building a sharpie sailboat

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From the Yachting Archives: How to Build a Sharpie Sailboat

• By Edwin S. Parker
• Updated: July 21, 2014

Editor’s note: The plans for a sharpie sailboat, as outlined in the December 1930 and January 1931 issues of Yachting, look to us like a great project to teach the grandkids about boatbuilding! Some materials, costs, and methods have progressed since the time of writing, so instead of asking your plumber to cut pipe to just the right length and thread it, you may now be able to go down to Home Depot to find the bolt in question. Marine plywood may also be a good alternative to the wood listed.

Unfortunately, we are not all rich, and we can’t all build Cup defenders. But that is no reason for building a tub or staying ashore. There is always a way to beat the game, and the way to heath the boat game is to build a sharpie. You can do it for under forty dollars.

A sharpie represents the most boat for the money. It is graceful, fast, and a joy to sail. It is also eminently seaworthy and stiff. Minnow , fifteen feet over all, makes just over five knots under one reef and a strong wind. I have driven her with all sail in the same wind but I was too busy to do any timing – a considerably larger boat could not catch us.

A sharpie is easy to build. In general, the process is to bend two side boards around moulds, fasten them to stem and stern, screw in a chine batten, plank her crosswise, saw out the centerboard slot, and proceed with the finish (Detail J). If the pieces are carefully made, the process is really very simple. There is nothing that involves experience in boat building or special skill with tools. There are no pieces that go into place with difficulty or won’t stay put. I have built two of them single-handed with success.

Many times I have sailed among the big ships laid up in Oakland Estuary in my 18-footer, lying along the deck with one bare toe hooked carelessly over the tiller. With a gale it required at least two fingers – never more. She would come about like a top anywhere, any time. And one day we worked her up the Alameda Canal against a tide and sailed in San Leandro Bay when it blew in windows in “Frisco.” Add to this regular trips on Frisco Bay (it fairly blows your hair off there in summer) and a season on Monterey Bay, off Santa Cruz, and you have a fair idea of what an 18-footer will do.

I have built three sharpies, besides five smaller craft for fishing or hunting. At the age of nineteen I built the first one along the lines of a sketch my father had of a New Haven sharpie, eighteen feet long, dating from about 1880. The type was taken to the Carolinas from Connecticut by Mr. George C. Ives, and his son, Mr. John B. Ives, of Statesville, N.C., writes the following:

“Father had his sharpie built in 1875 at Fair Haven, Conn., by a famous builder. She was 36 feet long, having a fore and aft mutton leg sail with boom six to eight feet on the mast from the foot of the sail. This made the sail set like a board. This boat was tried out with the fastest boat then in the fleet and beat her. A club of gentlemen wanted to keep her at home and offered a bonus over cost, which father declined as he wanted the boat to pit against what North Carolina boatmen claimed for their clinker built boats which they considered superior.

“He brought two sharpies to North Carolina, and it was not many years till there was a big fleet of them in our waters. They built to 50 and 60 feet, the larger ones schooner rigged and decked, and this style is largely used now in the oyster dredging industry. The fishermen modified the style into deadrise skiffs, gaff sail and jib, and they carried sail like the wind and would almost go into the eye of it. The larger boats superseded the round bottom schooners in some industries, and would beat them in all weather at sea, but motor craft finally took their place.”

The design of a sharpie is a very particular affair. One was published around 1910 which brought down the scorn of my father. “Pumpkin seed,” he called it, for it was fat and flat, an it had a skeg, which would kill any real sharpie. In my first boat the side boards were sawed curved, starting from the bow. She rocked fore and aft too much and pounded in a chop. In the second one I started the curve farther aft, and it worked better, but they both dragged waves behind when going fast. When it came to Minnow I analyzed the design carefully, and I found that the best displacement curve came when the side boards were perfectly straight on both bottom and top, tapering, of course, from bow to stern. So I built her that way. She does not pound, drives to windward regardless of waves, and leaves the water nearly flat. Besides this, it makes building much simpler. So don’t let any wise friend persuade you to cut a curve on the bottom edge – you will get a perfect curve from the bending on the sides on the flare.

It is the experience of the author that textbooks tell you everything but how to get the monkey out of the box. It is the intent of this article to be brief, but comprehensive, covering all small points, even to nail sizes.

All the following directions are important. If you follow each step in its proper order, you will be surprised how quickly the boat will go together. But do not omit any steps or take any short cuts. Remember, a boat has a habit of leaking, even under the best of circumstances.

• cross-cut, rip, keyhole and hack saws
• spoke shave
• light plane
• brace and bits 1/4″ to 3/4″
• screw driver bit and countersink
• twist drills 1/8″, 5/32″, 3/16″
• plain screw driver
• square, metal shears
• three clamps with 2″ openings

LUMBER No list of pieces is given because one usually gets what is available. A few pieces are called for on the details, and if you don’t get enough lumber the first time, order again. Avoid spruce because it rots, and use regular 7/8″ boards, not thinner, to finish 13/16″. Never use tongue and groove boards below the water line. Planking should be 6″ wide.

HARDWARE Hardware should be galvanized. Use 6 penny or 7 penny nails generally, wire rather than cut, with a few 8 penny. Two gross screws 1.5″ No. 10. Get some scraps of heavy galvanized sheet iron from your plumber.

CAULKING Use regular stranded cotton caulking, or get balls of candle wicking from a hardware store. Cotton batting torn into strips will do in a pinch.

SIZE OF BOAT A 15-foot boat will hold two men and a boy. It sails best with three boys or two men. An 18-foot boat holds four men but sails best with three.

COSTS The materials for Minnow cost $45, with no attempt at economy, in 1929. A deck might add five dollars more. The 14-footer cost $20, in 1910. The 18-footer cost $35, in 1907. If you have $30, start work – you will raise the rest as you go along. Be careful of the dimes and quarters if cost is a problem. I have heard that in the Carolinas they used to build them for a dollar a foot plus materials. That, of course, could not be done now.

DIRECTIONS FOR WORK In order of procedure.

MAIN ASSEMBLY 1. Have your saws sharpened by an expert, and sharpen your other tools.

2. Study the plans carefully. Every word and line is on there for business. On the plans certain pieces are identified where they occur, by a number in a circle.

3. Get pieces out at mill, and order lumber (Detail A). You can chop the stem out of an oak piece but don’t do it unless the mill man wants to rob you. They should be able to saw it out.Get a full width side board if you can afford it; mine was redwood. Otherwise, two 12” boards joined carefully as shown (Detail E). Making tight may be a nuisance, but the joint will only be under water when sailing, and slop comes aboard then anyway.

4. Finish side boards complete but do not cut at stern (Details D & E). Saw out as shown, mark for ribs, bore 5/32” for each screw, and countersink. Be sure to make sides opposite hand. Screw ribs in place by the gauge so chine will fit. Use screw driver bit and brace.

5. Make transom, leaving a wide board at the bottom. Stem is presumably made at the mill. (See detail B.)

6. Make moulds of rough lumber (detail C).

7. Form the boat upside down (detail J). Nail boat side boards securely to the stern. Nail to mould No. 2 with two 10 penny nails each side not driven home. Take rope hitch on after ends of boards and cinch in. Nail in form No. 1. Cinch up by twisting rope and draw tight over transom. The battens on the inside of side boards to set transom will help a lot. Screw transom in place, screws into corner piece rather than in end grain of boards of transom. Have transom extended beyond bottom edge of side boards for bevel planking.

The sides will not bend evenly. Pull the boat true with a diagonal wire or rope. Use a string down center for truing.

8. Spring chine battens into place with clamps, and screw, beginning at one end and working towards other. Screws go from outside of side boards through, as with ribs. Chine will project beyond edge of board 2/3″ so both will bevel for plank. (Details F, J, and Q.)

9. Bevel edges of side boards and chine exactly to take plank. Work on both sides at once and use strip across for guide. Work down with drawknife and plane carefully. Boat is apt to leak here. Bevel the transom. Cut stem so last plank will lap onto it and finish at line of rabbet. (Details M and N.)

10. Begin at stern and lay three planks. (Details F and J.) Be sure to lay a thin stir of caulking on edges of side boards under planks. Nail plank to sides and screw to chine as shown. Cut plank long and leave trimming till later to be done all at once. Do not lay too close – you want a crack to caulk into.

11. Start keelson at middle of second plank, and let it go loose at bow at first or nail to end of stem lightly. Fit it at bow when half the planks are on (detail J).

12. Complete planking. Watch caulking carefully, and lay it between plank and keelson on each side of centerboard slot (detail F). Saw plank as close to sides as you can without marking sides, and plane true.

13. Mark centerboard slot and saw accurately with cross cut saw through from the bottom. Should be 1.75” wide to take post.

14. Turn boat right side up. Nail in spreaders to sides of ribs for open boat and 2×4 deck beams crowned for decked boat. Also seats. This holds the boat spread when the moulds are taken out, which is done now. (Details M & N.)

15. Centerboard box (detail G). Fit boards of box to keelson. They should be 1 1/8” thick, if possible but 7/8 can be used with care. It is almost impossible to drill for screw holes through from the bottom and run true into the boards of the box. It is better to drill both ways from the center, but the places must be accurately marked for the holes to meet. So drive some nails in the edges of the boards where the screws are to go, cut off the heads, and press down against the keelson. This will mark the holes, and you can bore the keelson from the inside through the plank, and into the edges of the boards. Use drill through bottom slightly smaller than shank of 4” brass screws, and a smaller hole in edges of boards to hold thread of screw.

16. Fit posts either end of slot, set in white lead, and nail into keelson with one eight penny. Clamp box to posts or nail lightly. Turn boat over and drive screws with brace and screw-driver bit. Be sure you have a thin strip of caulking between keelson and edges of box. Turn boat back, bolt box at bow with 1/4” bolts as there is no room to drive a screw (have holes already), and screw after ends to post, with 1.5” number 10 screws.

This completes the work on the rough hull. In the next issue of Yachting, directions and plans for completing the sharpie will be given in a second and final article ( continued on the next page) .

How to Build a Sharpie Part II The Most Boat for the Least Cost By EDWIN S. PARKER From the January 1931 issue of Yachting.

In the December 1930 issue of Yachting , the plans and directions for building a 15-foot Sharpie were given that carried the work as far as planking the bottom. In the present article the directions for work are continued from that point to completion. Reference is made here to some of the sketches in the first article and it will be necessary to have them at hand for reference in reading this installment.

STEPPING THE MAST (Details I & Q) For open boat, build small decking in two layers, top running lengthwise, and lower running across to prevent splitting. Saw mast hole with keyhole saw. Nail this decking securely in place with eight-penny nails. But the strain on the mast is so great that it will spread sides. So later, when the bumpers are on, bend a 3-in wide strip of galvanised sheet metal, as heavy as you can handle, across and around the bumpers, screwing it with two screws each side — 2-in screws preferably—holes drilled in metal and wood. Put some extra screws through sides into bumpers just abaft this. The step is as detailed.

For the decked boat, put 2 by 10 boards across and fur up for crown of deck (Details N & P).

17. DECKING Use 2 by 4 spreaders as already mentioned, crowned as much as you want. The crown is for appearance only. Nail the coaming to this, with the 1 by 6 planking left over, and set in the other deck beams made of 7/8-inch stock, crowned likewise. The coaming supports the adjacent deck. Do not set the edge too high or it will cut one’s knees- two inches will stop all the water necessary.

Use narrow matched boards for the deck -old flooring would be good. Another way is to have 7/8-inch boards ripped to 1.5-inch strips and bent to the curve of the boat, laying edge pieces first and working inwards, nailing together edgewise and into deck beams as well.

