In a mold derived from an early 1900s Maine peapod, Peter Sylvia made fiberglass peapods for three decades in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Smaller than many peapods, at 12’10” and just 130 pounds, these peapods have a pronounced and graceful sheer. They are fast to row and effortless to tow. Peter trimmed them out in mahogany or teak, giving them a more elegant look than their workboat ancestors. They are a perfect tender with which to explore an anchorage by oars at first light. With the optional sailing rig (centerboard, rudder, and a not-so-traditional sloop rig) they can range farther.
Comments:
“Finesse and Tursiops—my two boats with and without the sailing rig—both row wonderfully; it is nothing to do five miles on a calm morning. I bring one or the other as a tender when chartering in Maine. They tow behind a larger boat like a happy puppy, skittering over the wake. Being double ended, there’s no transom drag even when rowing five people ashore. I do think they have the prettiest lines of any peapod I’ve seen.”
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Wow! Tursiops is one of the most beautiful, elegant boats I have ever seen. The hemp-colored three-strand line used as a rubrail is a perfect detail, the simple cherry on top.
Just for the record, Peter Sylvia made his mold from a hull that came out of the very first mold a bunch of us at Concordia made in 1974 in the shed under then Manchester Sails from an old wooden Peapod provided by Russell Field, of Barrington RI.
The bare hulls were molded by the same outfit that produced the Marshall catboats, the first 23 were sold by Concordia mostly to its employees and other local wharf rats to finish out themselves. Geoff Marshall now has Russell’s hull #1, fitting as Breck’s resident glass tech master (Howard) was the mentor for us throughout the mold-building process.
That mold was sold at the end of 1975 to Bill Chew, over in RI, and I don’t know how many more of those were made. Apparently Arborvitae Woodworking on the Cape also has made a mold, and they are now again available from them.
I have hull #2, which got built out in Snowmass CO around 1978, and has seen white water on the Green River UT, and a full moon on Yellowstone Lake. She is now part of the Nantucket Sound fleet that tends to MOTH, a 1962 36′ Alden Zephyr sloop, also to be see in this show.
I acquired one of these boats a couple of years ago. All of the description above is completely correct, a wonderful boat. Long rows in the COnnecticut River estuaries are easy.
My boat had apparently had little use and hull, rig, sails and all wood work were in great shape. Needed just some ceaning up and a couple of coats of varnish. The only was problem was that the tiller had been broken. So I made a Norwegian tiller for her which works brilliantly and keeps the stern sheets clear of the sweep of the tiller and can be reached from any location in the boat.
My boat came with jib and loose footed mainsail. I was concerned that the boom had been lost. I contacted the mast maker and I was able to find some other original material on the boat and builder, Silva. Turns out that she was always rigged loose footed and with a smal jib. No boom is also a blessing in not taking a shot in the head when tacking or jibbing.
Yes, mine also came with a loose-footed mainsail and a small jib. I had trouble getting the main to set well without a boom and so added one. But then I had to lengthen the mast by about 18″ to raise the rig to a safe height. The jib is so tiny that it’s often not worth the trouble and in any decent wind I leave it ashore. Of course, a sloop rig on a peapod is a bit incongruous, and I may some day convert it to a balanced lug rig.
Wow! Tursiops is one of the most beautiful, elegant boats I have ever seen. The hemp-colored three-strand line used as a rubrail is a perfect detail, the simple cherry on top.
Just for the record, Peter Sylvia made his mold from a hull that came out of the very first mold a bunch of us at Concordia made in 1974 in the shed under then Manchester Sails from an old wooden Peapod provided by Russell Field, of Barrington RI.
The bare hulls were molded by the same outfit that produced the Marshall catboats, the first 23 were sold by Concordia mostly to its employees and other local wharf rats to finish out themselves. Geoff Marshall now has Russell’s hull #1, fitting as Breck’s resident glass tech master (Howard) was the mentor for us throughout the mold-building process.
That mold was sold at the end of 1975 to Bill Chew, over in RI, and I don’t know how many more of those were made. Apparently Arborvitae Woodworking on the Cape also has made a mold, and they are now again available from them.
I have hull #2, which got built out in Snowmass CO around 1978, and has seen white water on the Green River UT, and a full moon on Yellowstone Lake. She is now part of the Nantucket Sound fleet that tends to MOTH, a 1962 36′ Alden Zephyr sloop, also to be see in this show.
John,
Thanks for your insight into the history of the Sylvia peapods
I acquired one of these boats a couple of years ago. All of the description above is completely correct, a wonderful boat. Long rows in the COnnecticut River estuaries are easy.
My boat had apparently had little use and hull, rig, sails and all wood work were in great shape. Needed just some ceaning up and a couple of coats of varnish. The only was problem was that the tiller had been broken. So I made a Norwegian tiller for her which works brilliantly and keeps the stern sheets clear of the sweep of the tiller and can be reached from any location in the boat.
My boat came with jib and loose footed mainsail. I was concerned that the boom had been lost. I contacted the mast maker and I was able to find some other original material on the boat and builder, Silva. Turns out that she was always rigged loose footed and with a smal jib. No boom is also a blessing in not taking a shot in the head when tacking or jibbing.
Yes, mine also came with a loose-footed mainsail and a small jib. I had trouble getting the main to set well without a boom and so added one. But then I had to lengthen the mast by about 18″ to raise the rig to a safe height. The jib is so tiny that it’s often not worth the trouble and in any decent wind I leave it ashore. Of course, a sloop rig on a peapod is a bit incongruous, and I may some day convert it to a balanced lug rig.