Sharpie sees the sun

[SBrookman]

Rolled Vika out of the shop for the 1st time today! We now both have the same birthday.

Got the sticks put in, which as I figured, was a bit of a balancing act and not a one person job. How'd those old timers do it?

Lots of projects still to do but the list is getting smaller, and she moves now.





Don't think I'll have any problems recruiting a crew.

[davebrown]

love it. if you have alredy posted this info, i missed it; what is the design and give us measurements.

[pipefitter]

Nice boat!

[Yeadon]

What a nice looking sharpie. The dogs are stoked.

[Concordia...41]

Fine looking crew you've got there.

Congratulations & happy birthday!

- M

[SBrookman]

Sorry, I've posted a few threads about the build but none recently. She's Reuel Parker's 19' Small Ohio Sharpie. There is more info on my website.

[Thorne]

Lovely, and so simple too. Great detailing in the wooden cleats.

Be SURE to get someone in another boat, even if only a canoe, to take pics when you launch. Photos from the dock or shore just don't do it...

[Krunch]

Very pretty boat. Congrats and happy birthday. As Thorne said, pls get (and post) photos of her underway on her maiden voyage!

[JimD]

And your very own sailmaker! You are a lucky, man.



Please post some pics under sail asap.

[David G]

And a lovely wee beastie she is!

[Bruce Hooke]

Beautiful!

Happy Birthday!

[SBrookman]

>>Please post some pics under sail asap.<<

Literally, she is under sail now, as my wife's loft is above the workshop. :-)

She still has lots of sewing to go, and we're not rushing this first time effort as I've still got rigging and finish work, maybe an oar, also. (And very happy that she is still smiling up there.)

[River Sailor]

She looks really nice, Steve.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday!

[johnw]

Great job, and what a beautiful boat!

[ahp]

It looks great! I am going to try to mooch a sail with you next year and I like dogs. Your comment about stepping the mast was interesting. When I get building mine I will keep that in mind.

[davebrown]

what is the length on your masts, and are they hollow or solid? of course we'll see when you post, but what sail shapes are you planning to use?

[davebrown]

i am really not in the habit of asking dudes how long their masts are, btw.

[SBrookman]

Gotta say, I'm rather proud of the length of my masts, one being 22, the other 20. They're both solid, laminated out of 2 pieces of 2" DF with a 1" spruce board scarfed in between. Might have tapered them more, but that would only save a pound or two. Being a first build I didn't want to stray too far from the plans.

I opted for the cat ketch, leg-o-mutton rig on the right:


Wife is sewing sails as I type so I hope that's her plan also.

[Thorne]

I imagine those are pretty durn heavy! My 16' DF mast is made from two 2x4's and planed down a bit from the trials, and it is about as much as I can easily handle when standing on the boat up on the trailer.

If the weight becomes a real issue for setting up/taking down -- and I can see how it might, particularly if it is windy and/or you are tired -- consider either planing the existing ones down a bit until you start to see some bending in strong gusts, or building new hollow ones from spruce.

You really don't want to drop those sticks and end up damaging the boat, tow vehicle or your back!

[johnw]

You can always plane them down if they need to be more bendy & lighter. The cat ketch rig isn't all that close-winded, but it is wonderfully maneuverable. You'll learn to steer mainly with the sails.

The rig is intended to be bendy, so watch for that. Fir is pretty stiff.

[htom]

Looks great! Maybe you could use a short shear leg support to hold the masts as you insert them.

[SBrookman]

After sea (reservoir) trials, I'll most likely plane the masts down a bunch. This being a first build I don't have a lot to go on so I'm being conservative. But stepping those sticks will be a challenge on a calm day. (coulda, woulda made a gate for the main, but not easily for the mizzen)

First tho I'll have to rig a system to get the masts to the reservoir...they ain't fitting in the boat, that's for sure.

[johnw]

I've seen a setup with a Snipe trailer where they had a support on the front of the trailer that held the mast up above the tow car. Maybe something like that.

[leaotis]

I made my mast from Oregon to Reuel's spec.s (18' sharpie). It seemed so thin I was sure it would snap in the first gust. After sailing the boat for a couple of years I now think it might be a bit stiff and not bendy enough. You can make it thinner than you think.



http://mackhorton.com/Sharpie%20web/BB1.htm

[Woxbox]

Looks great. Congrats.

[SBrookman]

Thanks Leaotis. I checked your site out before I started mine, very nice. Probably more practical than mine with the skeg and single mast. But I was swayed by the lines and stated easy build of the Ohio.

I hit Parker's end point measurements, but I might have fattened my "parabola" a bit much. I'll weigh the suckers tomorrow to see where I'm at. I know that I'm not concerned about them snapping in a breeze.

As HTom suggests might be able to design a sheer leg, possibly in conjunction with the mast crutch, whatever that will be.

[leaotis]

SBrookman, You have quite a pretty boat, my g/f thinks so too. She wanted to know what wood you used for your shear strake (or is it a rub rail).

I step my 20' mast by myself. I balance the mast on my shoulder with one foot on the deck and the other on the centerboard trunk. Then ease the mast base down to the hole in the deck and slowly walk fwd pushing the mast up. Mind you there is no room for error and I wouldn't try it on the water.

[P.L.Lenihan]

Congrats on your lovely new build!Very well done!!! If she were mine however, I'd lower or remove those bench seats altogether,sitting right on the bottom and getting some nice back support....but then again, I'm lazy and have a poor back


Cheers!

Peter

[SBrookman]

SBrookman, You have quite a pretty boat, my g/f thinks so too. She wanted to know what wood you used for your shear strake (or is it a rub rail).

I step my 20' mast by myself. I balance the mast on my shoulder with one foot on the deck and the other on the centerboard trunk. Then ease the mast base down to the hole in the deck and slowly walk fwd pushing the mast up. Mind you there is no room for error and I wouldn't try it on the water.

The sheer strake/wale and all the bright wood is local black locust w/tung oil. They use it for fences around here. It was a pleasant surprise to see it glow when oiled. Guess that's why some call it American Teak.

[SBrookman]

I'm using Sail Rite, or more correctly, my wife is using Sail Rite. They cut the panels (the plans were in their database!) and you (she) sews them. Looks like their instructions are pretty good. Wife has not complained too much yet, and the cost is about half if you have them complete them.

Parker's plans were good enough to get me going. Once again, this is a first build so I didn't know what to expect. And it provided more than enough challenges for my skill level. The boat ends up looking pretty (from a distance or on the internet anyway.) I did use lots of epoxy and paint.

[sshep]

Nice Job.We'd love to have to down at our Small Craft Meet on Sept 12 at Union LK in South Jersey.We'll have a variety of boats and yours would only add to it.Let me know if interested. Tom S

[leaotis]

leaotis- could you give some details on that spar turning jig/rig you got going there?0

Steven, the rig is a wooden cylinder wrapped with old inter tube rubber. It freely rotates on a shaft. The shaft has a handle on one end and a big drill on the other. Turn a sanding belt inside out and slip it over the mast. The good thing is that it takes wood off quickly. The bad thing is that it takes wood off quickly. I used it to smooth the ridges after making the mast 16 sided. Use low speed and keep it moving!