35' Chapelle New Haven Sailing Sharpie (1977) - BETSY D.
Owner’s Description
35′ New Haven Sharpie. Built in 1977, spent 30 years on lake union at The Center for Wooden Boats, now we camp cruise it for weeks at a time in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. It’s crap upwind in any seas, but it’s dead simple and the connection to the water makes it a joy. Also a downwind rocket, I’ve planed it at 13+kts. Not bad for 19th century tech.
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New Haven, CT had a significant Oyster fishery. The early stage was raking on foot at low tide. More oysters deeper. So they began to row vs. wade and use tongs. The first vessels were log canoes. The design to adapt to the fishery is known to have come from New Haven as do I. Who designed it, unknown. As with the Block Island Cowhorn, lines were taken by Chappell and preserved for future builders. You could luff, set in to toning standing on the side deck mid ship with your work straight down. Bring up all drop on the full athwartships culling board and get back if there was oysters in it or move on. The details of where and who haven’t much to do with design. What happened in NC does. George Ives from New Haven/Fair Haven saw the vast oyster grounds of the waters inside the Southern Outer Banks. Lots of Oysters not many people. New Haven had a way to ship oysters distances by rail and have them arrive fresh. Ives saw the rail line into Morehead City, NC and wanted to do the same thing in the southern lines. When he arrived he saw them using slack bilge boats for oyster toning. The Shad Boat was a good boat, not for oystering. Ives told them about the Sharpie. They said shut up Yankee! Ives said I’m getting a Sharpie sent down here. In the meantime you get your fastest Shadboat ready and plan a race. Ives had two Sharpies built and sent down and got ready to race. He beat the Shadboat badly. The skipper asked Ives the next day to order a Sharpie for him. This changed boat development in the Carolinas and VA for decades. There’s a great exhibit at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort detailing the morphing from Sharpie to the all purpose Core Sounder. One of the last, SYVIA II I got into Save a Classic through the amazing work and speed of Mr. Bray. She sold in two weeks and was restored in a trade school program. My two photo of her were in Woodenboat Mag and credited! The Munroes of Dinner Key, Miami and the Herreshoffs of Bristol wintered at the Barnacle, the Munroe Estate. This worked as well. Cap’n Nat and the Commodore would discuss collaborate and argue over design aspects like balanced rudders. Their sons, Wirth Munroe and L. Francis Herreshoff took this to the next level, the Meadowlark is a popular design that was a product of this pairing. I had a 30 ft. Motorsailor With Munroe designed that was delightful efficient and comfortable.
I built the same boat in 1978 in Maine, pine on oak. I added lee boards to rid myself of the centerboard, not sure it was the best idea. She continues to work out of South Bristol harbor delivering fresh bread and vegetables to the islands along the Kennebec and Sheepscot Rivers, known affectionately as the “Bread Boat”, but still retains her launched name of “Beth Alison”.
Built an 18 ft sharpie about 4 years ago.. More wrack of eye than anything else… The balanced rudder annoys me because you really can’t leave it alone because it has a mind of its own. And it sure collects weed.. So a skeg and regular rudder are in the offing… Probably the cheapest and easiest boat to build. Used a better construction grade plywood. The ribs came from an oak table i picked up on dump day and the stem was a piece of driftwood from the beach…
This helps us get over our cultural amnesia that anything old was any good, or worth recreating. Obviously, Catalina Yachts is not going to tool up for this. Luckily, it’s still a boat you can build in your backyard. The tragedy is how few of them get built.
So good to see this boat having a good time. Glad you have her Jake ! You did not mention that she is also tremendously nimble- in light winds with good crew, you can turn her 180 degrees around in one place- or even back up! Lots of fun on the 4th of July in Lake Union! Construction is so simple you could replace a plank on the beach -nearly all the boards are straight with square edges.
Gorgeous boat, and very much enjoyed the vid
I like the way you made Betsy D part of your family. What does she have to do with New Haven?
New Haven, CT had a significant Oyster fishery. The early stage was raking on foot at low tide. More oysters deeper. So they began to row vs. wade and use tongs. The first vessels were log canoes. The design to adapt to the fishery is known to have come from New Haven as do I. Who designed it, unknown. As with the Block Island Cowhorn, lines were taken by Chappell and preserved for future builders. You could luff, set in to toning standing on the side deck mid ship with your work straight down. Bring up all drop on the full athwartships culling board and get back if there was oysters in it or move on. The details of where and who haven’t much to do with design. What happened in NC does. George Ives from New Haven/Fair Haven saw the vast oyster grounds of the waters inside the Southern Outer Banks. Lots of Oysters not many people. New Haven had a way to ship oysters distances by rail and have them arrive fresh. Ives saw the rail line into Morehead City, NC and wanted to do the same thing in the southern lines. When he arrived he saw them using slack bilge boats for oyster toning. The Shad Boat was a good boat, not for oystering. Ives told them about the Sharpie. They said shut up Yankee! Ives said I’m getting a Sharpie sent down here. In the meantime you get your fastest Shadboat ready and plan a race. Ives had two Sharpies built and sent down and got ready to race. He beat the Shadboat badly. The skipper asked Ives the next day to order a Sharpie for him. This changed boat development in the Carolinas and VA for decades. There’s a great exhibit at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort detailing the morphing from Sharpie to the all purpose Core Sounder. One of the last, SYVIA II I got into Save a Classic through the amazing work and speed of Mr. Bray. She sold in two weeks and was restored in a trade school program. My two photo of her were in Woodenboat Mag and credited! The Munroes of Dinner Key, Miami and the Herreshoffs of Bristol wintered at the Barnacle, the Munroe Estate. This worked as well. Cap’n Nat and the Commodore would discuss collaborate and argue over design aspects like balanced rudders. Their sons, Wirth Munroe and L. Francis Herreshoff took this to the next level, the Meadowlark is a popular design that was a product of this pairing. I had a 30 ft. Motorsailor With Munroe designed that was delightful efficient and comfortable.
I built the same boat in 1978 in Maine, pine on oak. I added lee boards to rid myself of the centerboard, not sure it was the best idea. She continues to work out of South Bristol harbor delivering fresh bread and vegetables to the islands along the Kennebec and Sheepscot Rivers, known affectionately as the “Bread Boat”, but still retains her launched name of “Beth Alison”.
Excellent presentation. Beautiful boat.
Built an 18 ft sharpie about 4 years ago.. More wrack of eye than anything else… The balanced rudder annoys me because you really can’t leave it alone because it has a mind of its own. And it sure collects weed.. So a skeg and regular rudder are in the offing… Probably the cheapest and easiest boat to build. Used a better construction grade plywood. The ribs came from an oak table i picked up on dump day and the stem was a piece of driftwood from the beach…
So fantastic.
This helps us get over our cultural amnesia that anything old was any good, or worth recreating. Obviously, Catalina Yachts is not going to tool up for this. Luckily, it’s still a boat you can build in your backyard. The tragedy is how few of them get built.
Thanks again,
Mike from Napa
So good to see this boat having a good time. Glad you have her Jake ! You did not mention that she is also tremendously nimble- in light winds with good crew, you can turn her 180 degrees around in one place- or even back up! Lots of fun on the 4th of July in Lake Union! Construction is so simple you could replace a plank on the beach -nearly all the boards are straight with square edges.
Looks very fun and simple, and cool is good!
thanks for a most enjoyable video! I’d love to sail 35 foot sharpie.