Sharpie 600

Kring förra sekelskiftet hade segelkanoter ofta ett sådant centerbordsarrangemang: fyra, fem lameller (formade som cirkelsektorer med liten spetsvinkel), ofta i bronsplåt, som hakade i varandra som en solfjäder när de fälldes ner. Hela konstruktionen fick ofta plats uppfälld under durken. En mycket elegant men också tämligen ömtålig lösning.

Gigi, the plans price is the same regardless of format.

Josh, some general thoughts on rigs:

Both rigs are a bit archaic in the light of modern racing theory. The advantages of both is that the mast/masts are lower, reducing the heeling moment, so that you can do without a deep weighted keel. Modern high narrow rigs and deep heavy keels has an edge going upwind, but the lower rigs have an advantage in crosswinds and following winds and they are generally easier to manage.

The gaff rig mast sits in a tabernacle, meaning that it is easy to lower (for example, to get under bridges). Since most sailors have some relation to gaffs, more of these are built.

The lug rig is an older type of rig, with a couple of interesting advantages: There is no boom, to hit you gybing. You have no sail over the cockpit flapping in your face. The two-sail configuration gives you a better maneuverability (turning, sailing sideways to quay, backing etc.). The masts are unstayed, so they flex slightly in gusts, spilling wind and reducing heeling. Lugger masts are light and easy to lift in and out by hand (but not as easy to quickly lower as a gaff mast in tabernacle).

The lug was my first choice, designing the sharpie, mainly from previous sailing experience under lug, which made some impression. But many potential builders felt unsecure with so archaic a rig and I received many requests for an alternative. So I designed the gaff version. The gaff outsells the lug 3 to 1. I is my understanding that many builders choose the gaff version for aesthetic reasons, finding it more "ship-like".

Yes Henri, I can mail the plans as pdf-files.

En loggert av den typen har stormasten långt förut just för att slippa komplicera segelsättningen med försegel. Utan sådana är hon mycket lätthanterad – inget segel behöver skotas om vid slagen. Hon seglar ganska bra med bara en bottenrevad stor (aningen tyngre på rodret med ganska okej ändå). En fock skulle flytta fram tryckpunkten ytterligare och göra henne ännu mer tungstyrd. Dessutom skulle jag nog inte vilja krypa fram i fören för att sätta en fock i sådant väder som tarvar bottenrevad stor. Däremot skulle säkert en revad mesan och en liten fock fock tillsammans fungera som en bra hårdvindskombination – och gå att trimma för självstyrning (jag brukar sy mesanseglet av lite tyngre väv än storen för att användas som stormsegel).

Vidare är det svårt att få tillräcklig spänn på förliket på ett löst försegel med ostagade master. En stor undanvindsfock för lätt vind kan funka, men mer tveksamt med ett hårdvindssegel och bidevind.

Men det finns alltid utrymme för experiment och möjliga förbättringar...

John, same thought ;-)

I linked the video text, and put up some interior photos from Auduns site a few hours before you published your comment (may take a while to notice since browsers may show cached versions first, and Google need a little time to index the new content).

I have to come back to you about the material list. I never worked that out since I never build the Sharpie for myself – got hooked on kayaks instead ;-)

Olle, nice that you joined the conversation! Been a long time...

Thanks Gerrit,

In essence a junk rig is a lug rig, so I see no reason why not. But you will still need a mizzen (junk) to balance the boat. A junk sail have more area in front of the mast than a standard non-dipping lug, so you would get the center of effort further up front with the junk mainsail.

The alternative would be to move the mast aft to compensate for the lack of mizzen. The calcuations are not hard to do – find the geometrical center of effort of the combined mailsail-mizzen on the standard lugger (indicated on the plans), and position your junk sail with the center of effort in that position.

Of course you will have to change the interior arrangement to suit – but that can be done quite easily without interfering with the longitudinal balance or sailing qualities.

The plans include masts, rigging, hardware etc.

