Howard Chapelle is one of the deans of the boating world. For most of his professional life he researched all manner of boats found along America’s waterways. In 1956 he wrote a five part article for the magazine “Boats” entitled: “The American Sharpie Yacht”. To give this effort more weight, he designed a small 14’ sailing sharpie based on his research of the type that populated the eastern shores of America 75 yeas before. Mr. Chapelle drew detailed illustrations showing all manner of dimensions, wood types, including exploded views of the rudder, centerboard, mast step, sail plan and the Offsets.
14’ Chesapeake Sharpie Skiff particulars: LOA 14’ &1/4 “, Beam at the Waterline 4’ 10 & 1/4 “, Beam at the Sheer 5’ 1/4 “, Draft at the Sternpost 1’ 1/2 “, Draft with the CB down 2’ 6”. Sail Area 78 Sq. Ft.
This boat could be built using modern methods and materials -- however -- careful attention to weight distribution of the original building materials and their placement in the hull relative to the original design must be carried over to the modern build-out. This will help to assure one gets a hull with similar performance of the original – handy and fast. For instance, the sides and decks could be relatively thin marine plywood. The bottom on the other hand, along with the centerboard case, centerboard and skeg build up should be much heavier than intuitively perceived for a modern hull. Sharpies like dories, want their weights heavy and low for the hull shape to stand up to a good fly of sail in a breeze. A double ply bottom covered in fiberglass, the centerboard trunk and centerboard built as designed in heavy oak (or use a heavy metal centerboard), and the skeg built up of a heavy wood would help to retain the virtues of the design.
Don’t change the bottom shape! The old boat builders observed that the radical turned up chine (to the small – in the air -- transom) helps to relive the suction of water vortexes (which slow the boat down) formed along the chine of flat bottomed sailing boats.
Plans may be obtained from the Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, NHAH5004 / MRC628, Washington DC 20013-7012 USA PLAN # HIC-105Attachment: Chapelle Sharpie.gif (Downloaded 62 times)
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