 The American generals leading their shipbuilding effort encountered a variety of challenges . Shipwright was not a common occupation in the relative wilderness of upstate New York , and the Continental Navy had to pay extremely high wages to lure skilled craftsmen away from the coast . The carpenters hired to build boats on Lake Champlain were the best @-@ paid employees of the navy , excepting only the Navy 's Commodore , Esek Hopkins . By the end of July there were more than 200 shipwrights at Skenesborough . In addition to skilled help , materials and supplies specific to maritime use needed to be brought to Skenesborough , where the ships were constructed , or Fort Ticonderoga , where they were fitted out for use . 