Paint deck a sloppy coat, lay canvas and tack to outside of side boards so that the bumper will conceal the edge of canvas. Paint canvas a sloppy coat at once. Use 8-ounce canvas if you can afford it, or anything lighter, down to unbleached sheeting.

18. BUMPERS (Details M, N & P) In the open boat this strip strengthens the edge materially. In any case, it turns a lot of water on a rough day and takes the knocks when landing. Use the hard pine battens No. 2. Taper off the forward ends to about 3/4 of an inch on the inside. In the open boat, clamp in place and screw 8 inches o.c. from the inside of the side boards, as with ribs. In the decked boat, screw through bumper from outside into side boards, countersinking deeply. In either case, bind at bow and stem with galvanized iron to prevent spreading. Make patterns of heavy paper for cutting metal. Drill for nails in metal, and clinch nails where they go through boards.

19. CENTERBOARD (Detail K) Make either way, as shown. The board can be pinned through the case for the hinge, as is usually done, but it is very convenient in a small boat to be able to get the board out from the top. The method of hinging shown has proved a good one, and keeps the pivot low. Have a hole in the box aft to take a pin to hold board down when sailing. Make removable cover to go on when board is down (Detail K).

20. RUDDER This is of the balance type. A very small area forward of the post will balance a large area abaft it. Set post by trial if necessary. The detail shown is very cheap and very strong. Either type of socket is good, as shown (Details H & P). The pipe is better for the decked boat, while the built-up one will serve for the open boat, and is less expensive by perhaps a dollar. But have all the seams accessible in case the soft cloth between the pieces of wood does not make tight. This cloth can be slopped with paint when laying. To cut the hole for the post, use a gouge if you have no extension bit, and, in any case, cut through each piece as you lay it and set post in place when screwing down each piece to get hole true.

For the rudder post (Detail H) get a couple of feet or so of galvanized 1-inch genuine wrought iron pipe from the plumber’s scrap pile, hacksaw it down the middle, working from sides alternately to keep cut true. Cut down perhaps a foot. This is easy. Do not try to flatten it out cold, as it will split. Have the blacksmith heat and spread and drill for the 1/4-inch bolts. This should cost about 25 cents. Now set the rudder and bolts in place and, with this assembled, place the socket in the boat and mark the position of the bolt which holds the shaft from dropping out, and also place where the tee shall come for the tiller. Take to the plumber, who will cut the pipe, put a long thread on it, screw on a tee which has a larger opening horizontally than vertically – they come standard if you can find them – and with this tee lined up with the rudder so that the tiller will be true, drill a 1/8-inch hole clear through tee and shaft. Through this run a wire to prevent tee from rotating on shaft.

21. SPARS (Detail L) Choose a clear, straight 4 by 6 to cut mast from, preferably western fir. Have mill cut to 3 by 3 and 2 by 2 (Detail A). Mark mast as in diagram… do not taper straight. Tack in brads at taper points, and spring the batten to get true curve. Saw to tapered square, working from both sides alternately to keep the lines, sawing perhaps 6 inches at a time on each side. Have the saw sharp. Where saw breaks out at edge, finish with plane – do no try to hew out, as the grain will tear in and leave a hollow in the mast. But work into a perfect squared stick. Make the octagon gauge, as shown. By twisting this as you go towards the small end you get a true octagon on the mast. cut to this line with drawknife and finish with plane. This will give a true octagon. If this is well done, the work of rounding off is negligible.

Bore hole 5/8 of an inch fore and aft at the head for halyard and work it out with knife so that rope will pass through easily.

Make boom similarly. Jaws of hard wood. The boom tapers very sightly at after end, and flattens out at forward end to take jaws. Make long in case sail stretches. (See detail L).

22. SAILS (Details R, S & T) Do not be afraid to make your sails. You cannot equal those of a professional, of course; but what of it? Use 30-inch drilling, lap edges one inch and see down both free edges on a seeing mating, using number 30 thread and a long stitch and tight tension. Pin pieces together about one foot apart to be sure pieces pull alike. Lay the sail out with string on a large surface. Cut the sail to this pattern, selvage on the leach or rear edge, allowing hem at bias edges. Curve the edges you cut (at mast and boom) an inch or two out, especially on the edge next to the mast. Not too much, though, as the sail will bag. Hem bias edges, but leave selvage as is.

Have at hand a piece of 1/4-inch manila rope long enough to go around the edges of sail, with some to spare. Hang it out of doors for a month or more. Sew this to edges of sail with sail twine or knitting cotton, well waxed and double, with a sail needle or any heavy needle, the needle going under one strand of the top each stitch. This is the only tricky part of the process. If the rope is not tight enough, or rather, longer than the edge, the edge will flop curiously. If it is shorter than the edge, the sail will bag. To get even tension, lay sail out and stretch sail and rope together. Catch rope to sail every foot or so, and as you sew the rope on, come out even at each catching. The luff (at the mast) and the foot will be easy, but you may have to do the leach over again, as I did.

Sew on reef points of one-inch tape, 12 inches long, at each seam and two between. Make cover for sail so sun will not rot it.

23. CAULKING In making a boat tight, plan for a good seam and fill it with caulking. The planks may be too close in some cases. Make a hard wood wedge and drive it all along the seam to open the seam slightly. Take the caulking, preferably stranded cotton, and drive it into the seam with the wedge or a putty knife, or at the ends of the seams, with a screw driver. Fill the seams evenly and fairly tight.

DO NOT drive caulking in seam at edges of bottom, between planking and side boards, that is, against mailings. The caulking will swell and pop off the planks. The caulking laid when planking should be sufficient. If leaks develop, fill with plenty of copper bottom paint.

Making tight is not easy. The bottom seldom gives trouble, but at the rudder socket and stern, and at all unexpected places, leaks show up and cause trouble. Make tight with caulking as far as possible. Then use white lead inside and out in corners, drying the boat before applying. A coat of paint does wonders, too, but all this should be done after the caulking is completed.

24. PAINTING Paint inside, thinning for first coat.

Paint bottom with brown copper paint direct on the wood, giving two or three coats. Green looks better, but does not stay on as well.

Paint some kind of a design on the sail (Details R & S), using one-third or one-quarter oil and the rest turpentine. Outline design in black about one-half inch wide. Two are shown, but the possibilitics are endless.

25. MODIFYING THE DESIGN It would be doubtful policy to modify the design of the hull. From Mr. Ives’ letter, it would seem that I have developed the design somewhat along the same lines us the fishermen did, namely, toward a dead rise skiff. The older sharpie had a long overhang aft, but actual analysis of the design does not favor this, and Minnow keeps going right into a sea, as the others did not. Do not put on a skeg, or change the rudder, for it is a joy to sail with the balanced rudder. The centerboard, however, may be moved forward or aft, at will, to suit any sail plan you may prefer.

Personally, I like the two masts on an 18-foot boat, though I never could bring myself to move the boom up the mast and reef along the mast as the old sharpies did. On my 18-footer I had a gaff sail forward, but the gaff was a nuisance. Do not have any stays on the mast – there is a tradition to the effect that the spring of the mast helps the speed.

A sloop rig should be good for the larger boats, but whatever rig is used, be sure the center of the total sail area comes over the center of the area of the centerboard.

If a boat larger than 18 feet is to be built, increase the depth of the side boards as well as merelY lengthening them, as shown, so there will be more freeboard aft.

26. GENERAL POINTS It is well to have the boat decked – you can tip without taking water over the lee rail. A cover on the centerboard box is worth having. as water shoots up in a chop. For a small boat, though, the open model is very handy for rowing.

When sailing before the wind pull up the centerboard. One trial will show you why.

Do not use ballast and try to carry more sail- you lose thereby.

My father’s plan of 1880 is said to have steered with an oar. This should help in a race but I found it a nuisance.

Ready to get building? Click here for a printer-friendly PDF of all the instructions and diagrams. Then write to Yachting to share your experience!

Yachting would like to thank reader Fred Ganley for remembering this article and calling it to our attention. Happy building, Fred!

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Building, restoration, and repair with epoxy

Building a wood/epoxy Sharpie, Phase I

By Captain James R. Watson

When I was building my first boat, my dad used to drive me nuts as he sat in his rocking chair considering “how to proceed.” I wanted to see the chips fly. Now, after many of my own projects, I realize the wisdom of studying the sequence of events from the beginning of a building project to the end. Building projects are a lot like a child’s dot-to-dot puzzle. There is often a best order to the steps that can save time and money, improve quality, and most effectively utilize your shop space. So often I have foolishly rushed to build the easy and rewarding components only to have them take valuable room and leave me late in the project to struggle with time consuming keels and rudders.

With my most recent project of building a 29′ sharpie with wood and epoxy, I’ve tried to think carefully about my order of building. I built the frames and daggerboard and case first because they take little room, not the main shop space (in my case, half a garage that requires winter heating). I built the daggerboard and its ballast component before the daggerboard case because then the case can be built to fit the board. I also finished interior surfaces before closing them off, installed components while there was still easy access, precoated and sanded parts on a bench rather than waiting until they were in place.

With any project, it helps to think carefully at the outset about the entire building process so that you can be more efficient. Make every step a clear step forward (without two steps back) to the next dot in project completion. I’ll share some tips with you, as well as a few of the nonconventional approaches I am taking in building the sharpie.

Select the design

Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to build a sharpie. These relatively narrow, flat-bottomed skiffs evolved in the 19th century. They’re pretty boats and have often been praised as offering the most performance for the least investment. I liked their virtues of shoal draft and good sailing characteristics with a speed potential. Sharpies can make good pocket cruisers that can be trailered easily and open up many new cruising grounds. They’re also relatively simple to build. The first step in any successful boatbuilding project is selecting a design. As I’ve written before, too many folks want to be designers, but after all the hard work end up with a fundamental design error that dooms the entire effort. Sharpies have evolved over 150 years and the designs of Howard I. Chapelle and others are well proven. I wasn’t about to design my own. I bought plans for several similar designs before selecting this Howard I. Chapelle’s DANDY, a development of Commodore Monroe’s popular EGRET. The boat is 29′ length overall, with a 7’6″ beam and an 8″ draft (Figure 1).

I planned several variations, however, the most important being a ballasted daggerboard, molded composite chines, and a high performance rig.

Choose quality wood

For many applications, several choices of wood are possible. Be sure you understand the physical properties of the species you select. You will also need to consider cost and availability. Here are some of my thoughts on the choices for the sharpie project.

I chose Douglas fir for the stringers (including chines, clamps, keelsons, frame and bulkhead perimeters, etc.) because of its cost and availability in the Midwest. I bought 20′ clear vertical grain (VG) Douglas fir for about $3.70 a board foot. Another good choice for stringers is Sitka spruce. It is lighter than fir but the cost is about double. (Prices will vary, but the comparative prices between species stay about the same). Cedar is too soft for these components. Stems, daggerboard, daggerboard case ends, rudder

I selected Honduras mahogany for stems, false stems, daggerboard, daggerboard case ends and rudder. Mahogany’s attributes are strength, dimensional stability, and durability. Bulkheads, daggerboard case, and planking

I chose marine-grade Okoume plywood for all bulkheads, the daggerboard case, and planking. Where 1/4″ thickness is used, I prefer 5 ply over 3 ply because it is stiffer. I recently saw a large catamaran built with mahogany plywood and WEST SYSTEM® epoxy that has spent her life in the tropics and there was no checking and no moisture damage, a credit to the builder and the construction materials. Another option would be marine grade fir plywood. I’ve built several boats of this material which are now 25 years old and still going strong. However, marine grade fir plywood has a tendency to check which even covering with glass may not contain.

Many wonder if AC grade plywood will work for boat building. It will, but the voids and knots will be a source of problems and should be filled with epoxy. I’ve found AC grade plywood ends up costing so much more in time and epoxy to repair to bring it up to speed that it is not a good choice.

