Super Shallow Draft Sailboat: The Leeboard Sharpie

Are you interested in a very shallow draft sailboat? Building your own sailboat and interested in cool sailboat designs? The leeboard Sharpie is a great design dating back hundreds of years in sailing history used for East Coast Oyster fishing and turned into a shallow draft cruising sailboat.
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[@willrobertson14]

I exclusively sail this type of boat in the shallow bays and ICW on the Texas coast. This really opens up where you can sail. Offers the ability for more exploration at a low cost and the knowledge of knowing that if you run aground simply get out and walk he boat to deeper water. Plus the ability to beach your boat. It’s really nice. Great video I thoroughly enjoy your content.

[@hogfishmaximussailing5208]

Sharpies can be great boats. I own a 38 foot, 16 ton sharpie that has crossed the Atlantic and Pacific twice each, been through multiple hurricanes and can be beached. Personally I’d not own a “normal” monohull. The advantages a large sharpie has over a standard cruising boat huge. What the industry is still stuck in the past I don’t know!

[@derekmoore2779]

I,ll look up some plans

[@FlatlandMando]

They are stuck in sales figures & don't want to depart from perceived success!

[@patrickconnor8223]

I have admired your boat for many years Chris

[@hogfishmaximussailing5208]

@@patrickconnor8223 Thanks Patrick. I hope one day to see more sharpies out there available to folks.

[@GNUBRAIN]

Could you post a photo of your boat. Big sharpies and scow fan. Built 2 scows 10 & 12 meters. Colonial cargo style. Also great sailing.

[@toddlong8672]

Jim michalak, the designer of the boat you highlighted from duck works is a great designer, and he, himself is a great source of knowledge and insight, and maybe even a few math lessons

[@UncleJoeLITE]

My grandfather always had naval architecture plans for me to look at whenever I visited him. In Australia, Hartley was the best known provider of wooden boat plans, but there were others. Interesting boats Tim. ⚓

[@Siskiyous6]

I own Tomboy, a Bolger Jesse Cooper design. A fantastic boat, at 24 foot I think she could cross the Atlantic.

[@SoItGoesCAL34]

One great thing about our sharpie was that boats would come to anchor next to you but they would run aground. Ah... solitude

[@Robert-xm2kz]

Great introduction to the sharpie design!.Thanks !

[@sickgit66]

If you want a quick project that that makes the most of the sharpie design take a look at the Duck Punt, canoe sized, floats on a puddle, can be made very quickly, uses an easy to scrounge Opti rig and even dispenses with the leeboard, using the chines and a paddle to make progress up wind. Best part is that you sail it lying down 😉

[@jeffdege4786]

There's been some argument over whether L. Francis Herreshoff's Meadow Larks are or are not a Sharpie. AIUI Munroe's Egret had a truly flat bottom and no keel. Meadow Larks have an arched bottom and have a significant keel. You can see it in some of the pictures. It's shallow, but broad enough to sit on and runs the full length of the boat.

[@stanleybest8833]

Your Lee Boards were invented by the Egyptians, who lashed and manipulated oversized oars to their river boats. The real reason for a deep keel is to weight the bottom. Casting the whole keel in iron or lead is heavy and gross. An excellent keel material is recycled soda bottle aluminum, and casting a zinc bottom to it. British boats often have two keels for when the tide leaves you stranded, but it also makes ground handling a snap.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

The twin or triple fixed keels are referred to as Bilge keels and are found both on sailing and motor vessels. The sailing forms whilst suited to shallower waters have to balance depth against the lift they generate under sail to counteract wind drift... Or windage...trying to push the moving boat down wind as it moves forward. Learning the lines ... toured two lee board boats ..one a luxury barge from that had sailed the world and one a vessel that I now recognise as a possible seagoing sharpie😂. Complete with a tabernacle drop in mast and heavy leeboards.

[@frandsfrydendal7408]

Leeboards are not invented in America. They have been in widespread use all over the world, but I think most prominently in the Netherlands.

