30' plywood sharpie

People get so full of themselves it is unavoidable.

 

Sorry.

Did not mean to hellojack the thread.

Back to the fabulous sharpie.

 

Yikes! I figured 5 foot headroom would look bad; I had no idea just how bad.



Looking better in the pictures below; needs more crown. And maybe needs to be cut down a tad forward -- so the lines of the cabin don't point off into the wild blue yonder, instead of being level with the waterline or sloped a little towards the bow stem.

As a matter of fact, the whole cabin trunk may need to be cut down, if the boat isn't going to look like a floating board with a shoebox on top. But I'm dealing with a flat-bottomed, shallow-draft hull that doesn't have a lot of freeboard. So beyond a certain point, I'm just going to have to accept less than ideal aesthetics...unless I build a pop-top cabin. Once the sails are up, it'll probably make the cabin look a little lower anyway...and of course, contrasting trim top and bottom on the trunk sides will add horizontal stripes. Like the mother of a tall, skinny girl, I'm convinced horizontal stripes will help....






Take a closer look at the last two pictures, and you'll notice I installed carlins clear around the cabin well (is that proper terminology? I dunno. How about "the hole in the deck the cabin trunk is going to cover"?). The trunk sides will be outside them. I think that's not only a strong way of doing things, but a more watertight way. On the real boat, I'll probably set corner posts first. With the model, I'll box in the trunk first, and trim the carlins to make room for corner posts inside after the sides are up. Then I'll shave the exterior corners back until I'm into the corner posts a little, and laminate an outer corner piece to cover the raw edges of the sides. I'll wind up with a cheater's version of rabbeted corner posts, notched to set both inside and atop the deck.

That isn't a very clear explanation, is it? Ah well, I'll take pictures.

 

Why not turn the 5' cabin into a tent? It would only look bad when you are sleeping and who cares then?

 

Well, that was the idea I was kicking around with a pop-top cabin. The cabin would be about half as tall when it was down, reducing windage and looking better. I could either have the upper half overlap the lower half when down, or just have the upper half be canvas. With the sliding hatch open, we could reach the beer and the stove anyway....

Eh. I think I'll just continue with a a solid cabin, for now.

 

"I could either have the upper half overlap the lower half when down"

The lower half could be the canvas part.

What do you think?

That would save weight and give cleaner lines above deck.

 

It might be better to go with four feet . Five feet is not enough to stand and four is enough to sit.

 

hmmm
kinda the fundamental problem of a sharpie, headroom
the poptop idea sounds great
I would optimize it for sitting on the head while the top is down and for cooking when the top it up
great idea by the way
specially for an inland boat

B

 

That might make more sense. Of course, it would be a continual weak point; canvas doesn't last like wood does. But then again, I suppose it would be cheap and easy to replace.

 

"cheap and easy to replace"

Exactly.

Or you could use clear flexible plastic and have picture window all around.(like what is used in rear Jeep window)

 

The second attempt, in the lower pictures, is about four foot two inches at the sides, with a six-inch crown. I think I can increase the crown and cheat the sides down a little more, without seriously affecting headroom.

The sliding hatch is going to be at the galley to the port side, anyway. And the head will be across from it, on the starboard side; there's where I need to keep sitting room.

 

People who live in glass houses...shouldn't.

Trust me, we don't need the world watching me get dressed. Nor do we need an excess of that good old California sunshine turning the cabin into a solar oven....

 

Model is looking good Troy....!!

About the headroom............



32'5" Sharpie Ketch Two Lucies by Robert Beebe.

Headroom between beams 4' 5". That looks to be the highest as it can be without looking bad for a 32' 5" V-bottomed low freeboard* sharpie.

Two Lucies has a interesting 'flush side' cabin. See the book 'Fifty Wooden Boats' or the digital study plan ($ 0.99) to see it.

Ted Brewer's 32' Mystic Sharpie has 4' 6" headroom between beams.

Good luck!
Angel

PS - *your freeboard looks to be lower.

 

Yep, my freeboard is definitely lower. On the real thing, I'll consider raising it just a few inches. For now, I'm going to increase the crown on the model, which will lower the sides a little, and live with it. I think when I've added trim to the top and bottom of the trunk; a gunwale, rub strip and toe rail; coamings; and a two-tone paint job, it'll look a lot better.

 

That's how Reuel Parker deals with it here. (Go back to see it - "Older Posts" - "Older Posts" - "Older Posts" - etc.)

- < Click.

First pic came from here.

Good luck!
Angel