Harbour directory
(Other) Sharpie
Specifications
- Boat Length
- 26" (66.04 cm)
Photos
About this boat
Scratch built model of a typical East Coast of America sharpie. Used as a general work/ fishing boat. Fitted with topsails a few weeks after original launching. Appears to have greatly improved performance, but there was rather too much wind for a fair assessment and my partner had no desire to go wading in the lake. (5/10)
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All the best, Nerys
The book I was referring to was the Chatham Directory of Inshore Craft. It was published in 1997 and goes round the coasts of Britain describing local types. It is full of lines plans, photos and descriptions but again, expensive. My copy is marked as costing £35 so don't do anything rash! I haven't see either of the books you mention, I'll look into them, although I have heard of Edgar March. I believe he wrote some volumes on steam trawlers.
I take your point about the sharpie being a simple shape and it's another reason I wanted to build one, yet Munroe seemed to design a wonderfully elegant craft in Egret and I wanted to capture something of that. I think one reason I gave up on the earlier hull was that I think I failed in that. Perhaps it looks better on paper than in 3D. I scaled the Parker offsets for a 1:8 model so feel inclined to use those, although he doesn't mention a displacement - it's got to be similar to the Wooden boat version. I would use the Munroe rig which is actually described as a cat ketch, both sails being near identical with a fairly high peaked gaff and a sprit instead of a boom on each. It looks more elegant to me than Parker's fully battened sails. The original Egret was only 28.5 feet long, so not really very big, cerainly not as big as yours. It would be fascinating to see photos of that if you have them, sounds a great boat. My first dinghy had a standing lug rig, very handy.
By the way, it's not the number of boats I build which worries me - it's the number I start! As I said, I have a gaffer I started 20 years ago which has been waiting patiently.
All the best,
Ian
Nerys
That sounds good, shouldn't be any problem to enlarge, simplest boat form there is really. Glad you don't have any problems with the number of boats you build, I'm lucky that way too. I gave my full size sharpie 'Gwahaniaeth' a fair bit of rocker in her bottom, thinks it improves ability to tack. What rig are you thinking about?. I think a two masted rig is preferable on a biggish sharpie, but that's only my opinion.
All the best, Nerys.
I too have the Chapelle books but find the drawings and offsets a little difficult to make out. Yes, I am seriously thinking of having another go at Egret. Let's be honest, I'm going to do it. When I beat myself up about unfinished projects my wife Jane always says, 'But it's your hobby, you can do what you want.'
I have all the templates for a 34" model but, as I said, I think I will go to 42" giving the boat more chance of success. In normal times I'd just whip down to the copy shop and get them enlarged but for now I think it will be easy enough to enlarge by hand as she js a flat bottomed, single chine hull. It's the profile which will be a bit more difficult. I like Muddy's (Speranza and Gwen Eagle) idea of a retospective build blog so might do that. That way you don't get egg on your face if things don't work out!
Looks as though the 48" Victorian gaff cutter I started in 1999 will have to wait a bit longer.☹️
Ian
Nerys
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That would be very interesting to see. Forty three foot is quite a boat.
My original Egret hull was 34" and I'm now planning to build at 42", ie 1:8 instead of 1:10. I calculate that that would give a weight of around 9.25lbs. I must say, seeing your nice sharpie model has made me feel keen to persist with this, although I have a fair few unfinished projects!
All the best,
Ian
Nerys
Nerys, it's Ruel Parker not Baker, and he designed a slightly beefier Egret and I have the table of offsets for that, so will have a look. It would give me a couple of pounds more displacement.
You KNOW you want to😊
Great shame that you 'wasted' that hull😮
😎