READER BOAT: A Drake 13 called Grebe
Small Craft Advisor|July - August 2020
I have always wanted to build a sharpie. For me they are archetypal—like a boat from some dream. And mine is a very specific dream: sitting low in the cockpit on a sunny, breezy day, sailing on starboard tack, tiller and sheet in hand, just cruisin’ along in my beautiful little sharpie.
John Larkin
READER BOAT: A Drake 13 called Grebe

However, the fabled sharpie is not universally loved. They have a reputation for being both really good boats and really, really bad boats, with one forum contributor declaring that he had owned six sharpies in his life and “hated all of them.”

So for years I’ve been waiting for a sharpie design that would silence the voices of doubt and practicality—you know, the ones saying “yeah, but where ya gonna keep it?” and “whaddaya need another boat for?” The search continued.

The Design

Chapelle has a few beauties, as does Reuel Parker in The Sharpie Book, but I had not found “The One” until discovering the comely Drake 13 Sharpie from Selway Fisher Design. At 13' x 4' 6, it is smallish but big enough to carry two people and camping gear. And at 105 pounds hull weight, it’s light enough that I can drag it and flip it over alone, and my wife and I can carry it down to the beach or lift it onto our Subaru together. I hate pulling a trailer, so it being cartoppable is a huge plus.

Fisher’s plans call for either ply-on frame or stitch-and-glue construction. I opted for stitch-and-glue, having used it to build a Bolger Cartopper which has held up well over many years.

Big Change #1: I decided to replace the standing lug drawn in the plans with a slightly larger balanced lugsail, partly for its great “tuneability,” but mainly because I think they look cool. However, enlarging the sail area from 65 to 72 sq. ft. moved the center of effort forward 6, and therefore the center of resistance had to be moved aft, bringing us to…

Denne historien er fra July - August 2020-utgaven av Small Craft Advisor.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July - August 2020-utgaven av Small Craft Advisor.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SMALL CRAFT ADVISORSe alt
A HEAD FOR RUBATO
Small Craft Advisor

A HEAD FOR RUBATO

I dislike port-a-potties. I'm not too fond of poop in any form, really, being non-scatological by nature.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
THE ARTFUL SAILOR
Small Craft Advisor

THE ARTFUL SAILOR

Ain' nothin' new about using sails as nautical billboards. The ancients painted all sorts of signs and symbols on their sails.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
Twin Keels
Small Craft Advisor

Twin Keels

OUT WIHUEIRIJE with Howard Rice

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2022
Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet
Small Craft Advisor

Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet

Cartop Cruising

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
A New Trailer
Small Craft Advisor

A New Trailer

THE BIGHTS

time-read
9 mins  |
September - October 2022
PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free
Small Craft Advisor

PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free

If you're looking for a simple and inexpensive cruising sailboat with traditional character, our FANCY FREE should fill the bill. The sharpie-dory hull with flat-bottom, hard-chine form is ideal for the amateur.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)
Small Craft Advisor

BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)

Overlooked by the masses, admired by owners—there are good reasons the Rhodes 22 has been in production for over a quarter century.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022
Another Favorite Mod
Small Craft Advisor

Another Favorite Mod

The always creative Tom Luque sent us details on one of his favorite modifications

time-read
1 min  |
September - October 2022
BLOODY TUESDAY
Small Craft Advisor

BLOODY TUESDAY

“Although the author if indeed he even used his real name) calls this story fiction, we arent so sure. You be the judge. Eds

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
CRUISING ISLE ROYALE
Small Craft Advisor

CRUISING ISLE ROYALE

I sle“ Royale on Lake Superior is one of my favorite places to cruise. Established as a National Park in 1931, Isle Royale is located about 20 miles off the North Shore of Lake Superior near the Minnesota/Canadian border.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022