[@carlwegener7544]

I want to know more about those American gundalows

[@Pocketfarmer1]

Anybody on here from around point Judith? I have an old sharpie ketch called Jenny Diver and am looking for her history.

[@donaldengelmann6906]

Hear me out: Leeboard catamaran. Now it is self-righting.

[@artsmith103]

With a float on the mast? I don't see a big benefit to a leeboard on leeward hull. And going out there to move the boards doesn't seem desirable.

[@timothyblazer1749]

​@@artsmith103you dont have to go out to raise or lower if you rig them right. Secondly, the Ontong Java catamaran uses swivelling oars on the inside aft as rudders. Id say a good innovation for a cat might be inside leeboards.

[@artsmith103]

@@timothyblazer1749 I raced an E-Scow for a few years. I wouldn't want the boards less accessible than that.

[@timothyblazer1749]

@@artsmith103 they can still be accessible, and also rigged to be worked from the cockpit. Bolger proved that with the AS series.

[@gerritscharke4109]

The Dutch invented this kind of type. The Platbodem Schepen. You guys simply made a variation of this type.

[@bveracka]

That's true. It's also why we Americans sometimes refer to swinging/retractable centerboards as "Dutch keels".

[@mitchellsmith4690]

Actually, tne proportions are very different, and the type evolved seperatly for local conditions.

[@gerritscharke4109]

@@mitchellsmith4690 that’s correct. I sailed one of these boats and I must say, that they not very stable, because not wide enough. You need to be very careful. It is very practical for shallow water but I prefer the Dutch versions. As shallow and they actually are very good.

[@Pocketfarmer1]

And? So what

[@mitchellsmith4690]

@@gerritscharke4109 Well...I gotta say this...the original work boat versions were very goof for purpose, but were I looking for a pleasure boat, I'd go dutch.

[@jonathanlewis1352]

No mention of Reuel Parker, author of THE SHARPIE BOOK and builder and sailor of numerous versions? And what about Bruce Kirby, the designer of the Laser and the Norwalk Islands Sharpies that are quite popular “down under?” Once again, you seem to have fallen into your “size matters” mentality and good boat design is sidelined for your perceived seaworthiness calculation. You haven’t finished your homework.

[@Pooperazzi]

Glad sharpies are finally getting a little attention and I appreciate your review. I built a 24' sharpie described in Howard Chappell's American sailing craft. It had a centerboard. I also built one of Phil Bolger's "instant boats" and owned a 33' Herreshoff Meadowlark, which both had leeboards, so I have some standing to comment. I would like to point out that, contrary to your statements about leeboards, by far the great majority of traditional Sharpies were built with centerboards. Reuell Parker and I exchanged written correspondence once about leeboards; he hated them. My Meadowlark had leeboards and I found them to be no more trouble to handle than flying backstays.

[@tench745]

I can add my anecdote about sharpies' go-anywhere abilities. When I was in Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas there was a 30'+ Sharpie happily anchored out in an adjacent sound. We tried to take the dinghy over to her, but nearly ran the outboard aground multiple times before we could get anywhere near her. A shallow draft indeed!

[@richarddavidjohn6803]

Thames barges and Norfolk wherry are the same but larger and both date back to 1600s

[@TomMayers]

I have a 54 foot fiberglass sharpie for sale that was designed by Clark Mills patterned after Commodore Munroes designs if anyone is interested.

[@tomdyll2728]

Sea Pearl 21 owner here. Love my leeboard boat!

