Sharpie 36 San Juan Islands

Description

L.O.A.                    36’ 4”

Beam                     9’ 10”

Draft                      1’ 11½”

Sail Area                567 sq ft

Weight                   5,000# (hull, deck, houses, without spars and ballast)

Displacement          10,000# approximately

Ballast                   3,500# lead & water

This model is based on the largest of the three known double-ended sharpies.  The model I started from may be seen in Chapter One of The Sharpie Book, Fig. 1-20, reproduced from American Small Sailing Craft (Fig. 46).  The type was used at San Juan Island in the halibut fishery there.  Chapelle describes her as “a double-ended gaff-schooner sharpie of rather good model, but heavily built and ballasted and not intended for great speed.”

I believe the model lends itself perfectly as a modest cruising vessel for coastal waters, island hopping and extensive gunkholing—there could scarcely be one better for the money, labor and material that would go into building her.  I gave the hull a slightly narrower bottom with slightly less rocker to lighten displacement, increase speed and add flare to the topsides.  I left the sheer, rig and other proportions as they were, and designed a cruising deck and interior plan.

Since publishing plans for my 36’ version of this model, I have designed a 40’ version, 45’ version (IBIS, which I built), and now a 33’ center cockpit version.

The gaff schooner sail plan of this boat makes her powerful, versatile, safe in a much wider spectrum of weather conditions than some of the Marconi-rigged models, and guarantees that she will knock the socks right off everyone who sees her wherever she goes.