Fabricate stock before storing When I unloaded my lumber, I already knew member sizes and shapes. So I ripped all stringers to width and shape (chine stringers are trapezoids) before storing. All the longer pieces would require was scarfing to length later. Then I carefully stacked the lumber in order of use, placing 3/4″ x 3/4″ sticks spaced at about 6′ intervals between layers. Pre-finish whenever possible.

Whenever possible, I prefinish parts and surfaces. It is much easier, neater and quicker to sand and coat parts on a bench or when there is good access. Crawling around inside the hull with a sander and roller is difficult and time consuming, and the quality suffers. Typically, because the interior will be finished clear, I apply one coat of WEST SYSTEM 105/207, sand it, and give it another coat. I don’t apply the second coat where I know there will be a joint (temporary fasteners used during dry run fitting and trimming help identify the areas). I can avoid having to sand there before applying epoxy for bonding.

Building frames

I build my frames on a mold table on which I laid out the body plan when lofting, taking care to mark the waterline and centerline. I use heavy, clear plastic on the table to keep the adhesive off and to let me see my lines. I produce all stringer notches and limber holes at this stage. Then I fasten components together in a dry run, using drywall screws.

Use removable fasteners

I then glue the components together on the loft table, using the screws for clamping pressure after coating them with Stoner™ thermoset mold release E497 for easy removal. I check the assembly with the lines on the table to make sure nothing has moved. After the epoxy has cured, I remove the drywall screws and counterbore all holes with a countersink. Then I bond in plugs made on the drill press with a plug cutter, using the same species of wood. When the epoxy has cured, I trim the plugs with a flush-cutting saw (Figure 2). Why not use permanent fasteners? Exposed endgrain that fastener holes expose is a common source of moisture related problems. Moisture can travel down the fastener via condensation. With everything bonded rigidly, nonferrous fasteners are redundant. They are also expensive (for example, #8 x 1″ are 50 cents each). With plugged holes, all is permanently sealed. However, some high stress situations may require fasteners. These are set in wet epoxy while being installed to improve cross grain strength.

Radius the edges

All edges (except where planking and stringers join) are rounded with a router. I use a 3/8″ radius double flute bit. Corners are vulnerable to damage and are sharp when you bump them. Radius edges coat more easily and leave an uninterrupted coating which accelerated weather testing in the laboratory as well as my firsthand experience with many boats have shown to hold up much better.

Coat and sand

I then coated all surfaces with two coats of WEST SYSTEM 105 Resin/207 Special Coating Hardener. I decided that on most of the interior, this would be my finish. No varnish. Most of the boat interior will not see the light of day and those areas that will see only indirect light. Two even thin coats with no runs or sags is clear and glossy and will hold up great in this application. I also lightly sand any surfaces that will be varnished (with either a satin or a water-based satin varnish), so it won’t have to be done later. This includes the visible interior of the cabin.

Making the daggerboard

One of my design modifications was the centerboard. Sharpies usually carry a drop type of board that is hinged on an axle. Some sharpies have two (tandem) boards, some leeboards. I modified the traditional designs to use a ballasted daggerboard. I chose a daggerboard because the clean exit from the hull and the aspect ratio make it more efficient. Its small slot size reduces lost hull displacement. A daggerboard also takes up less room in the cabin.

I chose a NACA 0010 foil section for the board. I built the daggerboard and ballast component before the case so I could build the case to fit the board. It’s hard to modify a NACA foil section, but you can easily modify the case for a precise fit.

Basically, I followed the procedures outlined in the Gougeon Publication 000-448 How to Build Centerboards and Rudders . However, I modified this method by ripping the strips to specific widths dictated by the template. This saved material and minimized machining. I also sawed a 1/2″ deep slot in the ends of each strip into which thin 1/8″ plywood would fit snugly. Thus, I was able to align the laminate during the gluing operation (Figure 3).

Adding ballast

The daggerboard has lead ballast on the end. I wanted to be able to hoist the board completely, so I needed the lead to be the same foil shape as the board (rather than a bulb shape). The ballast weighs 200 pounds.

I used the “lost foam” process to produce the ballast. I first needed a foam plug the same shape as the board. I glued foil section plywood templates to each end of an oversized block of blue insulation foam. I then wrapped thin piano wire around two wooden dowels and connected the wire with alligator clips to my truck battery. I pulled the hot wire taut and dragged it across the templates, cutting the foam to the exact foil shape in about 30 seconds. I added some peaks to the top of the ballast to key into the board (Figure 4). Then I placed the foam in an oversized hole dug in the yard and filled around the foam with Portland cement, allowing it to cure for a week. I had some buddies come over to melt the lead and do the pour. We built a wood fire, added charcoal, and supercharged it with my shop vac. We melted miscellaneous lead scraps and wheel weights in an iron pot cum crucible. (I was also using bread pans to mold 25 ingots at 35 pounds each for internal ballast.) The foam plug vaporized as we ladled the liquid lead (over 600°F) into the mold. It bubbled, hissed and gurgled for a few minutes, and half an hour later we were digging it out of the ground. Light taps with hammers cracked off the Portland cement, revealing the accurate casting.

Using hardware bonding techniques, I drilled holes in top of the lead ballast, and then bonded in 3/8″ stainless steel threaded rod (Figure 5). We know that you can get about 1,000 lb. per inch of bury into wood as well as lead, so my 12 threaded rods with 2 to 3 inches of bury was overkill. I prefit the ballast to the board (Figure 6), before bonding the two with epoxy thickened with 406 Colloidal Silica Filler.

Making the daggerboard case

Once the daggerboard was completed, I built the daggerboard case wide enough to allow for clearance. My unique approach to constructing the case allowed me to complete all treatment to the interior before closing the case. Of course, once the case is closed, access is severely limited. I bonded the Okoume daggerboard case ends to one plywood side producing a 1″ radius interior fillet. For abrasion resistance, I then applied a layer of 6 oz fiberglass. I also glassed the remaining side that was not yet attached. Next, I applied a thick 1/32″ coat of 425 Copper Additive. I used copper additive for several reasons. First, it is very hard and takes abrasion well—abrasion from potential rubbing from the daggerboard over the years. Also, the copper additive has some antifouling potential so it may aid in preventing marine growth. From experience and testing, we know that it will at least make the surface easier to clean. Once all of the interior surfaces were cured and sanded smooth, I bonded the adjoining side. Then, as with the frames, I prefinished the daggerboard case exterior with WEST SYSTEM 105/207.

Assembling strongback, frames and stringers

At this point, I decided I was ready to commit the shop to assembling the whole boat. Jig construction and frame setup were straightforward. The strongback was a simple 2″ x 4″ ladderlike structure that assured accurate frame placement. I installed the 8″ wide scarfed-to-length keelson first. Then I could use it as a sort of long bench on which to scarf the 6 other stringers (2 clamps and 4 chines) to length.

Installing the daggerboard case

I installed the daggerboard case before any planking or stringers. That way, I didn’t have to duck or negotiate around them. I cut the keelson with a slot that duplicates the daggerboard foil shape. A method for aligning the case that works well is to fasten the case to the keelson with lag screws at each end of the case. The holes through the keelson are made oversize and oblong athwartship. This allows precise alignment and marking in the dry run and when bonding permanently.

Building and prefinishing other parts

Next, I fit the scarfed-to-length chine stringers only. Then, while I still had good access, I produced the bunk and cockpit sole. These horizontal elements are otherwise difficult to fit after the installation of side panels. After fitting, I coated these plywood parts with epoxy and set them aside. Then I installed the chine stringers (Figure 7).

Applying the bottom

The flat bottom of the sharpie is easy to work on and with a subtle rocker is easily bent into position despite the 3/4″ panel thickness. I fit and scarfed together all panels at an 8:1 bevel. I glued them down in one operation, cleaning off all excess adhesive prior to curing (Figure 7). (I will later modify the bottom to a slight 3/4″ arc with lead ballast slabs molded in amidships.) I again used drywall screws sprayed with release for temporary fasteners and then bunged the holes.

Installing the side planking

I never thought I’d put butt blocks in a boat after the poor results with a MICRO project where the butt block areas showed flat spots. This was probably due to the short wide shape of the boat so that the tight, fair curve was interrupted with the localized reinforcement of the flat butt block. On the other hand, some of my oldest projects with butt blocks, including the trimaran ATOM with its long subtle shapes, have looked just fine. (See Epoxyworks 7, Spring 1996 for some comparisons of butt blocks and scarfs.)

So why butt blocks on this boat? The sharpie hull resembles the long shapes of the trimaran more than the short beamy shape with which I’ve had difficulties. I’m building this boat by myself. A complete panel all scarfed together would weigh on the order of 90 pounds. Even if it weighed half that, at 3′ by 30′ it is unwieldy. With wet adhesive on all the contact points, accurate placement would be futile. An alternative would be to scarf in place, but it would be very difficult to align scarfs. Thus, the butt block.

First, I fit all the planking panels, overlapping the adjoining edge slightly. Then I marked this so the edges matched perfectly. At the same time, I marked all stringers and frames. I also prefit all butt blocks. They are plywood, 30% thicker than the planking, placed between the stringers with the face grain running parallel to the planking. After fitting, I removed all panels and coated them with WEST SYSTEM 105/207, sanded and applied a second coat. I didn’t coat the areas where the stringers and frames joined so they would not require sanding before bonding. After one panel was joined to the hull, I screwed and glued the butt block down. The second panel was then simply put in place and similarly glued and screwed to the butt block. Again, I used drywall screws for clamping.

One of the negative aspects of the butt block is the exposed endgrain of the butting panels. To solve this, I used a disc grinder to dish out a generous scoop of material centered over the butt, about 8 times the depth in each direction. Then I bonded in multiple layers of successively smaller strips of biaxial fiberglass to fill the joint and faired it smooth.

Building composite chine reinforcement

My approach to building and installing the chines deviates from traditional plywood construction. Not only did I reinforce the chine with composites, but I also premolded them. The chine is the corner that is formed where the sides and bottom of a boat join. Large buildups of wooden materials for reinforcement at corners (especially chines) are susceptible to dimensional changes that lead to cracking and then moisture ingress. Replacing the wooden chine buildup with a composite reinforcement resolves this situation. Composite chine construction methods have been used successfully for many years. I first used them on a plywood Searunner™ trimaran. Now 25 years old, its chines are perfect, a testimony to the soundness of the concept.

In the sharpie, two trapezoidal shaped stringers run along the chine, one on the side and one on bottom, about 4″ from the planking joint. They form a trough along the interior of the joint into which biaxial fiberglass cloth reinforcement can be laminated. The chine exterior is rounded and covered with several layers of 16 oz fiberglass cloth. As well as eliminating moisture problems, this rounded chine offers hydrodynamic benefits by reducing the drag-causing eddies created around sharp corners as a boat sails.

With the boat upside-down, laminating multiple layers of fiberglass with epoxy overhead poses obvious problems. One option is to roll the hull over, but this is no easy task with an awkward 700 lb hull that may not be as rigid as desired and can stress the glue joints or other components. Instead, I decided to produce the inner chine reinforcement in sections on a mold and install the cured composite parts overhead.

Molding the composite parts

Initially, I had planned to make a mold for the parts using PVC pipe with tangent flats made of blue insulation foam taped in position at the angle of the side and bottom chine joint. However, to get the perfect compound curve, I decided to use the hull as the mold. First, I shaped the radius on the chine exterior, filling and fairing where the sides and bottom joined. Then I marked the stringer and frame locations and covered the area with 6-mil polyethylene to provide a release medium. I had to make the composite reinforcements in 5 sections so that I could install them under the frames (Figure 8). Once they were in place in the boat, I would join them into one continuous piece.

