Sharpie (boat)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sharpies are long, narrow sailboats with flat bottoms, extremely shallow draft, centerboards and straight, flaring sides. They are believed to have originated in the New Haven, Connecticut region of Long Island Sound, United States, for the oystering industry, which thrived in New Haven harbor with its wide, shallow waters.

The type is believed to have evolved from the Native American dugout canoes that were originally used in the area. European setters altered the original dugout form so that the sides and bottom were flat, to improve stability and carrying capacity.

It was around 1840-1850 that the first true sharpies were being built in the New Haven area. These were long boats, about 27 feet or so, crewed by one man and rigged as a cat-ketch, with three mast steps; one at the bow, one amidships and one in between. In light airs, two masts would be stepped at the bow and amidships, but in heavier weather a single mast would be stepped in the middle. Larger versions, up to 35 feet, were crewed by two men. The New Haven models were typified by plumb bows with the foot just out of the water and round, counter-sterns.

Although most sharpies were rigged as a cat-ketch with free standing, sprit rigs, larger versions - especially those found in the Carolina's and Florida - used stayed gaff schooner rigs which included a jib.

The sharpie type migrated south and west to other regions where shallow water prevented deep-draft vessels from operating, including Chesapeake Bay, the Carolina's, the Great Lakes (Ohio) and Florida.

Sharpies were introduced to Florida in 1881, when Commodore Ralph Monroe brought a 30-foot sharpie to the Key West area of Florida. Several years later, the Commodore brought his 33-foot Kingfish to St. Augustine, Florida. Perhaps the most famous of sharpies was the Commodore's, Egret design, now immortalized in plans available from WoodenBoat magazine. The Commodore designed Egret in 1886 and had her built on Staten Island and delivered to Key West.

Egret was unique in that she had higher, flaring sides than the typical sharpie and was double-ended. As with a dory, this meant more stability as she was loaded and the ability to run before a following sea without waves breaking over the stern. These attributes contributed to behavior that led the Commodore to call the Egret a "sharpie-lifeboat". Modern designers sometimes refer to the design as a 'shorie' - a cross between the sharpie and the dory.

Throughout the late 1800's, the Commodore and others helped to evolve the type. Thomas Clapham utilized a v-bottom in his "Nonpareil sharpies", and Larry Huntington introduced a rounded, arc bottom that has been used by modern designers like Bruce Kirby and Reuel Parker. Some believe the Chesapeake Bay skipjack with its v-bottom may have evolved from the early sharpies.

[edit] Modern sharpies

In recent years, the sharpie, as with many traditional American small craft, has enjoyed renewed interest as designers and sailors have sought boats with the virtues of shallow draft. However, most are homebuilt or of one-off construction. Exceptions include Bruce Kirby's Norwalk Islands series of sharpies or Phil Bolger's Dovekie.

The Twelve Square Metre Sharpie was designed in 1931 by the Kroger Brothers. The peak of the class was in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic games. To this day, the original design has been preserved, and the class is sailed competitively in the UK,Holland ,Germany, and Portugal. The European Championships are rotated between these four countries every year.

The term 'Twelve Square Metre' evolves from the original sail area, though on modern sharpies due to modern sail designs has now reached to around sixteen square metres.

There are still a small number of original sharpies in Australia, though they have not been sailed competitively since the 1960's. In Australia, the original 'heavyweight' Sharpie has now evolved into the lightweight Australian Sharpie.

Because of the design, the type has limitations that prevent mass-production in fiberglass. Fiberglass, by its nature, is stronger when used for compound curves. The flat bottom and sides of a sharpie are not well suited to this building material. Some designers, such as Bruce Kirby and Reuel Parker have managed to add some curves (typically at the chine) without compromising the qualities of the type, but there are limits as to what can be done before the boat becomes something other than a sharpie.

[edit] External links

The Center for Wooden Boats Wooden boat museum that offers free rides in two classic sharpies, an Egret, and a New Haven type.
John's Sharpie for information about the sharpie kit available from Chesapeake Light Craft
WoodenBoat Publications for sharpie plans and information about WoodenBoat magazine
Bolger Boats On The Web for a list of Bolger boats (including sharpies) that can be found on the Internet
Square Boats a web site dedicated to Bolger's boxy sharpies
Black Skimmer for a brief overview of Bolger's Black Skimmer design
Shoal Draft Mecca an article on crusing Florida Bay in a Black Skimmer
Phil Bolger Books, Boats & Magazine Articles for information about Phil Bolger's designs
Phillip C. Bolger a brief biography of Phil Bolger
Instant Boats for Phil Bolger's Black Skimmer plans
Norwalk Islands Sharpies One Stop Shop for information about the Norwalk Islands Sharpies
Bruce Kirby Marine for information about Bruce Kirby and his designs
Jim Michalak's Boats for information about Jim Michalak's Boats
Jim Michalak's Boat Designs for Jim Michalak's homepage
Parker Marine Enterpises for Reuel Parker's homepage
NIS Boats main agents for Bruce kirby's Norwalk Is Sharpies

British Sharpie Owners Association The British 12 m² Sharpie Owners Association, web development By William D. Fillingham
Parker, Reuel B. (1994). The Sharpie Book. Camden, ME: International Marine. ISBN 0-07-158013-1.
Chapelle, Howard I. (1951). American Small Sailing Craft. W. W. Norton & Co.. ISBN 0-393-03143-8.