I do not have a stability curve, since this will depend on your choice of materials, outfitting, how you use epoxy and fiberglass and a lot of other details. But built exactly as suggested she is self-righting from a position with the masts horisontal – though in a light boat like this the crew will be a large part of the weight and its behavior in a knockdown can make or brake any such statement...

Headroom is from the floor in the galley to the highest point of the underdeck. A small sharpie is never a very comfortable boat for moving around in. Cooking is best done sitting on a low bench opposite the galley, or with the head up the hatch. Seating arrangements as done in the arrangement pics from S/Y Kuling will allow for a decent headroom (99 cm from bench level to underdeck) even for a tall man.

The berths as drawn are 2 m and can be streched slightly if needed. The cockpit benches are 2,32 m and can be used as temporary guest berths under a boom tent.

The Sharpie has a very simple interior arrangement and is therefore easy to adjust to suit the owner.

Yes, the plans show a sheet of lead on parts of the floor midships. These lead plates can be easily and cheaply made, from fx used tyre balance weights, molten on a charcoal fire and poured onto a plywood sheet with wooden strips as perimeter rim. This sheet can, once cooled off, be shaped to fit the floor curve and glued/bolted in place.

An alternative (not shown on the plans) is to shape an outside shallow "keel" (some 4-5 cm high and 25-30 cm wide) with a slot for the centerboard. The advantage is that the center of gravity is slightly lower and that the lead sole may protect the bottom on shallows and drying moorings.

The displacement figure is with the ballast.

And you are of course right – the CB is out of the way, unless you make the "keel" very wide and thin ;-)

Sorry about the delay. Your English is probably better than my French (close to non-existent), my German is slightly better, but given the choice I'll take English ;-)

You can order via mail and SWIFT: SWEDSESS, IBAN: SE17 8000 0807 9607 4116 9783, in favour of: Björn Thomasson, Skånevägen 4, S-222 70 Lund, Sweden.

I have shipped 24 Sharpie plans, most in Sweden, the other in Norway, Germany, USA, South Africa, Belgium and France (2).

The plans include a suggested interior layout, simple, functional and designed for minimal upkeep.

I do not have a list of materials prepared, since I never got around to build the boat myself. But the French builders (and many other) are willing to accept contacts from prospective builders. Mail me for info.

Hi Fernando,

I had to use Google Translate to understand your questions (my spanish is good enough to order a beer, but not much more ;-). I hope I got it right.

There is no building manual for the Sharpie, primarily because most amateur builders will do better with a comprehensive boat building book, than with a few pages included manual. My first recommendation is "Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction", but there many other excellent books out there – maybe you can find one in Spanish.

The plans are available in English or Swedish only. But normally Google will translate the text on the plans accurately enough to build a kayak or a boat...

Hi Johan

No Sharpies in Spain – yet.

And unfortunately no estimated cost. I never got around to build my own. A lot of kayaks got in the way ;-)

The cost is to a large degree dependant on the quality of materials. You could f x use cheap interior plywood covered with fiberglass/epoxy, or you can use marine plywood – prettier och longer lasting. You can make the sails yourself or have them made by a professional sailmaker. You can weld the hardware from standard size iron tube and bars (indicated on the plans) and have them galvanized, or you can buy everything in bronze or stainless from a marine supplier. You can fiberglass the entire hull inside out, or just the seams. You can cast the lead ballast from used tyre weights or buy new lead sheets, etc, etc. The cost would range from reasonably cheap to 5 or 6 times that.

One of the early builders claimed approx € 5800, but that was 13 years ago and I am not quite sure what choices were made.

Christian,

Answer in English – I can order a meal in French with reasonable success, but not much more. Use Google Translate if necessary.

37 Sharpies are built worldwide but only those shown have submitted photos – I have added Bernard Goffin, whose building log in French I had forgotten to add in the English page.