A chine can be subjected to more force than the hull panels, so adequate buildup of the chine reinforcement is important. My laminate was built up from 7 layers of 8″ wide, 15 oz. biaxial/mat fiberglass tape to about 1/4″ thickness. I used one layer at the extreme edge of the tangent and staggered the tape to produce 7 layers at the apex. I tapered the ends of each section. After they are fit in the boat, the sections will be joined together by adding layers of biaxial tape and epoxy. I released the boat from the strongback and raised it so I could get underneath and install the composite sections at a comfortable working height. I installed the sections between each of the frames and the chine stringers in a layer of epoxy thickened with 406 Filler. After all of the composite sections were installed, I reinforced the exterior of the chine with 3 layers of 15 oz. biaxial tape.

Fiberglassing the bottom

The bottom of the hull gets one layer of 6 oz fiberglass cloth for abrasion resistance. To strike the boottop and waterline, I followed the method described by Larry Pardey in Details of Classic Boat Construction. While he doesn’t like epoxy much, I could adapt his procedure to trim the top edge of the fiberglass for my “cut in line”. I applied the cloth down over the chines past the designed waterline about 4″ to 6″ and cut the fiberglass straight and clean with a circular, razor-bladed fabric cutter. The edge that now exists is an excellent “cut” edge for painting.

To apply the fiberglass, I used the dry method described in our manuals. I added 503 Gray Pigment to the last of the coats to fill the weave. I’ve had good success with this approach and the pigmented bottom gives the craft look of continuity.

I glassed the topsides with a layer of 4 oz. fiberglass cloth to the cut line and pigmented it with 501 White Pigment to serve as a sort of primer. The boat was finally ready to leave the shop. Now I can dedicate that space to building the freestanding composite spars.

Be sure to read my follow up article, Building a Wood/Epoxy Sharpie, Phase II .

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

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Little Egret Plans PDF

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Description

Additional information.

Little Egret is an open Sharpie of 18' 10" x 4' 10″ x 6", with a hull shape reminiscent of the famous 28' Sharpie, Egret , designed by Ralph Middleton Munroe in 1886 for use in the shallow waters of Florida. I have long had a fascination for Egret , and think that her hull cross-section, which is part Sharpie and part Dory, is a superb compromise for a sailing vessel. The seaworthiness of the original Egret is legendary.

I was approached by another Egret enthusiast who wanted a smaller version, and Little Egret is the result. Although she is similar in hull shape to the original, she is in no way a copy. In fact, I made it a condition of the design commission that I be allowed to design her from scratch, without any reference to existing drawings or photos. This was very important to me, as I wanted to be sure that she was all my own work, shape, proportion, rig, and layout. The owner had input into the aesthetics of the project, but the design is original.

• Designed to be sailed, rowed, sculled with a yuloh, or (if absolutely necessary) powered by a small outboard - preferably electric
• Combination taped-seam (stitch-and-glue) and stringer/frame construction, of the most simple type
• Built-in buoyancy tanks
• Pivoting centreboard and shallow rudder of traditional Sharpie style (but with end plates for improved efficiency)
• Simple sprit-boomed rig, with a third mast location allowing her to be sailed with either of the sails in a single-masted configuration

Plans package includes

• 20 sheets of very detailed A3 sized drawings
• Basic instructions with email back-up. A detailed instruction manual with complete building illustrations will be available in the future, but the construction will be no problem for someone with basic-to-intermediate experience. Extensive building photos available by arrangement.
• Option of Metric or Imperial dimensions

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July / August Issue No. 299  Preview Now

A Pacific Northwest Sharpie For The Bahamas

By reuel parker.

Around 1991, Jon Eaton (my editor at International Marine Publishing) suggested that I write a book about sharpies. He knew I was a fan of the type (inshore fishing/oystering/crabbing boats), and I gladly accepted the assignment.

I researched the history of sharpies in various museums and historical societies on the US East Coast, from Mystic Seaport to Miami. I already owned many books, pamphlets and government papers about sharpies, especially from marine historian Howard Chapelle.

During one hectic summer in Rockport, Maine, I wrote the text and designed (adapted, really) all the examples for The Sharpie Book . I edited through hundreds of my construction photos, and made additional drawings to illustrate the history and construction of the boats—both using traditional methods and contemporary “cold-molded plywood/epoxy” techniques.

The 19 foot sharpie GATO NEGRO sailing in the Florida Keys.

During the years prior to writing the book, I had designed and built several small sharpies. The first sharpie I built for myself—around 1988—was the 19′ Ohio sharpie GATO NEGRO, which I built in my small boatyard in Islamorada, Florida Keys. Although I have continued to design many more sharpies, both large and small, I had never built and owned a large cruising sharpie myself… until starting to build IBIS in December of 2007. 

My shop and office trailer for building the 45′ sharpie IBIS in St. Lucie Village, FL.

Because many waterfront marinas and boatyards along the east coast have been bought and converted into condominiums, it has become increasingly difficult to find a slip for a cruising boat without also purchasing a condo. It occurred to me to create a new design series that I called “Maxi-Trailerable Boats”—shoal-draft sail- and power-boats limited in length to about 45′, 10′ beam, and 15,000 lbs maximum displacement. Vessels of that size can be carried on standard 3-axle 40′ trailers (manufactured primarily for the sportfishing industry). This represents the maximum size vessel that can be transported on federal and state highways with a permit, but without requiring escort vehicles. Using a commercial tow truck, an individual permit is not even required. With tabernacled masts, the rig can be taken down or set up in a matter of a few hours. Thus you could take your cruising boat home with you, or transport her to your desired cruising location.

IBIS completed, on the trailer—centerboard to left; tabernacle A-frame on the bow.

My concept was that you could store and maintain your boat at home (or at an inexpensive storage lot inland) and launch/haul her at a local boatyard using a Travel-Lift or crane, or at a launch ramp using a large four-wheel-drive truck. Thus you could eliminate slip rent and boatyard storage fees, saving several thousand dollars per year.

To promote the concept, I decided to build a prototype. I chose the Straits of Juan de Fuca sharpie design for my conceptual “point of departure”, because my design adaptation of the 1880s original (included in The Sharpie Book ), seemed like a good choice. These vessels were halibut fisherman—double-ended, gaff-rigged schooners about 36′ in length. Chapelle considered them to be one of the most seaworthy of all the sharpies. The only other popular double-ended sharpie—Commodore Ralph Munroe’s famous EGRET—was from the same time period and also had a reputation for seaworthiness.

Drawing from these inspirations, I created a 45′ sharpie hull, with 10′ beam and 2′ 6″ draft. The hull employed elements of both designs. A big advantage of the long, narrow, flat bottom was that I could employ enough rocker (fore-and-aft curvature) to achieve standing headroom in the cabins. Also, double-ended hulls are often believed to be more seaworthy than other types, and they are “easily driven”, achieving hull speed with a minimum of energy—either from sails or auxiliary power—due to low wetted-surface.

The result was the schooner IBIS, which I launched in early 2010. IBIS was designed to be a live-aboard cruising sailboat, ideally suited to the shallow waters of the US East Coast, the Florida Keys, and especially: the Bahamas.

IBIS anchored off Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas, in two feet of water (aground at low tide).

Although I have sailed several shoal-draft cruisers extensively in the Bahamas, I had never sailed a true flat-bottomed sharpie there. Indeed, I had never owned or even sailed in a large sharpie at all. Hence, in late winter of 2010, I sailed IBIS down the Florida coast to Key Biscayne, across the Gulf Stream, and down through the islands. That first trip was fraught with problems—the heat exchanger broke; one of my inexperienced crewmembers backed over the dinghy painter and pulled the prop shaft right out of its coupling; the pump-out for the holding tank got plugged up; and we had a personality conflict between two crewmembers which resulted in one of them flying home from George Town, Great Exuma. Nonetheless, we had an overall good cruise, and learned a lot about taking a sharpie out in the open ocean.

IBIS handled 4′ to 6′ seas reasonably well on a beat or close reach (she did pound pretty hard at times), and was fantastic from a beam reach to a run. My tactic for achieving “Easting” in the strong Trade Winds was to motorsail under jib and reefed mains’l (or under reefed fores’l alone), pointing as high on the apparent wind as I could. In winds around 25 knots, and 6′ to 8′ seas, I learned to fall off and slow down to seven knots, making 100 degree tacks under double-reefed fores’l and diesel. In wind and seas beyond that, working to windward became impractical, and we anchored in some protected cove or creek to wait for gentler conditions (which is what most people would do anyway).

IBIS under full sail in the Trade Winds; note her ground tackle and side davits.

I took IBIS to the Bahamas three times, and sailed her in many conditions. I was very impressed with her abilities, and realistic about her shortcomings. Overall, I am now convinced that a well-designed and –built big sharpie (with self-righting ability) is an excellent choice for cruising the islands. I did not find myself overly restricted—only the really hard-core sailors will beat to windward in seas over 8′, or winds over 25 knots. Patience is always required in cruising. On the other hand, the ability to sail in less than three feet of water really opens up the possibilities for cruising anywhere! But especially, in the Bahamas, we could explore shallow, seldom-visited creeks, cross tidal flats that dry out at low tide, and access hundreds of safe, quiet, remote anchorages that very few other boats could even dream about!

In late 2013, I sold IBIS to a 60-year-old New Jersey surfer. He is presently cruising in the Florida Keys with her, which I never found time to do. She is the perfect boat for it! I miss her badly, as sailing to the Bahamas has been the high point of my life for almost 35 years now—I love it more than words can express. I am going to have to build another boat….

Sailing from the Banks into Exuma Sound at Leaf Cay, Bahamas.

2/20/2014, Saint Lucie Village

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• John's Sharpie

John's Sharpie by Chesapeake Light Craft

A lightweight, fast-sailing sharpie.

URL: http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/boat-plans/sailboat-plans/johns-sharpie-wooden-sail-boat-plans.html

Description:

There is certainly no other boat that offers the performance under sail and ease of construction of a sharpie. Developed in southern New England as workboats, their speed, shallow draft, easy handling, and quick construction caused sharpies to quickly spread along the Atlantic Coast.

There have been sharpie designs for homebuilders almost as long as there have been sharpies. John's Sharpie is similar in proportion to the sharpies used around New Haven, Connecticut for oyster tonging in the 19th century. Rendered in modern materials, this 21st century sharpie is fast, light, easy to handle, and easy to build. Renditions of John's Sharpie have been built from CLC kits and plans all over the world, from the 15th floor of an apartment building in South Korea to Coniston Water in the UK.

"It is a tribute to John Harris's successful combination of the various design requirements that none of us felt anything but total satisfaction with the basic overall concept, her sailing performance or elegant appearance on the water," said Water Craft magazine while sailing the Sharpie around Coniston Water. Read the entire review.

John C. Harris, CLC's CEO and a lifelong sharpie fan, designed the Sharpie for his own use on the Chesapeake Bay. Light weight and clean lines yield a boat capable of high average speeds, dinghy-like handling, and great pointing ability. The unstayed cat-ketch rig is efficient and beautiful, and without a jib there are no sheets to handle when tacking: just put the helm over and you're done. Extremely low wetted surface and a big rig means the Sharpie will whisper along in the lightest of air. Tie in a reef when whitecaps appear if you want to stay reclined inside the cockpit, or hike out on the comfortable side decks if you feel like exploiting the Sharpie 's heavy air speed.

The Sharpie uses a daggerboard to get to windward. It's more efficient than a centerboard, takes up less space, and is easier to build. With the board raised and the rudder kicked up, it's easy to sail the sharpie onto the beach or pull it above the high tide line. With the board halfway up the boat will still point well, allowing you to sail in the shallowest water.

The interior is laid out for leisurely daysailing or overnight camp-cruising. The separate cockpits encourage relaxed sprawling, and are easy to cover with boom tents while camping. Ideal crew is 2-4 adults.

