The Sharpie Book [Paperback]

Reuel Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1993

The Sharpie Book traces the development of the sharpie from its earliest days to the latest plywood-and-epoxy designs; gives comprehensive instructions that can be used to build sharpies of all types and sizes; and includes more than a dozen designs and plans for sharpies from 15 to 40 feet from the likes of Chapelle, Kunhardt, Munroe, Boiger, Clapham, Kirby, and the author. A sharpie is a long, narrow, flat-bottom craft that evolved in the 19th century along the Connecticut shore as an oyster fisherman's boat. An 1880 report by the U.S. Census Bureau characterized the sharpie as "so good a fishing boat and so fast a yacht that it has been adopted in a great many other localities throughout the United States." To this add three more superlatives--easy, cheap, and fast to build--and you have the keys to the sharpie's almost cultlike popularity among backyard boatbuilders.

Editorial Reviews

Review

``This is a little gem of a book. . .There's an abundance of good, hard-nails advice on these pages. . .Parker has done a grand favor for everyone interested in shoal-draft sailing. The little volume belongs on the shelf with Chapelle, Bolger, Beebe, and the rest.'' (WoodenBoat )

About the Author

Reuel B. Parker has spent a lifetime building, repairing, restoring, designing, and cruising in sail- and powerboats. Author of The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding (International Marine, 1990) and of numerous articles for WoodenBoat and Boatbuilder magazines, he has been a devotee of sharpies since his childhood on the shores of Long Island Sound. He is currently putting the finishing touches on a 60-foot Virginia pilot schooner; he plans to move his design business aboard and go cruising.

Product Details

• Paperback: 179 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071580131
• ISBN-13: 978-0071580137
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sharpie Book, May 29, 2000

By 

R Marchant - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sharpie Book (Paperback)

To coin a phrase, Parkers designs are "so salty they make your eyes rust"

GRP and the prejudice of the yachting community relegated the sharpie to history. Plywood and epoxy have brought it back.

Parker and Bolger are probably the pre-eminent living exponents of sharpie design, but whilst Bolger has taken years to get to the minimalist essence of what exactly a boat is, Parker has taken a wonderfully simple concept and imbued it with the grace and beauty of ages. To put it simply, he has an eye for a line.

If you have always wanted to build your own yacht, want it to look stunning, but don't have ten years up your sleeve to build "the old way" this book contains everything you need to build any of the designs described and will even tell you how to sail them. For the armchair builder the food for thought is immense and will have you sailing south to a Pacific paradise within hours. For the real builder, be warned, the text is infectious, but all designs need to be lofted full size (have a BIG lounge and an understanding wife), you will need a magnifying glass to read all of the details (or buy the plans from Parker Marine) and if you don't know a toe rail from an inwale I would recommend buying Bolgers book or Fred Binghams book on boat joinery first (better still buy all three).

To sum up, it is a one stop shop for a type of yacht forgotten by too many, but sharpies are not for everybody. They suit the sailor looking for simplicity, low cost, performance and style and who is happy to work within a few basic limitations of the flat bottomed boat - limited headroom, higher centre of gravity and relatively low mass.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book... you will want to build one, November 25, 2002

By 

Gregory T. Mcfarland "gtmcfar" (Kalaheo HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sharpie Book (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. The author includes everything, from the history to the modern construction of these boats. Some of the sections on construction are a little confusing for beginners. One area that comes to mind is the section on lofting, some diagrams would be useful here (other books or websites help). I have read the book several times and expect I will always use it as a reference.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great background for boatbuilding, September 18, 2005

By 

Daniel E. Chambers (Spokane,, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sharpie Book (Paperback)

I think the kernal of this book is the description of why plywood is a superior boat building material. (diagonal strength) I had been thinking of carvel planking as the best type of wood construction. I was wrong. Other than that, the book does a great job of describing the history of, and reason for, sharpies.

From what I read, I decided that a deeper, heavier, and stronger boat might be more appropriate for the inside passage to Alaska. Also, I'm just not short enough to spend much time in the cabin of a sharpie.

Good book, good read, and I will be buying the Ruel Parker book on cold molding.