Rickard, 9-12 hp is enough to get her very close to hull speed – which is approx 5,4 knots.

No, this one does not plane – or rather: she might with a ridiculously oversized engine make a badly handling motorboat; uncontrollable and dangerous...

To plane she would need a straighten-out bottom aft, and preferably some V-shape – resulting in a loss of those sailing qualities I spent much time refining.

Phil Bolger once designed a fast motorsailor along these lines: a kind of step-sharpie hull up forward with a blunt bow, merging into a speedboat style quarter, sporting a 35 hp OB engine and a dipping lug! "Fast Motorsailor" is 22'7" x 8' x 9' and is nicely portrayed in his "Boats with an open mind"

Thanks Jeff,

The cockpit is not self-draining on the plans, but there are suggestions on how to convert it – such as adding a bridge deck to reduce the foot-well volume and raising the floor with a slight slope, draining through the transom or through the centerboard box (a better option). There are no set dimensions for this conversion but it is quite easy to figure out.

The reason for the non-self-draining option is that it on such a small boat the deeper foot-well offer more comfort in the cockpit:

Hi Nahuel. No problem shipping to Argentina.

I have kept the deck/deck house as low as possible to increase stability and appearance, but with a low seat there is ample headroom on the berth (123 cm from floor to ceiling, or 95 cm over a 28 cm high berth surface) and on a seat opposite the galley (133 cm from floor to ceiling). Not much, but reasonably good for a very small cruiser.

Jag vet inte om någon gjort det – ingen har skickat någon rapport eller bild av en sådan installation.

Men jag har själv haft funderingar på (som jag nämnt ovan) en liten inombordsmotor under ett bridgedäck i sittbrunnens förkant – kanske en elmotor kompletterad med ett par solpaneler på rufftaket, och helst en bryggplats med batteriladdning.

Hello Frank

Yes you are welcome to use whatever information you can find on my site, and if there are things you need explained in more detail, please mail me.

I would of course appreciate a photo or two of the finished model ;-)

Art, the two-masted lug rig is an old favorite for small coastal craft; luggers, beach boats, drifters, fifies, jolly boats, whale boats etc. My first experience with these were the old Swedish naval whaleboats, which sported a rig not unlike my sharpie, but with lower and wider sails. I was impressed with the simplicity of the standing lug: self-tacking and without booms over the cockpit.

Les bisquines are very beautiful, but they are big heavy ships in need of that incredible amount of canvas, while the Sharpie 600 is a light easily driven boat.

Some of the small luggers carried a jib on a long sprit. That could of course be added to my sharpie as well, but it would be quite unusable close-hauled, since you cannot get enough tension on the luff with unstayed masts, and running it would be shadowed by the mainsail. On a reach in light winds you may get advantages from a jib, but also making the boat a little more hard-mouthed. I doubt it would be worth the trouble, from an efficiency point of view.

Yes, it is an easily achieved adjustment. If you want to use the Sharpie merely as a daysailor, you can cut the cabin short, just as on the Florence Oakland, and extent the cockpit and cockpit benches all the way to the new aft bulkhead.

(Google translate: "Да, это легко достигается регулировка. Если вы хотите использовать Шулера лишь как daysailer, вы можете вырезать кабину Короче говоря, так же, как на Флоренции Окленде, и степень кабины и кабины скамейки весь путь к новой кормовой переборки..")

Metrics are English all over the world nowadays – except perhaps in the US ;-)

The plans are in English and metrics, and there are a lot of handy unit-converters on the web.

Of the 30 plus Sharpies yet built or under construction, only one is in the US, in PA.

Thanks Patrick, stave sizes and spar shapes are shown the usual way, along with a few short notes on how to use them. Here is a detail from the lug version.

According to any one of all the exchange services available on the internet € 240 is about $ 260.

And the plans come as six DIN A1-size papers in slow mail (takes about 10-12 days to the US).