While John's Sharpie is a bigger project than our other small boats, woodworking hobbyists will find construction fast and straightforward. Construction time seems to average about 180 hours. No frames or strongbacks are required; the hull is of 9mm okoume bent around permanent bulkheads, then stitched and glued like a big kayak. The tapered masts are solid spruce or cedar.

Interviewed about this 1996 design in May 2011 on the blog 70.8%, John Harris had this to say about the Sharpie :

"I designed that boat to win the traditional boat race at MASCF. Its beguiling good looks were meant to look right on the St. Michael's waterfront, but conceal the speed and handling of a racing dinghy. I was 23, and it was a good 23-year-old's boat. I like that it's hard to find an angle from which the proportions don't look good. It's got razor-sharp handling upwind and down. Unfortunately, you get the bad with the good - John's Sharpie is wicked fast but also a little cranky. It was a good design lesson, including that two tall masts weigh twice as much as one tall mast. I'm not the only skipper to have capsized one. Many builders soon shipped a pair of sandbags either side of the daggerboard trunk to settle her down."

Boats about same size as John's Sharpie

Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at: [email protected]

I've been sailing most of my life, even spent several years as a live aboard. When we moved to NJ in 2006, we moved to a beautiful part in the hilly western part, a good drive from the "shore" as the ocean is called in NJ. There are 2 reservoirs and several lakes nearby. That and the current economic situation made small boats a nice option. I had never really thought seriously about building one, but I caught the building bug after reading about sharpies in Wooden Boat Magazine and Reuel Parker's Sharpie Book. Not having a great amount of woodworking skill or knowledge, or even tools for that matter, it has been, and is, a learning experience. I can appreciate the value of apprenticeship, shop class, trade schools, at virtually every step of the building process, as I stare, scratch, flip through one of the many reference books, or search the web, trying to figure out what is the next step and how best to do it. That being said, I must confess to now being a boat building addict. While this sharpie is just out of the shop I've already ordered plans for a next boat(s). Now with some better tools and a little experience I can envision how the next one will come out, and the next.... -Before there was a Sharpie project I built the Peace Canoe as a warm up. I finished it in the fall of 2007, and finally launched it June 2009. -Finding wood for this project took many phone calls, internet searches, and visits to lumber yards. I eventually stumbled upon a small sawmill ( ) in Califon, NJ just 6 miles from our house! It has a wide assortment of local woods, some suitable for boat building, including white oak, ash and black locust. I did find Douglas Fir in the local lumberyards. Frames, floors, keelson: white oak Bottom: 1/2" marine ply, sides: 3/8" marine ply, deck: 1/4" marine ply Stem, apron, CB posts, thwarts, wale/sheerstrake, cleats : black locust Masts, logs, CB, rudder: douglas fir (CB & rudder sheathed in 1/4" ply) masts have 1" spruce laminated between 2" DF Tiller: ash Sculling oar: ash and spruce - Summary of building Vika		2009 2008
	An article in the , Newsletter of the Delaware River Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association For more information on the Delaware River Tuckups visit:
many boats, our driveway got full so VIKA is now SOLD. She left behind another Honda Element so she should be in good hands. We're sad to post that a great crewmember passed away at too young an age. Dory was only 7 went she went on a pre dinner romp up the hill behind our house, layed down and didn't get up. She went peacefully. Unfortunately we were away at the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival and didn't get to say good bye. She is missed greatly. Summer 2010 Spring 2010 "Re-Do's" Winter 09-10 November 2009     August 2009   April 2009 Spring has sprung and we're getting some stuff done. Kayak race round Orust 2009 - 55 NM in two days with camping on island Vallerö. Photo: Björn Thomasson Canoes & Paddling Kurser, kalender Frågor och svar News & Launchings Latest news News archive Canoe Yawl 400 Sharpie 600 Publications Building a kayak Website/GDPR Latest updated Monday, February 5, 2024, 161 comments Images | Particulars | More about | Background and history Plans, Sharpie 600 - 310 EUR Purchase Sharpie 600 is designed as a daysailer and weekender, a use most boats are put to, regardless of their design purpose. The design brief for Sharpie 600 goes like this: Daysailor for many: Roomy cockpit (< 200 cm) Comfortable under sail and in a harbor. Everything within reach without passengers being in the way. No boom above the cockpit (with the lug rig). Flexing masts reduce heeling in a gust (also the lug). Easily lowered masts in a tabernacle (gaff rig). Weekender/Cruiser for two: Comfortable for one, acceptable for two. Provisions for basic cooking. Room for a portable toilet. Usable in bad weather. Some kind of heating for use in early spring or late fall. Fast: Fast enough to cover considerable distances in a day. Lots of sail (SA/d=21) for ghosting along in a breeze without having to resort to an outboard motor or oars. Safe: Self-righting after a knockdown. The lug rig reefs without affecting sail balance. Ability to beat away from a lee shore in a blow. If possible unsinkable (with built-in positive flotation). Small and handy: Should maneuver calmly and smartly under sail, motor or oars. Short, narrow and light (d/l=159) - easily handled on and off a trailer. Low moorage fees - if applicable. Draft not more than 25 cm, allowing sailing on to the beach and drying out upright on the sturdy flat bottom. The rudder and centerboard should lift without damage if you hit bottom. Pretty: Pretty in a traditional way, under sail and on the beach. To maneuver calmly and smartly under sail, motor or oars. Low maintenance: Modern wood. Epoxy/glass-sheathed plywood. No permanent installations: electricity, plumbing, motor etc. If fitted with a motor, an outboard is recommended, preferably in a well (but a few Sharpies have been fitted with a small inboard motor under a bridge deck). Easy trailering. Easy to handle: All conceivable maneuvering on land or in water should be possible for a competent single-hander. With the gaff rig, the mast in a tabernacle should be easily lowered for passing under a bridge, while the lug rig masts are light enough to be handled manually. Easy to build: Designed for amateur construction, the Sharpie is built on 7 transverse and 2 longitudinal bulkheads, preassembled like a large jig-saw puzzle. To this, bottom-, planking- and deck panels, sheathed in epoxy/glass are glued. The Sharpie 600 took the third prize in Classic Boat´s design competition in 1996. A pro built Sharpie in France . The plans show either the lug or the gaff rig and this must be specified when ordering. Both are a bit unusual today, but are excellent on small shallow-draft centerboard boats. They were very common earlier, being easily handled, simple to set up with a minimum of technical gadgets and comfortably sailed singlehandedly. The gaff sloop The mast of the gaffer sits in a tabernacle and can be lowered and raised in minutes to pass under a bridge. Since most sailors are used to one-mast boats it might seem less challenging than the lugger. The gaff is a way to increase the sail area on a shorter mast and thus reduce weight aloft (the same way full extended battens increase the area aloft on a modern competitive mainsail). A gaff mainsail can be lowered or reefed without pointing the craft into the wind (let go of the throat and peak halyards and the sail comes down regardless of the wind direction). The gaff rig is not as efficient close hauled as a modern rig but makes up for it reaching and running. The lug rig was my first choice for the sharpie since I was very impressed with the performance of the lug rig on my canoe yawl  a couple of years earlier. But many interested builders were not quite confident with such an archaic rig, and I got questions about an alternative. So I drew a gaff sloop. Now, after 15 years, the gaff rig counts for approx 2/3 of the shipped drawings. Many seem to choose the gaff for aesthetic reasons: it looks more ship-ish. Particulars Length 600 cm Beam 206 cm Draft 22/122 cm Weight 600 kg Sail area 21 m2 Layout 2 berths, pantry with sink/stove, portable toilet, stowage Headroom 128 cm (station 5) Engine 6-12 HP Intended use Day trips 1-6 persons. Touring 1-2 persons. The plan set consists of six sheets (A1 size = 23"x33") with all the information a builder with some experience (e.g. kayak or canoe building) would need to build the boat. Inexperienced builders may need to consult books in basic boatbuilding techniques. Sheets are: Construction details Sections with a table of offsets Profile view Rigging, masts and sails The boat is built with plywood – a simple and quick way to achieve strength and a smooth finish – double 12 mm sheets on the bottom, 12 mm on the sides and 9 mm on the deck and house. Wood strip construction is an alternative – though it will be more time-consuming. The plywood sections and longitudinal bulkheads fit together like a large puzzle, creating a super-stable 3D grid, joined by epoxy fillets. The image above shows the lug version. The ballast is lead sheet glued/screwed to the floor (a thrifty builder without access to a commercial lead-casting foundry perhaps could do the job himself, using old lead tire weights or scrap lead, a charcoal fire and a simple mold – a particle board with wooden battens – but check the environmental policies in your area!).   Note: The gaff and lug version are on different plans. Please specify which you want when ordering. No building manual is included. For more information on building techniques, please consult one of the books on boat building listed in literature . More on the Sharpie 600 I frequently get questions about the off-center board, positioned 30 cm to the right of the centerline. It means that the centerboard trunk that usually transforms the cabin of shallow-draft cruisers into two narrow and not very usable spaces is now out of the way, hidden behind the longitudinal bulkhead. The Sharpie 600 is surprisingly roomy. "But won´t she sail better on one tack?" In practice, you must be a very good sailor to be able to notice any difference. In the good old days, the centerboard was often placed through the planking beside the keel as boat builders did not like cutting holes in the backbone. Thus, my Sharpie follows a respected tradition, although the offset is slightly more than the older custom. The suggested interior layout is simple and easily maintained, without any installations (electricity, plumbing etc.): a portable toilet can be stored under the cockpit seat or under a hinged seat. The recommended water system is two 25 l jerrycans under the lifting galley countertop – one for fresh water and one to collect the waste water – that are reasonably easy to lift out and fill/empty. An alternate solution is to have two cans for fresh water and to drain the 'gray water' waste through the centerboard trunk. A removable section of the transom can be a perfect place for an outboard motor, or you can arrange something a little more elaborate with a motor well in the aft left corner of the cockpit. Lighting can be LED lamps with dry cells, or LED lamps run on a house battery under the cockpit (in which case a four-stroke outboard motor with an alternator would be best suited) The photos below (from Audun Bull in Norway and his S/Y Kuling ) show the surprising space that can be achieved in a tiny pocket cruiser when the centerboard is hidden behind the pantry counter. If someone wants to put sailmarks on the sails of their Sharpie, here are a couple of suggestions. They are available as downloads on the resource page . The color can be adjusted to suit the color scheme of the hull. The gaff version: The lug version: Sharpie 600 – background and history The Sharpie 600 started as a private project - an idea for a very simple, hassle-free, inexpensive and convenient way for me to spend time at sea. When the design was nearing completion in 1996, the UK magazine Classic Boat launched a design competition with almost the same specifications as those I had set for myself. I submitted my design in the