[@seanmccambridge]

Thanks for making this video. Unfortunately, there's some misinformation here. Leeboards are not actually that common on sharpies. If you look at the New Haven sharpies, Chapelle sharpies, and even more modern Reuel Parker sharpies (a crime not to mention him here), you'll see they usually carry centerboards. You show photo after photo of sharpies with centerboards. I'm guessing you noticed that while editing. While leeboards are very cool and do a great job of keeping the boat open inside, it's much more typical of even the old oyster sharpies to have a centerboard. I have two Jim Michalak leeboard boats (neither are sharpies) -- also a crime not to mention him in your discussion of leeboards -- he modernized the form with a leeboard that does more than claim to set on one side of the boat for both tacks. You can see my brother and I sailing our leeboard Piccup Prams here kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5uTgYabe6mWn6M The Michalak style leeboard is braced from both sides, the hull on one side and timber/through bolts on the other so the board has support on either tack. Finally, I want to bring up Phil Bolger's slab sharpies from his "Micro" to the "Advanced Sharpie" series. These are seaworthy, oceangoing sharpies that are high sided and ballasted with heaps of room inside. I think of these boats the same way I think of modern architecture. Form follows function. Your typical yachty will scoff and turn their nose at these boats b/c they aren't "beautiful". But the owner won't care as they sail along in comfort in their homebuilt boat across the sea. Check out Reuel Parker's book The Sharpie Book for a thorough discussion of sharpies. And his website to peruse some really cool designs. Again, thanks for making this video. I know it's not easy to write a perfect script. These are great boats worthy of attention. And you're right, they can be FAST. Nothing quite like sailing up on a plane at 10 kts flying a traditional sailing rig watching a big modern yacht disappear in your wake! :)

[@louisfbrooks]

When are we getting a Wharram review?

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

He did a James Wharram designer tribute vlog some time ago but it would be great if someone Invited him aboard a larger one. Either Tiki Pahi or Islander.. In the Grenadines there was a larger Tiki hold up in the mangroves ..undamaged whilst 40-50ft lagoons got flipped onto their roofs on top of the mangroves. There's a couple of smaller Tiki channels recently splashed ZigZag in the Caribbean and another 21ft on the west coast both rather beautifully finished.. Personal favourite from a while ago is Vasco Pyjama...😂🧙🏻‍♂️.

[@terryroth9707]

Look into wilding sailing here on YT. He is rebuilding one and just got the mast up not too long ago.

[@louisfbrooks]

@@terryroth9707 I have been following him since they bought the last catamaran. It is amazing what he has done with mostly basic hand tools. I have the plans for a 19" Wharram, just have not had time to start on it.

[@bveracka]

Great video! Years ago I built a model of a "Flattie" which is similar concept; hard-chine, flat bottom, but with a swinging centerboard instead of leeboards. It's a great looking boat design and I'd love a full-size version. Sailing the backwaters and shallows in the right boat is a lot of fun.

[@alixbarks]

Interesting and fun video. Some confusion about boards (center~, dagger~, lee~) vs keels. On traditionally built boats the keel is a structural member running stem to stern. On modern 'keelboats' this term has come to include the ballasted hydrofoil underwater, e.g. J/40. No movable hydrofoil is a 'keel'. There are ballasted centerboards, but they are still centerboards. Many boats have ballast keels and centerboards, e.g. Ted Hood's Robin derivatives like the Bristol 38.8. All keels are fixed.

[@informaticalasvegas1950]

that design comes from Europe, just as most "Americans" of the day

[@c.a.mcneil7599]

Good reason the from part.

[@frommyashesrisenrebornredemed]

Gartside published a lee board 25footer.... that thing looks sick.... 25ft Sailing Scow Design #269

[@Antipodean33]

A fella from where I live in South Australia built an American designed sharpie known as a NIS or Norwalk Island Sharpie, designed by an American named Kirby. His NIS was 23 foot and he sailed it across the notorious Bass Straight then down the coast east coast of Tasmania to Hobart for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival.

[@bhoutdoors507]

Might need to build one of these. Great video!

[@DavidPaulNewtonScott]

It makes sense to have a flat bottom for a sail boat. They are hardly ever upright and therefore V bottomed. A wide bottom increases the moment of inertia great roll resistance. The chines also provide roll damping. The solution to the lack of self righting is simple water ballsst. Dump it when it gets calmer. I want to build a Lemsteraak with a flat bottom and a hard chine. There is no need for a pounted bow on a sharpie as the water is primarily flowing under the boat. My boat will be a dipping lug schooner, the ultimate rig, but that's another story. A fabulous detailed bideo I have subscribed.