Place the order here on the site and pay online (Paypal does the monetary exchange) or with an attached invoice. Don't forget to indicate which rig option you want (use the comment box).

I happened to notice – even if it is 11 PM on my longitude now ;-)

I'll ship the plans on Monday. Thanks...

You are welcome – and the plans are on their way ;-)

600 cm is total hull length, LOA, (rudder not included).

LWL is approx 505 cm, but this can vary a little depending on the weight of the boat (which in turn depends on chosen material, outfitting, building skills etc).

För 30-40 år sedan kunde man ofta läsa i reklamen att segelbåten X kunde bära fullt ställ ända upp i 16-18 m/s – vilket då skulle invagga den ovane båtköparen i trygghet. Vana seglare (som naturligtvis inte var de tilltänkta köparna) hade inga problem att räkna ut att i trevligt segelväder kring 5-6-7 m/s rörde båten sig knappt och motorn startades. När den gravt underriggade båten äntligen började segla på riktigt blåste det så mycket att besättningen flydde in i närmaste hamn.

I motsats till detta har Sharpien rejält med segelyta för att nå skrovfart även i lätt vind. Och nackdelen är förstås att den måste revas tämligen tidigt för att behålla fart, manöverförmåga och, inte minst, komfort. Därför är de rekommenderade riggarna enkla att reva och är ritade för att inte ställa till med några problem även vid oväntade byar: gaffelriggen genom att masten är låg och loggertriggen genom att masten flexar.

Några nyckeltal som ofta används för att antyda fartpotential är SA/SW, l/d, och SA/d.

Den första är segelyta genom skrovets våta yta. Med 21 m2 segelyta och våt yta (inklusive centerbord och roder) på ca 8,8 m2, ger det ett SA/SW på ca 2,4 (över 2 räknas som snabbseglare. Drar man upp centerbordet på en länsbog, hamnar SA/SW på ca 3, vilken är ett rent kappseglingsvärde. Men den kantiga skrovformen hindrar förstås otillbörligt mycket hybris ;-)

Nästa är längden genom deplacementet. Vattenlinjelängden är ca 5,5 m (varierar med fart och lutning) och deplacementet har jag uppskattat till ca 0,9-1 ton (med två-tre personer och semesterpackning). Detta ger ett l/d på ungefär 5,5-6 (över 5 räknas som snabbt).

Det sista är segelytan genom deplacementet, vilket blir ca 21 med samma förutsättningar. Här brukar man ange 15 som en lägsta gräns om båten skall kännas snabb. Extrema prestandabåtar brukar hamna mellan 25 och 30.

Med en grov generalisering skulle jag föreslå att om man känner en svag vind kommer Sharpien att röra sig fullt tillräckligt för att det inte skall kännas frestande med åror eller motor – om man inte har bråttom av skäl som inte har med seglingen att göra. Sedan känns det ganska bra att börja minska segelytan när man kan göra det utan att förlora fart. Det är bekvämast så och båten är mer lättmanövrerad än om den pressas – det kan inträffa någonstans vid 7-8 m/s beroende på den personliga attityden till seglingen.

Tänkvärd är också den gamla visdomen att på kryss tål båten mer än besättningen – på läns tål besättningen mer än båten.

Kanske kan någon av de som har mer aktuell seglingsvana i Sharpien än jag komplettera med egna insikter.

I considered a lot of different rig alternatives when drawing the Sharpies. Both the lug and gaff were chosen for a number of reasons, of which my experience with gaffers and luggers were most important. But I also wanted a traditional appeal to match the little boat's lines. The chosen rigs are also efficient with a lot of sail area on relatively short masts, which suits a boat without a heavy keel. A fully battened sail (a modern take on the gaff) achieves the same thing but needs a taller mast.

But the NIS (full-length batten sails on traditional booms) and B&B (Bolger-style leg o'mutton fully battened sails on sprit booms) rigs would do just as fine on my Sharpie. With the masts unstayed and flexible, the disadvantage compared to my choices is hardly noticeable.

