think it makes a great gift to yourself! Skipjack offers a great selection of nautical (and military) designed door knockers to choose from. All are available in brass and a few nickel-plated. The one pictured above was created from an authentic 19th century rope sea chest becket (handle). Here's the link to Skipjack's collection of nautical door knockers.

Brass porthole clock or barometer is a favored retirement gift!

Number nine- Brass porthole clock and barometer is a favorite for many. Choose from this classic nautical designed clock with quartz movement or barometer housed in brass portholes or mount them as a matching pair! Great retirement gift! Here's the link to our brass porthole quartz porthole clock and barometer

Brass yacht bells make perfect gifts for military retirement,
house warming and for your coastal home.

Number ten- Our best selling gift for military retirement, house warming and for yacht owners is our high quality Italian made brass yacht bells. We also offer a wide variety of vintage and antique ships bells, bell accessories and hand-tied bell ringers, so here's the link to Skipjack's ship's bells and accessories.

Shopping at Skipjack is an easy way to find the perfect nautical gift for all occasions. Visit us online at Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Art Gallery or in person at our downtown location at 620 High Street in historic Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia.

Skipjack Nautical Wares 

& Marine Art Gallery

620 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704

www.skipjacknauticalwares.com

757-399-5012
Visit our website for current gallery showroom hours.
Shop our web gallery 24/7!

Steampunk Nautical

A customer recently visited our gallery searching for items to use in a house that he was in the process of remodeling. The theme of the interior he said was "steampunk" and he was searching for items that related to the Victorian era, the days of steam power and industrial technology.

Authentic 19th century  ship's binnacle in steampunk interior.

"You're in the right place, I said. That would certainly include the age of steam powered ships and that is the type of items that we carry." It didn't take long for him to grasp what I was talking about. 

I left him to browse around and I could tell that he was quite excited about his discovery and started taking pictures of items of interest. He left an hour later with numerous ideas and images of items well suited for his new interior. 

Not knowing much about the design concept steampunk, I decided to do a little research to become familiar with what it is. I looked up the word on Wikipedia and the short definition is: "Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery." The longer version stated "Although its literary origins are sometimes associated with the cyberpunk genre, steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has maintained mainstream usage, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk may, therefore, be described as neo-Victorian. Steampunk ... is rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne."

Steampunk interior using a porthole and door wheel
creating an old steamship feel to the space.

Movies such as Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law and the Wild Wild West with Will Smith and Kevin Kline demonstrate steampunk design and technology in that fantastic world as described above. I researched further and Googled steampunk interiors that led to completed steampunk designed rooms using all types of gears, tubes, and gizmos of various types, all from old steam engines and salvaged from closed factories. Then I found photos of maritime ship parts and instruments salvaged from ships of the past. Perfect! Now I know why our customer left our showroom with such excitement. He had discovered a gold mine of nautical steampunk!

Nautical brass porthole re-purposed
into an end table.

There are numerous nautical items that can be incorporated into a steampunk room. Ship's binnacles and telegraphs, early ship's lamps and lighting, compasses, portholes and windows made of brass, old brass steam whistles, brass or bronze steering stations, old blocks and bells, steam gauges, sextants and octants, marine clocks and barometers are all good choices to use in the steampunk environment. Furniture can be produced using old hatch covers with metal banded ends, teak grates, portholes and windows re-purposed into coffee and end tables. Spot lights, cage lights, passageway lights and fox lights suspended on metal poles or chains for overhead lighting. These are all perfect items for creating a beautiful steampunk nautical interior! 

Images below are just a few of the many authentic old maritime items that would be great choices for creating a magnificent steampunk interior. You may want to bookmark the NEW! Just In! section of our web store to be the first to see our latest arrivals as they come available. Cheers!

Copper and brass ship's spotlight.

Brass ship's porthole with battle cover would be a super item for a steampunk room.

Old ships steering station with brass wheel

Late 19th century ships binnacle.