competition and was happy to see that the Sharpie 600 was honored with a third place award. Sharpie 600 was honored with a third place award in Classic Boat's design contest 1996 Perhaps a centerboard and a mizzen placed off-center were hard to take for English traditionalists. One of the judges commented: "Björn Thomasson's flat-bottomed 'weekender-for-two' appealed to me for its charming simplicity. At a personal level, I am not entirely comfortable with the asymetry of the off-center board and mizzen. Hang the rudder in a slot to allow for a central mizzen and centre the board and this little lug-rigged cat yawl complete with two-berth cabin, head and galley, would be just right fo a drying mooring. The high aspect ratio lug rig certainly suits the little boat. Allowing for my personal prejudices, I gave it a third place." Perhaps if I had put the centerboard in the middle (compromising the livable room in the cabin) and centered the mizzen mast (complicating the construction with a non-lifting rudder in a slot, or a link system between the rudder and tiller) I might even have won! They are tricky, those Englishmen ;-) By the time the competition ended I had discovered that kayaks were an even more efficient way of spending time at sea, so the prototype was built by Wermlandia Båtproduktion and exhibited at the Stockholm Boat Fair, where she attracted a lot of interest from sailors, journalists and boatbuilders. To date (Summer 2021) 51 sets of plans have been shipped, but I am still waiting to start building my own Sharpie 600. There have been a lot of kayak projects in those years. Design & Illustration Grafisk form Produktdesign Bokillustrationer Reklamillustrationer Webbillustrationer Smått och gott Ännu småttigare Bank account: Sparbanken Skåne 8313-9,74116978-3     Org: SE490507465601       BIC: SWEDSESS   IBAN: SE57 8000 0831 3907 4116 9783 We have 18 designs for sharpies & dories on this page -  all for easy construction. E 11' SHARPIE   ORDER THE  DRAKE 11'SHARPIE PLANS - - 13' SHARPIE ORDER THE  DRAKE 13' SHARPIE PLANS 18' SHARPIE   ORDER THE  DRAKE 18' SHARPIE PLANS 11'6" GARVIE ORDER THE  ACORN 11'6" GARVIE PLANS - - GFISHER GARVIE ORDER THE  17' 6" KINGFISHER GARVIE PLANS - - DUCK PUNT ORDER THE  11'6" EIDER DUCK PUNT PLANS - - DUCK PUNT   ORDER THE  15' 'V' BOTTOMED RUDDY DUCK PUNT PLANS DUCK PUNT   ORDER THE  15' 3" SHELDUCK DUCK PUNT PLANS - FULL PLAN £ - FULL PLAN £ S DORY   ORDER THE  10' GRAND BANKS DORY PLANS - - NET DORY ORDER THE  12' 10" SIGNET DORY PLANS - - E DORY   -   ORDER THE  14' EXE DORY  PLANS - FULL PLAN £ - FULL PLAN £ - FULL PLAN £ DORY ORDER THE  18' EXE DORY PLANS PUNT ORDER TH E  16' CAMBRIDGE PUNT PLANS - FULL PLAN £ - FULL PLAN £ PUNT ORDER THE  20' CAMBRIDGE PUNT PLANS ORDER THE  24' CAMBRIDGE PUNT PLANS PUNT   ORDER THE  18' SIMPLE ESTATE PUNT PLANS - FULL PLAN £3 - FULL PLAN £3 BOAT ORDER THE  15' 9" DRIFT BOAT PLANS   When the going gets tough... Welcome to nisboats   ...Norwalk Islands Sharpies get going! Home to the Norwalk Islands Sharpies The shallow draft and very strongly constructed hull bottoms mean that you can take moorings where most others cannot. The self righting capabilities are up there with most blue water racing yachts. Much has and is still being been learned from the hundreds of ‘our’ owner builders and their cruising and club racing exploits around the world, especially here in Australia. For the past 5 years we have been reworking the plans to take into account the many innovations that have come largely from 'our' owner builders, and at the same time, digitising all the plywood components so that we can offer kits to streamline the building process. The first kit boats are now on the water in Australia. Builders report up to 50% time saving in the hull construction. The Mk2 Kits are being laser cut in Australia, the UK and in New Zealand. The Norwalk Islands Sharpies stand on a grand tradition. Our owners and builders are extending the lore! We welcome you aboard. Robert Ayliffe - October 2010   Robert Ayliffe ‘The seas were high and so was the wind noise, spray everywhere. We were crossing Investigator Straight between Kangaroo Island and Port Vincent in St Vincents Gulf, in late 1988, in NIS 23 Charlie Fisher, a boat that was only weeks old, and largely new to me. The conditions were at variance to the forecast. It felt pretty brisk all right, but were in no danger. The boat itself was quiet and handled the somewhat spectacular conditions well. As we dried out the next morning, bow run up on Port Vincent’s dry beach sand, a yachtsman rowed past. “There’s a rumour you guys sailed from Kangaroo Island, yesterday?” “Yep”, we said. “Some boat!” “What do you mean?” “It was gusting 60 knots all day out there. None of us would dare be out in that.’ Since then Robert and many others have successfully raced and cruised their Norwalk Islands Sharpies in big water all around Australia, and other parts of the world. Boat Plans | Books | CD's | Downloads $ 0.00 0 items Catalogue Of Sharpie Designs $ 30.00 Description Reviews (0) The Sharpie Catalogue includes 30 sailing sharpie designs and 3 power sharpies. Construction is plywood/epoxy/fabric of the simplest kind. These vessels are intended to be built by amateurs in the garage or back yard. Most are flat-bottomed; a few are V- or arc-bottomed; all sailboats are centerboarders. The larger sharpies can be built in steel or aluminum. Virtually all the sharpie designs are adaptions of traditional American working craft. Sharpies are fast and surprisingly weatherly, and terrific fun to sail. Because they are relatively narrow and light, even large sharpies can be trailored more easily than any other hull type. Only the largest sharpies can be comfortably lived in–but they make great camp boats and weekend cruisers for the whole family. Construction methods are described in THE SHARPIE BOOK by Reuel B. Parker. The book includes a history of sharpies and traditional construction methods. This Catalogue includes inserts of new sharpie designs at no additional cost, like our MAXI-TRAILERABLE CRUISING SHARPIES. . There are no reviews yet. Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review. 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Amarine Made View all Brands Shop by Category Rudder Hardware Materials list       Picture Album  (Princess 22/26) The Princess Sharpie 26 like her little sister, the  Princess Sharpie 22 , is an easy to build trailerable, beachable vessel. The sharpie hull shape as developed for this has been well proven in the 22. This boat also has the  V-bottom to maintain the handling and performance which has made her little sister such a joy to sail. The boat has been designed for variable draft/ballast.  Whether you need ultra shallow draft for creeping into hidden creeks and the minimum trailering weight, or a bit more stability for open water, the boat can be built to suit your specific needs.  The boat is not intended to cruise around the world and pass the Great Capes, but if you choose the deeper draft and greater ballast, it is a boat that will not mind being caught out in a blow – and you will not have to wait out the weather until that one perfect day!  It will not disappoint in light air and takes the heavy stuff on the chin.  The cat ketch rig is friendly and kindly to the crew.  The freedom of not having to tack wildly through a sudden storm  with all hands on deck makes family sailing a whole new experience.  Again the offset centerboard makes the cabin much roomier and more open.  The open cabin layout allows for builder-owners to do a good deal of “customizing” of the interior within the parameters of the structural bulkhead requirements.  There is room for an enclosed head or relatively luxurious galley for the gourmet chef on board.  The layout shown is only one possibility, and we are always happy to work with our builders with ideas and guidance (not complete re-designs) to accommodate their needs. In order to get the shallow draft and lightweight trailer-ability, we have have to forgo full standing headroom, but there is ample sitting headroom, even for tall people, at 5′.  However, in the standard layout and any variations, by placing the galley below the hatch, you do have standing headroom for cooking duties.  We may also look at the option of a “pop-top”, for those who want the headroom, even at the cost of added complication in building and added expense. The basic hull construction, except for bottom forward section and the keel batten, is straight-forward stitch and glue. Building requires no special skills or tools. All the measurements needed to build are included with the plan.  Basic wood working skills are helpful, but if you have patience and are willing to do a little research, this could be a first project.   LOA………………..26′ 0″   7.92m LWL………………..25′ 0″   7.62m  BEAM……………… 8′ 0″  2.44m DRAFT…………….. 1′ 4″ – 4′ 9″    .406m –  1.45m SAIL AREA …….294 sq. ft. working sail including roach 27.31m BOAT WEIGHT…2500# – 2700# (ballast 700#) DISPLACEMENT 3700 lbs @ DWL 1.682t Disp./L 106 — PPI 635#  288k Princess Sharpie 26' Plans Tenten 10-305 Tenten 14-425 Carabela 650 Prao Vaka 600 Prao Vaka 990 Projects 2022 Projects 2021 Press review Boats plans for self builder - in metric Imperial plans on duckworks. Twin keels version   Daguerboard version 40.00 €   A contemporary fast sailing dinghy. The hull shape has been tested in a VPP program. - LOA 3.5 m x Beam 1.4 m - Weight 65 kg - SA 4.7/6 m2, can use a Laser 4.7 rig - For one adult and a child (CE D/2) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. DXF CNC cutting file. 6 sheets of ACX 1/5 5 mm plywood.   50.00 € Laser Radial rig version 420 version 70.00 € 60.00 €   for rivers & lakes sailing - LOA 8' x Beam 4' 1/2" - SA 4.9 m² - Weight 60 kg - Weight full load 280 kg - Camper for one person ( CE D/1 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 5 1/2 sheets of ACX 1/4 - 6 mm plywood. 40.00 €   One main central long keel and two bilge skegs to sit upright. - LOA 3.20 m x Beam 1.24 m - SA 4.75 m² - Weight 70 kg - Weight full load 300 kg - Camper for one, daysailer for three ( CE D/3 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 3-1/2 sheets of ACX 5/16 8 mm or 3/8 10 mm plywood. 45.00 €   A simple junk sail minimalist scow. - LOA 4.20 m x Beam 1.24 m - SA 5.7 m² - Weight 125 kg - Weight full load 340 kg - Camper for two ( CE D/2 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 7 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. Free plan ! [ ]   - LOA 4.20 m x Beam 1.58 m - SA 9.65 m² - Weight 200 kg - Weight full load 450 kg - Camper for two, daysailer for three ( CE D/3 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide and photos. 11 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. 55.00 €   . - LOA 4.50 m x Beam 1.64 m - SA 10.6 m² - Weight 250 kg - Weight full load 580 kg - Cruiser for four ( CE D/4 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide and photos. 14 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. 75.00 € Full PDF plans  with 3D building guide. DXF CNC cutting file. 10 sheets of ACX 1/4 6 mm plywood.   65.00 €   - LOA 4.00 m x beam 1.64 m - SA 9.35 m² - Weight 150 kg - Weight full load 400 kg - Camper for two ( CE D/2 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide and photos. 8 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. 50.00 €   A cabin with two bunks, and place for all your stuff, camping stove & toilet. - LOA 4.20m x beam 1.68m - SA 9.65 m² junk or gaff rig - Weight kg - Weight full load 450 kg - Cruiser for two, daysailer for three ( CE D/3 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide and photos. 11 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. 65.00 €   A pocket cruiser with a double chines hull. - LOA 4.50 m x beam 1.80 m - SA 12 m² - Weight 295 kg - Weight full load 580 kg - Cruiser for three ( CE D/3 protected waters ) One double berth, a single bunk, galley and toilet locker. Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide and photos. 14 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. 85.00 €   Sailboat plans with variations : ketch, schooner or sloop, two roof shapes, long or short cockpit. A larger pocket ship with a double chines hull. - LOA 5.75 m x Beam 2.23 m - SA 18.5 m² - Weight 600 kg - Internal ferrociment ballast and daggerboard with lead - Weight full load 1100 kg - Cruiser for four, daysailer for five ( CE C/3-D/5 ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 20 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. et 4 sheets of ACX 1/2 12 mm plywood. Fiber glass / epoxy on the bottom of the hull.   175.00 €   - LOA 4.70 m x beam 1.64 m - SA 9.9 m² - bermudian or gaff rig. - Weight 250 kg - Weight full load 500 kg - Cruiser for two, daysailer for 3 ( CE D/3 ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 10 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood. et 1 sheets of ACX 1/4 6 mm plywood.   