I have no plans (nor time) to offer rig alternatives now, but it is a reasonably simple task for a determined builder to do it: just keep the sail area and it's lateral and vertical position approx the same.

There is no way of locking the centerboard indicated on the drawings. I have not seen this as a problem. Boats like this are simply not fast enough for the centerboard to lift. Of course, it might happen occasionally during short surfs off the wind, but why would anyone surf off the wind with the centerboard down? Since this is a cruiser that is supposed to spend most of the time in archipelagoes or close to the shore it is more important that the board can lift if you hit bottom or a rock.

Thanks Terry. I see the construction methods and details on my plans more as suggestions for those who do not have the experience to do it in their own way.

A centerboard lock would be easy to invent or improvise if conditions should make it worthwhile.

James,

The berth is 196 and will be 200 if you put your head close to the hull and your feet close to the center of the V-berth ;-)

Or you can move the forward bulkhead a couple of inches – of course, at the expense of some locker volume. Theoretically, you could also move the aft bulkhead, but I don't think the galley area should be any smaller than on the plans.

You might also stretch the design some 1-2% to get a little more space (relatively easily done by multiplying all fore-n-aft dimensions by that figure).

I don't have study plans, but if you email me I can reply with copies of the drawings attached.

...not only for kids ;-) With a footwell cover, you'll get a king size bed at 230x160 cm. Even without a cover, you'll have two cots 230x50 cm. And if you leave the forward part of the footwell (the grating over the drain well on the drawings) open to not block the passage from the cabin, you have a sleeping area of 190x160cm.

A boom tent can be rigged from the gaff or lug sprit (best in a simple boom crutch)

Hi Chris

Thank you for the comments, and I am glad you like the little cruiser - but,

1. I don't agree with you on the gaff. On the contrary; looking at small sloops or cutters, historic or contemporary, the Sharpie fits in somewhere in the middle regarding gaff angles. More horizontal gaffs are used primarily on larger craft with big topsails. This is a gaff, in contrast to a Gunther sprit, that is essentially an extension of the mast.

My Sharpie has a relatively large sail area, which means you rarely need to start up an engine. The downside is of course that you need to reef early in a rising wind - which I prefer to motoring in the very light winds, where sailing in a flat-bottom, hard-chined, boxy boat will be a delight and not an ordeal.

And of course, the tabernacled gaff mast with shrouds and stay doesn't flex! But the unstayed lug mast does.

2. There is no problem with an offset centerboard, which I try to explain on the sharpie-page. The same goes for the offset mizzen mast. The only potential problem is the clash with old traditions (even if those sometimes are not as traditional as some chose to believe - which I also mention the page).

3. Rowing isn't a bad alternative since it is a relatively light boat with a healthy sail area that pushes her along faster than rowing even in very light winds. But there are suggestions for an OB either on the transom or in a well, or a small electric motor under a bridge-deck (but not detailed instructions on the plans).

4. My business is plans, not kits. Furthermore, a lot of small things on the plans are suggested, not dictated, and the builder who wishes to do so and have the experience can adjust, change or invent after his or her ideas and experience. The few builders who might feel at a loss without the insert-tab-A-into-slot-A type of instructions will find that I am happy to discuss or advice on anything throughout the building process.

Hi Ben

Thank for pointing out the parasitizing of my website - imagine some clown stealing an entire website page, with headings, photos, formatting, and publishing it on a clueless share-site where you have to subscribe to read what is free on my site!

For engine alternatives I have suggested:

1. A cutout in the stern for a long rig OB, or

2. an OB well in one of the corners for a standard OB, or

3. a small electric motor under a short bridge deck, or

4. oars! This is a light boat with a lot of sail area and rowing would be needed in dead calm only.

These options are not included in the plans but I am happy to discuss and advice if needed.

And it is correct that I don't have any proper study plans, but if you send an email I will answer with printable (desktop printer size) images of the six drawings. Specify if you want the lugger or gaffer.

