The Migrations of an American Boat TypeChapelle, Howard Irving
History
The Migrations of an American Boat Type
Chapelle, Howard Irving
Sharpies (Sailboats)
R. M. Munroe built double-ended sharpies in Florida, and one of these
was used to carry mail between Biscayne Bay and Palm Beach. Although
Munroe's double-enders were certainly related to the New Haven sharpie,
they were markedly modified and almost all were yachts.
A schooner-rigged, double-ended sharpie was used in the vicinity of San
Juan Island, Washington, in the 1880's, but since the heels of the stem
and stern posts were immersed it is very doubtful that this sharpie was
related in any way to the New Haven boats.
Modern Sharpie Development
The story of the New Haven sharpie presents an interesting case in the
history of the development of small commercial boats in America. As has
been shown, the New Haven sharpie took only about 40 years to reach a
very efficient stage of development as a fishing sailboat. It was
economical to build, well suited to its work, a fast sailer, and
attractive in appearance.
When sailing vessels ceased to be used by the fishing industry, the
sharpie was almost forgotten, but some slight evidence of its influence
on construction remains. For instance, transverse tie rods are used in
the large Chesapeake Bay "skipjacks," and Chesapeake motorboats still
have round, vertically staved sterns, as do the "Hatteras boats" used on
the Carolina Sounds. But the sharpie hull form has now almost completely
disappeared in both areas, except in a few surviving flat-bottomed
sailing skiffs.
Recently the flat-bottomed hull has come into use in small,
outboard-powered commercial fishing skiffs, but, unfortunately, these
boats usually are modeled after the primitive flatiron skiff and are
short in length.
The New Haven sharpie proved that a long, narrow hull is most efficient
in a flat-bottomed boat, but no utilization has yet been made of its
design as the basis for the design of a modern fishing launch.
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington 25, D.C. Price 25 cents
Transcriber's note:
Printer's errors have been corrected, all other inconsistencies are
as in the original. The author's spelling has been maintained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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