[@TheBirdmaster45]

These boats will be seen a lot here in Texas during the Texas 200 sailing challenge .. Come down and check it out

[@artsmith103]

Watched some info on the event. What is the purpose of a regatta in south Texas in June? December to February would offer so much more benefit. I'm 1,000 miles north and you couldn't pay me to go there in June. Yet a winter event could be great.

[@TheBirdmaster45]

@@artsmith103 The heat is part of the challenge

[@kenneth1767]

New to Sharpie and looking for a sailboat that would cruise around the shallow waters of the tropics. Where can I get more info? Thanks.

[@luapbopbop]

Our family’s first sailboat was a sabot with a leeboard, one side only. (Circa 1967). It became our tender (for decades) to our Coronado 34.

[@brucefrye2292]

I did this for my kayak, first I tried one on each side, then just made a little longer one on the port side. I have a little lug sail made from a tarp, and man I can go everywhere!

[@locutus8496]

I just bought plans for Matt Layden's "Paradox," an innovative small cruising sharpie that uses "chine runners" instead of centerboard or lee boards. But I wonder if equipping a Paradox with lee boards might improve windward performance.

[@phillysailormac]

Matt is a brilliant guy and a phenomenal sailor. I've seen his boat go past mine (which was longer with more sail area) in good winds and waves. You have a wonderful design, and should take maximum use of it by realizing his vision. Have fun!

[@steamyb2]

How do these compare to a catboat, say the Marshall Sanderling? Not really sure if a Sharpie would make a decent live-aboard, but I would like to research these boats some more. Thanks for the video!

[@walkertongdee]

FYI It's rated to carry a lot more than a ton of weight.

[@peteweeks205]

I sail a 21' sea pearl from marine concepts with lee boards. the cat ketch rig is a dream to tack and gybes are gentle. Extremely good design. i can sail into knee deep water and ride right over most sandbars without a worry. the lee boards swing up if you ever do cut it too close. curious why we don't see more ketches on the water?

[@onk1354]

Have you seen the 65 foot Farr Sharpie?

[@TTTzzzz]

Let us remember Phil Bolger.

[@JP-lz3vk]

Can you talk about the "proa" next time?

[@phillysailormac]

Careful! The proa guys are scary commenters! The traffic will triple and the knives will out :0

[@toddlong8672]

R.I.P Phil bolger

[@patrickconnor8223]

I had a 29’ wood-epoxy composite Bolger Leeboard sharpie for 14 years. I still consider it the best boat I ever owned, and I owned among others a Pacific Seacraft Flicka and currently own a Lyle Hess designed Falmouth Cutter.

[@jarrod5217]

I own the original Jewelbox by Jim Michalak. It is a leeboard sailboat. I’ve not sailed it yet, but excited to give it a try.

[@peeterleppik1845]

Nice to see a more interesting boat covered in your series. A similar Ted Brewer designed nimble Arctic 26 could be added to this list. Not so great for great lakes steep short chop weather but fantastic for canals intercoastal Florida and islands and shallows gunkholing. (I have one)

[@donaldklapproth8091]

My father bought a Chesapeake LOG Canoe from MD's Eastern Shore in 1947. He got so.e publicly by mary's the Sun Newspapers! Certainly similar to Sharpe!

[@BitcoinNewsTodayLive]

This boat is local and been on the market for years fyi. Would be tough to resell.

[@jeroenvanrixel7980]

No way I going to board that vessel with that color scheme, ....haha

[@jimmysails994]

Sharpies are awesome. I built one and still have it. It doesn’t take many tools to build one, and when you are done, you have a great sailboat that you can take pride in.

[@pl7868]

Great video , for anyone thinking of building one do your homework . even a simple design probably has sentence's in the plans that are 6 months long .