Hatch cover coffee table with metal banded ends.

90 degree nautical passageway or engine room light.

Ships window re-purposed in to a mirror.

Teak ships grate table.

Skipjack Nautical Wares 

& Marine Art Gallery

620 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704

www.skipjacknauticalwares.com

757-399-5012
Visit our website for current gallery showroom hours.
Shop our web gallery 24/7!

Nautical Themed Bathroom Designed Like the Finely Fitted Yacht

A copper  tub with nickel-plated liner sits in an alcove with ship's brass portholes and windows above and behind.

Every once in a while we have the opportunity to supply great nautical furnishings to a residential project that is beyond comparison. This private residence in the Florida Keys is one of them.  The owners have created the ultimate nautical themed home that rivals most finely fitted yachts.  So we were compelled to share a few pictures with you from the master bathroom and dressing room suite.

The picture above shows a nickel-lined copper bathtub in the center of an alcove with three antique brass port windows mounted onto a teak frieze above and a large brass ship's window behind fronted with teak vertical slat blinds. Notice the large antique brass onion globe ship's lantern that now hangs as a bathroom light fixture.

Antique teak binnacle pedestal now adorns a giant clam shell style sink.

The master bathroom sink was custom designed and created from the teak pedestal of an antique ship's binnacle stripped of its hardware and now fitted with a fiberglass giant clam shell  sink. The interior of the binnacle pedestal contains the plumbing and a single hinged door opens for storage.

An antique brass ship's porthole converted into the bathroom medicine cabinet.

The owners have used authentic shipboard items completely throughout the house. Here they have taken a WWII era brass ship's porthole and turned it into a built-in medicine cabinet. The porthole glass is lined with a frosted glass window film to semi-opaque the view. For authentic portholes and ship's windows of varying sizes click here.

Antique brass 90 degree lights with ribbed glass covers.

The sink area is lighted by a pair of antique brass 90 degree lights that retain their original ribbed explosion-proof glass covers and brass wire cages.  For 90 degree lights, click here

Teak ship's skylight lights the room.

A skylight similar to those that adorn vintage yachts has been custom built using teak and frosted glass to allow plenty of natural lighting into the main bathroom area and also privacy from above.

Laminated sailboat tillers were used as closet pole braces.

The walk-in closet adjacent to the bathroom was designed like a finely adorned yacht. Here they have used laminated wood tillers to brace the brass clothes pole.  The ceiling above is paneled and fitted with inset lights.

A teak ladder is the perfect way to reach a series of fitted cabinets.

The dressing room was designed with a rolling teak ladder that is affixed to a brass rod to circumnavigate the room making the upper cabinets accessible. Notice the white painted wood paneled ceiling. Live the Life you Love, Love the Life you Live. For more interesting insights to nautical design, go to Skipjack's Nautical Living home page.

Using Authentic Ship Parts in a Nautical Bathroom

At Skipjack, we  like to demonstrate to our customers how to transform and successfuly use authentic ship salvage elements in their nautical/coastal home. As shown in this corner view of  a Florida bathroom, they've incorporated into the design authentic high quality naval brass ship salvage elements instead of the usual decorator furnishings. A vintage 90 degree passageway light illuminates a ship porthole converted into a cabinet and fitted into a wall above a teak wainscoting. The thick frosted glass softens the look and create a semi-opaque view of the cabinet interior.  You can reproduce the look  by covering a standard porthole using a frost window tinting film in a translucent color. The hinged bolts with dog ears locks down the porthole door making it a  perfect choice for use in the finely fitted yacht.

*Naval brass, alpha-beta brass is also referred to as Admiralty brass, contains tin (not exceeding 2%) and  is less liable to corrosion in seawater and is used in naval construction. For this reason, naval brass is a preferred product to use, both in the interior and especially around the exterior of any coastal home. Admiralty metal is a trademark.

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Click here to go to Skipjack's Nautical Living home page.