Little is known for sure about the Beaver, other than that she was built on the North River in Pembroke, MA or Bathurst, ME in the early 1770's, and that she was a two-masted brig, probably between 65 and 100 feet in length with a hauling capacity of something around 200 tons. No plans survive from her construction. Cargo ships of that day were built for capacity, not speed, and their bluff bows shouldered their way through Atlantic seas with little grace. She would have had a large, rectangular amidships hold for cargo and few amenities for her crew.

The plans selected for the replica are those of another ship of the era named for a similar rodent, the Badger, captured by the British during the War for Independence, whose lines were taken off by the Admiralty at Deptford, England, as was their custom for all ships entered into Royal service, and preserved.

The model will be built entirely from scratch, and visitors to the Heritage Center will be able to follow the progress of the construction as the model takes shape on the fourth (4th) Saturday of each month throughout the season.