Hi Chris

The fiberglass doesn't contribute much to the structural integrity of the hull but reduces upkeep significantly – being a tougher and longer-lasting finish than paint.

But there are options for the hull: from fully glassed inside and out to just glassing the joints, from joining the plywood with wooden stringers to using epoxy fillets and fiberglass etc.

The heavy bottom has a dual function: ballast as you suspect, but also because this kind of boat lends itself to sitting on the bottom in tidal waters or to be beached – the rudder and centerboard swing up easily when hitting the bottom or rocks.

I have over the years noted a slight difference in attitude between my customers in Europe and the US. The European amateur builders seem slightly more confident and competent (buy the plans and a year later email some photos of the finished boat), while many American builders have more need for advice and instructions and ask questions that sometimes surprise me. So, over there I think that kits might have a better market than around here...

Vlad, this is a simplified image to explain the construction method. Building the sharpie you would use a lot more small pieces of plywood and wood – or (which I prefer), epoxy-glass fillets, giving a cleaner and more easily maintained interior.

Det är väldigt svårt att ange en siffra, eftersom det beror på många val under byggets gång; kvalitet på plywood, ambitionen med epoxy/glasfiber etc, balansen mellan köpt och egentillverkade detaljer mm – och mina ursprungliga kalkyler (50 000 kr) är 15 år gamla och jag räknade med att sy seglen själv.

Med en grov uppskattning skulle hamna kring 100 000 kr för en sjösatt, segelklar Sharpie, enkelt utrustad enligt ritningen och där du inte shoppat upp dig på dyra köpeprylar.

Philip, i ett plywoodbygge är glasfiberlaminatet främst till för att skydda träet och för att ge en stabil yta för lackning/målning. Epoxy är ett av de tätaste plastmaterial som finns och skyddar träet mycket bättre än lacker.

Glasfiber på utsidan gör mest nytta, men även insidan utsätts för fukt – det skvätter in vatten, regnar in genom en öppen rufflucka, kondens i fuktigt väder etc. Därför rekommenderar jag laminering av alla plywoodytor i en båt – men det är såklart också en kostnadsfråga.

Risken för skador hänger också samman med kvaliteten på plywooden. Marinplywood är väldigt dyr, vilket motiveras av att allt trä är högklasiigt och att det inte finns några håliheter inne i plywooden. Billigare plywood har ofta lågkvalitetsträ som fyllnad i mellanskikten och det kan finnas större eller mindre glipor, som kan bli startpunkt för fuktskador och röta.

Ju enklare plywood, desto viktigare att kapsla in den på alla ytor med glasfiber/epoxy.

Professionella båtbyggare laminerar inte sällan alla plywoodakivor innan delarna skärs ut. Det ger fördelar, dels genom att det är lätt att få bra finish på hela skivor än på utsågade delar och dels genom att mycket tid sparas. Ett sätt att göra detta på är att laminera skivorna och stapla dem på varandra med plastfolie mellan och pressa ihop hela traven på en gång. Resultatet är färdiglaminerade skivor mef närmast perfekt finish. Men för amatörbyggare är oftast kostnaden för slöseri med glasfiber/epoxy ett större problem än några timmars extra jobb.

Placeringen och dimensioner enligt ritningsblad 6 (skall förstås sitta symmetriskt på båda sidor om centerlinjen) ger ca 200 kg barlast, som sedan kan behöva justeras beroende på om du använder centerbord av järn (22 mm tjocka blyplattor) eller trä (25 mm tjocklek), och beroende på hur mycket batterikapacitet (och -vikt) du anser dig behöva.

CE-certification is the responsibility of manufacturers, producing and selling boats, primarily in the EU.

This site and the comments here are about building a kayak, canoe or boat for your own use – which is an entirely different scenario.

There must be some misunderstanding here. CE-certification is for boats being sold on a market, and it's the responsibility of the producer/importer/seller to apply for certification for products being marketed.