85.00 €   - LOA 5.50 m, beam 1.88 m - SA 15 m² - Hasler or fantail sail - "chinne runners" and central leeboard - Sliding hatch, two plastic domes, internal command lines - Weight 500 kg with a 120 kg ballast - Weight full load 800 kg - Cruiser for two, daysailer for 4 ( CE C/2 - D/4 ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 14 sheets of ACX 9 mm plywood. et 3 sheets of 12 mm plywood.   165.00 €   Jangadas are traditional fishing boat on the north coast of Brazil, originally simple log rafts. The Jangada 488 is a special surf scow, with the choice of a Bermudian or a crab claw rig, barn door or lifting rudder, and optional seating wings. There is enough space to sleep on board. - LOA 4.93 m x Beam 1.8 m - SA 11.3 m² de voilure - bermudian or crab claw sail - Weight 220 kg - Weight full load 500 kg - Camper for two, daysailer for three ( CE D/3 protected waters ) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 8 to 12 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood.   65.00 €   A classical motor launch on a simple semi-dory hull. - LOA 5.30 m x Beam 1.81 - Weight 450 kg - Weight full load 900 kg - Motor 10/30HP - Daysailer for five ( CE C/4 et D/5) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 9 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood and 4 sheets of ACX 1/2 12 mm plywood.   65.00 € On the same basis, a motor launch with a shelter cabin. 10 sheets of ACX 3/8 10 mm plywood and 4 sheets of ACX 1/2 12 mm plywood. 75.00 € . - Stitch and glue with light glass layer - LOA 4.60 m x 3.80 m wide - 60 kg - SA 5.15 m² - Training sailboat for 3 adults or 4 children (catégorie D3) PDF A3 plans 5 sheets of ACX  6, 8 or 9 mm  plywood 50.00 € - LOA 3.95 m beam 2.27 m - SA 9.75 m² "Hasler" junk sail - Two bunks - Weight kg 250 - 400 kg - Cruiser for two ( CE D/2) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 17 sheets of ACX 6 mm plywood.   60.00 € - LOA 5.45 m x  2.44 m wide - SA 15 m² "Hasler" junk sail - Two bunks - Weight kg 270 - 600 kg - Cruiser for two ( CE C/2 - D/2) Full plans in PDF with 3D building guide. 17 sheets of ACX 6 mm plywood.       95.00 €   Optimisation en CFD 250.00 € Cuising version   Sport version   With CNC cutting file 690.00 €       A folding trimaran for advanced builder. - LOA 6.2 m x max beam 4.95 m, 2.1 m fold, 1.85 m unbolt. - Weight 450 kg - SA 23 m2, can use a Tornado ou Hobie Cat 21 rig and sails. - Cruiser for four (CE C3/D4) PDF A3 plans of the main hull and floats, bulkheads, rudder, leeboards, folding beam, glassfibering with UD or carbon. 26 to 28 sheets of ACX 1/4 6 mm plywood.   295.00 € Option with foils dagguerboards on a wooden shape - Easy profil maling - Dyneema ® control lines - Modifications on the original plan : carbon fiber & beam geometry 95.00 € Lifting keel   Dagguerboard - LO 3.05 m x beam 1.44 m - Lifting keel or dagguerboard - Stitch and glue plywood building - Weight 140-160 kg, ballast 30.5/53 kg - SA 6 m2 de voilure, "Hasler" ou "Fantail" junk sail - 125° Angle of Vanishing Stability fully loaded - 2 bunks, storages - Interior steering - 10 sheets of ACX 1/4 6 mm plywood - CE C1/D1 - PDF file 16 A3 sheets 120.00 € Lifting keel - LO 4.25 m x beam 1.83 m - Lifting keel - Flush deck or roof - Stitch and glue plywood building - Weight 375/650 kg, ballast 100 kg - SA 11 m2 de voilure, "Fantail" junk sail - 130° Angle of Vanishing Stability fully loaded - 2 bunks, storages - cockpit and interior steering - 18 sheets of ACX  8 or 9 mm plywood - CE C1/D3 - PDF file 9 A1 sheets 175.00 €   - LO 4.75 m x beam 1.84 m  - Twin dagguerboards, grounding steel plate, ballasts - Stitch and glue plywood building - Weight 375 kg / 750 kg - SA 12 to 16.5 m2 de voilure, junk or Cat boat - Wooden mast with UD carbon or carbone tube - 120° Angle of Vanishing Stability fully loaded - 2 bunks, storages - Optionnal DXF file for CNC cutting - 21 sheets of ACX 6,7 or 8 mm plywood - CE C1/D3 - PDF file 10 A1 sheets   245.00 € - LO 6.10 m x beam 2.30 m - SA 21.9 m2 + optionnal gennaker - Lifting keel 80 / 100 kg + ballast 160 / 140 kg - Stitch and glue plywood building - Weight 570 kg - Double bunk, storages - 20 sheets of ACX 8 or 9 mm plywood - CE C3/D5 - PDF file 12 A2 sheets 295.00 € Schooner junk rig ...twin rudders and leeboards V shape bow optimized in CFD - LO 6.50 m x beam 2.46 m - Twin leeboards and grounding steel plate - Stitch and glue plywood building - Weight 1250 kg / 1800 kg - SA 24.7 m2  - 130° Angle of Vanishing Stability fully loaded - Two cabins, separate head, galley, chart table 3/4 bunks - Optionnal 75l Ballast 75l to reach B2 classification - 43 sheets of ACX 9 or 10 mm plywood - CE B2/C4 - PDF file 10 A0 sheets   495.00 €   Wooden keel with carbon layers Hull shape optimized in CFD   - LO 6.50 m x 2.55 m - Lifting keel with 315 kg lead bulb - Lifting rudders on skegs - Can sail inshore with partially lift keel - Stitch and glue plywood building with glass and carbon fiber - Weight 900/950 kg - SA 43.5 m2, aloy mast - 130° Angle of Vanishing Stability fully loaded - 2/4 bunks - Ballast 2x195 l to give quite the same righting moment than canting keel - Around 40 plywood sheets,  9 and 6 mm  - CE B2/C4 - Plans 9 A0 sheets - DXF file for CNC cutting, jig and templates included 690.00 €   A Sit On Top kayak with a leeboard and sailing option. Plywood epoxy building on a central backbone and light frames. - LOA 3.65 m x beam 0.80 m - Weight 35 kg - Weight max load 160 kg - SA 1.56 / 1.82m2. - For 1/2 persons, one adult + a child or two teenagers (CE D2) 4 sheets of ACX 1/5 5 mm plywood. 55.00 €   A Sit On Top kayak with a leeboard and sailing option. Plywood epoxy building on a central backbone and light frames. - LOA 4.25 m x beam 0.78 m - Weight 35 kg - Weight max load 190 kg - SA 1.82 / 2.2m2. - For 1/2 persons, one adult + a child or two teenagers (CE D2) 4 sheets of ACX 1/5 5 mm plywood. 65.00 €   - 2 asymmetric lateral floats - box-section beam - 3.7 m2 1 sheets of ACX 1/6 4 mm plywood. 15.00 € - LO 4.75 m x beam 0.86 m - Sliding seat and wooden footrests - Stitch and glue plywood building - PDF file 9 sheets A2 - 5 sheets of ACX 1/5 or 1/4 - 5 / 6 mm plywood 70.00 €   - LO 6 m x beam 1.74 m - Sliding seat and wooden footrests - single handed or double crew - Leeboard and ruder - Sides and front storages - SA 14.5 m² - Weight 175 kg - Stitch and glue plywood building - CE D3 - 10 sheets A1 + DXF file for CNC cutting included - 14.5 plywood sheets 1/4 - 6 mm ( 16 manual cutting ). 245.00 € Jérôme Delaunay Naval Architect - Nautline design office in naval architecture: I design and draw custom boat and sailboat plans, in plywood epoxy and other materials. Sailboat plans for shipowner construction and professional construction. Plans of multihulls, plans of catamarans, praos and trimarans. CFD hull study, digital hull basin, engine optimization. I offer scantling calculations, keel calculations, mast and rig calculations. Composite sampling calculations. DXF digital plans for CNC digital cutting. Sailboats embody the mystery of the sea, of going only where the wind is willing to take you. We offer a variety of sailboat sizes, using several construction techniques. We offer sails, hardware and rigging for many of our sailboat designs. This enables you to focus on building your boat, not searching around for all the bits and pieces needed to complete the project. Free online book:  Rigging Small Sailboats Sailboat Hardware Notes Glen-L 25 - Plywood SoonTBC New Member I have been doing some research on alternative cruising boats, and am starting to like the more outside the box cruisers like Bolger's AS39, Chris Morejohn's hogfish and hogfish maximus, Norwalk island sharpies and the like. From what I've read, they sound like pretty good boats. Generally pretty cheap, fast and easy to build, decent downwind performance, don't roll much at anchor, and the capability of extreme shoal draft. So why aren't they more common? Is it that they are too unusual for most people's likings or are there some serious issues with these types of boats?   Here are the boats I mentioned. There's also an nis 43 on yachtworld at the moment: http://au.yachtworld.com/boats/2003...ruce-Kirby-2549695/United-States#.V2z21TX3eHM   Attached Files: Nis-31-talisman-2.jpg, hogfish maximus.jpg. rwatson Senior Member There has been a bit of discussion on that in older threads. Seems opinions acknowledge ease of build and extra room, but for heavy weather you have potential problems - eg. Pounding in incoming waves, and stability side on to waves. With a flat bottom, you get the hull goign right over in sideways waves   PAR Yacht Designer/Builder The problem with all flat bottoms, unless they have an unusual amount of rocker, is stability. It takes a bigass sharpie to get standing headroom and if you want to kill the stability curve on this hull form, just stick a standing headroom cabin on too small of one. If you do put enough rocker in the bottom, you pick up a huge amount of wetted surface and drag. A flat bottom boat isn't much easier than a V bottom (4 panels) or a 5 panel (flat bottom panel) build and there are many advantages to the multi chine approuch, fixing many of the issues of a flat bottom. Now a 15' jon boat is a pretty easy thing to assemble, compared to a V or 5 panel, but the actual hull build is a fairly small part of the complete project, once you get over the small day boat sizes. So, it's generally wiser to build a more efficient and stable hull form (V or multi chine) then save 5% - 10% of the build cost differences in a flat bottom.   upchurchmr Senior Member When people get in trouble its mostly not due to good downwind performance. Its from poor upwind performance. All the reports I've seen on slab sided, flat bottomed, light weight boats are that they will not go to weather well. Same as the old square rigged tall ships. Many died on a lee shore, because they could not go to weather well. Not what I would want for a "safe" cruising boat. IMHO, they are ugly too.   philSweet Senior Member Compared to a production boat, they will have to be heavier because large flat panels are weak compared to compound curves. So they take more framing, which eats up even more space. And yes, they can pound terribly off shore, and are noisy at anchor. If you go by equal performance, they aren't much cheaper to build, and probably cost more to operate and maintain. But, they are within the ability of a lot more people to build in reasonable time. I happen to like HF Maximus a lot. But it is a 20 ton boat. Sharpie types, counter to popular notions, are not very good light boats. They are wonderful at carrying a load, though. If you are used to small boats, you have to get your head around the idea that the boat has to provide all of the righting moment. Crew weight doesn't do much on a couple's cruiser. With the wonderful little diesels we have now, the low-power designs don't make that much sense. You just don't design boats to sail well at 2 knots anymore.   Thanks for the replies, here are a few more questions. PAR said that putting a standing headroom cabin on a small sharpie without much rocker will kill the stability, but the nis 31 does that and has an AVS of 140 degrees. Not trying to challenge anyone's knowledge, but doesn't that contradict what PAR said? Upchurchmr, you commented on the upwind performance, but from what I've read about hogfish maximus, it has pretty decent performance. Can someone please clear this up for me?   