[@timothyblazer1749]

Phil Bolger is smiling from the great beyond :-)

[@ronainslie1986]

Wow1 WTG. A boat load of info in one blog. You prepped that well.

[@artsmith103]

Similar to Scows built in Midwest more recently

[@joeflatley8523]

Gosh darn it, we just bought a new to us boat and now I want one of these.

[@harrisonofthenorth]

00:49 Leeboards were actually known to be in use in China in the 8th century, and the Netherlands in the 16th century, long before your 18th century claim for New Haven in Connteicut. Perhaps a unique type of leeboad sailing boat was developed in Conneticut, but it did not invent the leeboard itself.

[@seanmccambridge]

He talks about that if you watch the entire video.

[@mountainmandale1587]

I've never heard of anything like this. Making me rethink the whole thing. Hmmm.

[@romandybala]

Find Reuhl B Parker's book. Its full of plans. I didnt want to build a boat at the time but the book convinced me. Definitely worth it.

[@et1161]

Did you ever try to capsize one of such boats???😮

[@romandybala]

I didnt try,it just happened. Important lesson right there. Was towing behind a motorboat with towline over the bow, Tow boat pulled bow down ,stern went up and as she is very fine up forward over she went. Lucky was near shore and the waves pushed her into the shallows as she was upside down by now. Pulled the masts while still in deep water. Everything was washed ashore only lost my sailing jacket.Saved her with only a scraped stem.Build one if you love shallow water sailing.

[@christinealesi6759]

"KRAKEN", our first sailboat, was a 22' cat ketch sharpie designed by Tom Colvin and built in Port Aransas. We purchased her from the original owner/builder who lived on the South Shore of Long Island. We used" KRAKEN" it to gunkhole Great South Bay and even sailed her to Block Island once. She was the perfect bay boat; fast, shoal draft and reasonably comfortable during summer cruises. We resisted the urge to name her "CATCH 22".

[@ВадимФетисов-ж3ф]

Какая мерзкая раскраска у яхты

[@skaraborgcraft]

More boat for $ invested. Ruel Parker was the most recent proponent of the sharpie. For those who have no interest in crossing oceans, a sharpie can do pretty much everything else.

[@hogfishmaximussailing5208]

My 38 foot, 32,000 lb sharpie has crossed 4 oceans, has well over 36K miles and has survived multiple hurricanes. Personally, I’d not have any other monohull at any cost. Folks in normal boats have zero clue what they are missing!

[@skaraborgcraft]

​@@hogfishmaximussailing5208 Is that you Chris or the new owner of Hoggy? I should add not all sharpies are created equal. Im a Bolger Romp fan myself. Access to skinny water pays dividends.

[@hogfishmaximussailing5208]

New owner of Hogfish, also named Chris. Nice to meet you! The Romp was a great sharpie too by the looks of it. Bought HF a few years ago. Sailed it from Seattle to MX. leaving in 5 weeks to head to Panama’.

[@milanmarinkovic3016]

​@@hogfishmaximussailing5208 Very interesting boat, Chris Morejohn design. I sure about loading capacity of the Hogfish? 16 ton sounds as a lot for a 38 ft boat. Fair winds. 🙂

[@skaraborgcraft]

@@hogfishmaximussailing5208 Cool beans Chris! I will follow along if you are going to document it .

[@bobcornwell403]

I think modern sailboats evolved from sharpies. The first step was to make them wider. But this wouldn't work with a flat bottom. So, what they did was put a slight "V" section in the bottom. This was originally in the stern bottom only. Later, it was included in the entire length of the bottom. Then, it was increased in depth, so it could carry sufficient ballast for self-righting. Later, still, a fin keel was added. This was originally a long, shallow one, with an attached rudder. Look at the original SEA BIRD 26 ft design of the early 20th century. The final step was to make the fin-keel shorter and deeper and put the rudder separate and far behind that. Just round off the corners of the bottom section, and you have a modern keel-boat.