Furthermore, as I read the directive, a craft built for own use is excluded.

I can't, of course, provide a CE-cert for a boat being built by some else.

Glad to hear, Jim ;-)

I think of the American Concord transcendentalist writer Ralph Waldo Emerson who said: "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." – and one might add, little boatbuilders and sailors.

Hi Gianni

If any influence, it would more likely be the other way around – Karl Stambaugh designed his Mist a few years before I drew up my Sharpie. But I don't think there is a need to look for such direct influence. Both our boats are merely developed interpretations of a boat type that was quite common in the 50s, when marine plywood became available for boat building – and those, in turn, were simplifications of earlier boats from Alden, Williams, Warner, Giles et al – and nowadays often with a bit of Bolger thrown in for inspired use of sheet panel construction.

And you are, of course, welcome to link to my site, and also, if you would like, use material (images, text) from it.

Thanks, Graeme! I am excited to think about what a builder with your qualifications might do with my design ;-)

I see no problems with that, though I can't assist you with material dimensions and such practical issues – no experience ;-)

I hope one of the 20+ lug-sharpie builders around the world might offer a comment on the sailing qualities and building project. My view wouldn't add much, since it can be found in the text above and, of course, is quite biased ;-)

Det går bra att förlänga men det blir mer komplicerat än för en kajak, där det bara handlar om att ändra spantavstånd.

Sharpien är byggd med plywoodpaneler somm passas in i varandra och dessa måste ritas om med de nya måtten. Likaså måste förmodligen rigg, segelyta och långskeppsbalans kalkyleras/justeras, och placeringen av mast/master kan påverka inredning och placeringen av däcksbalkar etc.

Nej, några sådana funderingar har jag inte haft, i alla fall inga som hållit i sig tillräckligt länge för att hamna på ritbordet. Nu har jag inte tid att ägna mig åt ett nytt designområde med nya krav på beräkningar och kunskapsunderlag.

Men jag har genom åren sett en hel del trevliga förslag från t ex Phil Bolger, Karl Stambaugh, Jay Benford, Sam Devlin m fl – små trawlers, coasters, tugs och liknande i olika storlekar från 14 ft och uppåt...

Hello Miles,

The hull, including a protruding stem piece is 606 cm long on the drawings, so if you can't extend the workshop or fit the boat on a diagonal, you may have to shorten the hull slightly – which isn't hard to do but takes an hour to recalculate the horizontal measurements before cutting the panels.

I built a small boat in a short garage some years ago and extended it by nailing a board (OSB) over the opened doors and covering the extension with a tarp.

I'll have a look in my customer's file for builders that might be building or have recently finished a Sharpie.

A percentage calculation is OK, but I am lazy so when a recalculation is needed I take the original measurement, multiply it with the new LOA, and divide it by the original LOA (which of course is a simplified form of percentage calculation).

I built the canoe yawl the same way; wheels on one end of the strongback, handles on the other, and wheeled it in and out of the garage depending on the weather and the task at hand.

A small LOA reduction doesn't need to involve the sail area, but of course the mainmast position (measurement from the stem or stern) to keep the balance of the craft.

Bonjour Gillis

Mon français est peut-être assez bon pour commander une bière ou un repas, mais pas pour discuter des finesses des bateaux, alors j'ai dû utiliser Google. J'espère que c'est compréhensible ;-)

La coque est un peu plus longue (606 cm, y compris le tige extérieure) que l'intérieur d'un container de 20 pieds (590 cm). Mais vous pouvez réduire la longueur hors tout en multipliant toutes les mesures longitudinales par 3 %. Avec un tel ajustement, il n'est pas nécessaire de modifier quoi que ce soit au niveau du gréement.

Le mât principal est trop long pour tenir dans un conteneur (694 cm).