It's a lot more complex a set of subjects, than this venue permits describing easily. As to Kirby's "sharpie" designs, well they're not really sharpies and he's used most of the tricks in the book, to get accommodations and stability in these designs. For example, nearly 1/2 of the hull's freeboard is also used in cabin roof crown, which effectively does a couple of things, first is to hide the huge box like structure that would be there, if a conventional roof crown was employed and second to make the boat quite unstable when upside down. The hull is cleverly shaped and draws 18" with the board up, about 1/3rd of the ballast is in the board and in general Kirby is what his reputation suggests, but this isn't the general rule for flat bottom, sharpie type hulls. Hogfish Maximus uses some of the same shapes as the NIS series, though a lot more rocker and several other major differences, most way too subtle for the average person to notice. Simply put, you can design a flat bottom boat to take on deep water, but there's a big price to pay in terms of performance, compaired to boats of different hull configuration. It's easy to see once you run some comparative numbers on similar hulls (flat, V, multi chine and round bilge). It takes a lot of understanding to make a sharpie like hull do well and the typical changes you need to make, on a blue water version, usual turns them into something other than a sharpie, though the term sharpie, will sell more plans or boats, compaired to the flat bottom skiff like hull, that they actually become. Lastly, the hull being flat bottomed increases immersed volume (dramatically), which is why real sharpies are quite narrow and have modest rocker. There's no such thing as a small sharpie for this reason, though again, some will use the term anyway. Sharpies were used much like dories and in this role did very well. Half their displacement was in the fish hold, but if you take away this capacity to suit a yacht, then the qualities of both types disappear, so you either have a burdened down boat, to regain the qualities or a corky boat that's nothing like what the original variants were. Again, it's not as big an impact of the full scope on a 40' project, being a flat or V bottom (even multi chine), so the disadvantages and cost savings are difficult to quantify, when viewing the whole project. On a 40' yacht, the hull shell is what 10% of the total project effort, so your take you knocks when developing up the SOR and this dictates the hull form you'll employ, not the meager material and labor savings, that a flat bottom might bring to the table, comparatively.   CT249 Senior Member SoonTBC said: ↑ Thanks for the replies, here are a few more questions. PAR said that putting a standing headroom cabin on a small sharpie without much rocker will kill the stability, but the nis 31 does that and has an AVS of 140 degrees. Not trying to challenge anyone's knowledge, but doesn't that contradict what PAR said? Upchurchmr, you commented on the upwind performance, but from what I've read about hogfish maximus, it has pretty decent performance. Can someone please clear this up for me? Click to expand... mydauphin Senior Member The problem is called flipping... IF you don't have a deep enough keel, you will get flipped, and like the poor turtle or catamaran, you won't get back up very easily. If you want to play in the big water, you have to be willing to take a tumble.   gonzo Senior Member That is not necessarily true. Lifeboats have no deep keel and are self-righting. Deep keel boats can capsize and roll over also.   Gonzo caught it before I could reply. There are some advantages to shallow hulls in deep water, such as not tripping over their deep appendages, but generally it's a much more complex set of issues to homogenize than it would initially appear.   Advertisement: These flat bottom boats launch off the surf in pretty rough conditions. https://viaggioversoilsud.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/dsc_2327.jpg   why aren't there fast planing sailing dingies able to take outboard motors? Why aren't offshore tunnel hulls using forward wings to control bow lift? Aren't volvo "pods" very vulnerable to grounding or. Sharpies, Bruce Kirby etc No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? 487 IMAGES Building sharpie sailboat ~ Free tunnel hull boat plans Building sharpie sailboat ~ Free tunnel hull boat plans Building sharpie sailboat ~ Wooden kayaks Sharpie sailboat plan ~ Build wooden shipm From the Yachting Archives: How to Build a Sharpie Sailboat The Sharpie 600 project COMMENTS From the Yachting Archives: How to Build a Sharpie Sailboat How to Build a Sharpie Part II The Most Boat for the Least Cost By EDWIN S. PARKER From the January 1931 issue of Yachting. In the December 1930 issue of Yachting, the plans and directions for building a 15-foot Sharpie were given that carried the work as far as planking the bottom. In the present article the directions for work are continued ... Building a Wooden Boat: Sharpie Sailing Skiff Project 2021 I built this skiff based loosely on several designs in Raul Parker's Sharpie Book. Chesapeake Oyster Skiff, Mississippi River yawl, and Crab skiff. The sail ... Building a wood/epoxy Sharpie, Phase I So why butt blocks on this boat? The sharpie hull resembles the long shapes of the trimaran more than the short beamy shape with which I've had difficulties. I'm building this boat by myself. A complete panel all scarfed together would weigh on the order of 90 pounds. Even if it weighed half that, at 3′ by 30′ it is unwieldy. A Lightweight, Fast-Sailing Sharpie from John Harris John's Sharpie is similar in proportion to the sharpies used around New Haven, Connecticut for oyster tonging in the 19th century. Rendered in modern materials, this 21st century sharpie is fast, light, easy to handle, and easy to build. Renditions of John's Sharpie have been built from CLC kits and plans all over the world, from the 15th floor ... Sharpie 24 Hampton Flattie 24′ Chesapeake Bay Hampton FlattieL.O.A.: 24′ 2″L.W.L.: 22′ 8″Beam: 7′ 9″ Draft: 2′ ½″/3′ 9″Sail Area: 263 sq ftWeight: 2,500# (approx)Proportionately, this is the largest sharpie type known, and shows the maximum beam ratio successfully used in the sharpie type. Hence, this is a 'big little boat,' and will make an ... 18' Sharpie 18' Sharpie. 07-27-2006, 01:46 PM. With the purchase of my new house, I'll have the boat shop, er.. I mean garage that I've always wanted. In it, I'm soon hoping to build "Idie," an 18' Sharpie whose plans are offered from the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC. Scott's Boat Pages: Reuel Parker Egret 31.5 Sharpie Build Blog Based on the original 28-footer made famous by Commodore Munroe in Florida, this 31.5-foot version offers much better cruising accommodations, although like all sharpies, still minimal for it's size. Reuel said it was the most boat that could be built for the money and pointed out that it would be quick to build, trailerable and yet capable of ... Little Egret Plans PDF Little Egret is an open Sharpie of 18' 10" x 4' 10â ³ x 6", with a hull shape reminiscent of the famous 28' Sharpie, Egret, designed by Ralph Middleton Munroe in 1886 for use in the shallow waters of Florida.I have long had a fascination for Egret, and think that her hull cross-section, which is part Sharpie and part Dory, is a superb compromise for a sailing vessel. A Pacific Northwest Sharpie For The Bahamas The first sharpie I built for myself—around 1988—was the 19′ Ohio sharpie GATO NEGRO, which I built in my small boatyard in Islamorada, Florida Keys. Although I have continued to design many more sharpies, both large and small, I had never built and owned a large cruising sharpie myself… until starting to build IBIS in December of 2007. Sharpie (boat) Whatever the case, Chesapeake sharpie skiffs were common, especially in the smaller sizes, because of their easy and cheap construction. Howard I. Chapelle, a naval architect and curator of maritime history, wrote several books on traditional work boats and boat building, some of which include sharpie design and construction. He was a ... Planning to build a chesapeake 20' sharpie Traditional methods can present you with a more shapely boat, reverse curves, tumble home, dramatic flair, etc. which are difficult to achieve in plywood. In the end, most opt for plywood for a number of reasons. Ease of build, availably of stock, long life of well coated material, light weight frameless construction, and a dry boat to name a few. John's Sharpie. A Lightweight, Fast-Sailing Sharpie John's Sharpie is similar in proportion to the sharpies used around New Haven, Connecticut for oyster tonging in the 19th century. Rendered in modern materials, this 21st century sharpie is fast, light, easy to handle, and easy to build. Renditions of John's Sharpie have been built from CLC kits and plans all over the world, from the 15th floor ... Ohio Sharpie Project The sharpie design is believed to have originated along the Long Island Sound in the 1800's as a workboat in the oyster fishery. Sharpies are long, narrow sailboats with flat bottoms, extremely shallow draft, centerboards and straight, flaring sides. They are noted for being relatively easy to build, very fast, stable and had the ability to ... Sharpie 600 Easy to build: Designed for amateur construction, the Sharpie is built on 7 transverse and 2 longitudinal bulkheads, preassembled like a large jig-saw puzzle. To this, bottom-, planking- and deck panels, sheathed in epoxy/glass are glued. The Sharpie 600 took the third prize in Classic Boat´s design competition in 1996. Small Sharpies & Dories A very simple 18'x 5'2'' ply sharpie drawn with a simple unstayed sprit boom rig and a ply centreboard. Ideal for estuary cruising and an excellent 'big' boat for first time construction. In it's basic form 10 sheets of 3/8'' ply and 1 sheet of 1/2'' ply are used. Below is an example of the Drake 18 by Adrian While. nisboats : Norwalk Islands Sharpies : plans kits building sailing Welcome to Straydog Boatworks, the World of Norwalk Islands Sharpies and Iain Oughtred wooden boats. Designs from the world famous Laser designer, Bruce Kirby and Iain Oughtred. nisboats : Norwalk Islands Sharpies : plans kits building sailing rigging & lots of boat stuff : Bruce Kirby Designs & Straydog Boatworks Catalogue Of Sharpie Designs The Sharpie Catalogue includes 30 sailing sharpie designs and 3 power sharpies. Construction is plywood/epoxy/fabric of the simplest kind. These vessels are intended to be built by amateurs in the garage or back yard. Most are flat-bottomed; a few are V- or arc-bottomed; all sailboats are centerboarders. The larger sharpies can be built in steel […] Sailboats Princess Sharpie 26'. Materials list Picture Album (Princess 22/26) The Princess Sharpie 26 like her little sister, the Princess Sharpie 22, is an easy to build trailerable, beachable vessel. The sharpie hull shape as developed for this has been well proven in the 22. This boat also has the V-bottom to maintain the handling and performance ... Evaluating Sharpie Construction In the middle of forested country with boat wood available locally, you can build a solid-wood, traditional sharpie cheaper than with ply and the boat will also be worth considerably more than a plywood boat when done. Traditional boats take a bit longer to build because of smaller pieces, but are much more fun to build....the old sharpie ... PDF Sponsored by New Haven Sharpie 28 ft. Sharpie boats were popularly used during the 19th and early 20th century. New Haven was considered the "oyster capital of the world" between 1820 and 1910, which prompted the evolution towards a more efficient oyster boat.5 With the resulting Sharpie boat, a 2-person crew could carry up to 175 bushels of oysters.6 During the height ... Nautline : Boat plans, plywood sailboats plans, pocket cruisers A cruising sharpie with multiple roots. - LOA 5.50 m, beam 1.88 m - SA 15 m² - Hasler or fantail sail ... A Sit On Top kayak with a leeboard and sailing option. Plywood epoxy building on a central backbone and light frames. - LOA 4.25 m x beam 0.78 m - Weight 35 kg - Weight max load 190 kg PVC gives new life to sharpies and skiffs Boatbuilder Eric Hedberg of Rionholdt Once and Future Boats in Gwynn's Island, Va. recently got an order to build a 14' two-mast sharpie out of PVC materials. The buyer, from Manteo, N.C., had ancestors who had worked a sharpie in the Carolina sounds pound net fishery. ... "This type of boat was particularly well suited to oyster fishing ... Shop Sailboats. Sailboats embody the mystery of the sea, of going only where the wind is willing to take you. We offer a variety of sailboat sizes, using several construction techniques. We offer sails, hardware and rigging for many of our sailboat designs. This enables you to focus on building your boat, not searching around for all the bits and ... Why aren't sharpies/flat bottom yachts more common as ... A flat bottom boat isn't much easier than a V bottom (4 panels) or a 5 panel (flat bottom panel) build and there are many advantages to the multi chine approuch, fixing many of the issues of a flat bottom. Now a 15' jon boat is a pretty easy thing to assemble, compared to a V or 5 panel, but the actual hull build is a fairly small part of the ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat trimaran yacht