/Björn

The suggested ballast weight is approx 200 kg. Indicated in the plans are four lead plates attached on the inside of the plywood bottom between the bulkheads (I pour molten lead on a piece of particle board with wooden battens as a frame). If electricity is installed, and perhaps an engine, some lead can be replaced with one or two lead batteries.

Strip construction is a good alternative (no scantlings given though), but use the same dimensions as for the plywood sheets plus fiberglass cloth on both sides. The bottom may be constructed with 28 mm floorboards, to give good protection in a tidal mooring or if running aground, its weight replacing some of the lead.

No lofting is required for the hard chine plywood box type of hull, where the bulkheads are the stations, drawn directly on the bulkhead material from the table of offsets.

The drawings don't specify how to arrange an anchor box, but the space forward of the main mast can be utilised for stowage – and if used for an anchor it can drain through the topside.

Hi Paul

I am sorry but it is no to both questions. For the first, I don't have the means to provide .STEP files. What I can do is provide the drawings as pdf vector files that might with a little effort be converted to a suitable 3D-format. For the other question I have not been able to contact Bernard Goffin som some time, and have therefore removed the link. But I have added a link to another French professional builder of the Sharpie.

Tack Henrik

Någon fock har jag inte funderat på för Sharpien, dels eftersom jag tycker sådan hör mer hemma på de lite större loggertarna; Bisquines och Cornish luggers och liknande och dels för att det blir en väldigt lång och ohanterlig båt i hamnar och i skärgårdar –och onödigt bökigt om man måste hissa upp peket som på holländska botters. Men för den som vill är det rätt lätt att lägga till en: ett peke och en liten relativt låg fock och en aning större mesan för att kompensera – kanske också minska storen en aning (lite lägre) för att inte behöva reva alltför tidigt.

Maila mig, så ska jag se om jag kan hitta en loggertsharpie i din närhet.

DWF-filer kunde möjligen vara intressant, men min erfarenhet från diverse kajakprojekt är att det alltför ofta uppstår småproblem med passformen, och att det därför krävs ett provbygge och efterföljande justeringar innan det fungerar – vilket känns lite ohanterligt med tanke på att allt utom sidopanalerna är enkla tvådimensionella plywoodbitar, enkla att rita upp och såga ut, och sidopanalerna hänger man på, ritar av och sågar ut.

Men är du intresserad är det fritt fram att ta fram körbara filer för all bitarna, provbygga en sharpie, kolla/justera och sedan sälja dessa filer. Jag förmedlar gärna ut dem i samband med ritningsbeställningar.

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but nice to hear from you again. Though it has been many years since we met at the Stocken kayak meeting, I still remember when you got a top speed I hardly thought possible out of the Black Pearl!

I agree about the sheet block. But it's like a classic dilemma (Scylla or Charybdis), though with a modern lightweight block, it might be a better option compared to being hit with the gaff boom, acting like a baseball bat while gybing ;-)

Besides, the only persons standing in the cockpit are the helmsman, temporarily in tricky waters and then at a safe distance from the block, and the cook and navigator popping the head up in the hatch, again at a safe distance from the block (but of course not the sail). So, getting hit by the block poses a risk mainly if someone stands up in the middle of the cockpit while gybing, a practice that has to be advised against ;-)

Hello Nick

The height is 52 cm forward (with no bridge deck) and 46 cm aft. That puts the floor just above the waterline, even more so when at hull speed with wave tops under the stem and stern and the trough under the midship section. But there is a problem when heeled at lower speeds, and there are some possible solutions to that: you can put a back-flow prevention flap on the drain to the centerboard case, you can cross the drains (the left corner drain to the right side of the bottom and vice versa), or you can raise the floor (fx 5 cm fw and 3 cm aft) – since the well is quite narrow, I believe that would be enough for most realistic conditions (the other kind; unrealistic conditions is best avoided in a small flat-bottom sharpie ;-).

The birth is 160 cm wide aft and 65 cm fw.(image of the gaff version)