Flat Bottom Sail/Row Boat

Hi Everyone,

Hoping someone here can help with this one. I'm thinking of building a boat. Specs are rather strange. I want to sail it and row it. I also don't want to trailer it, I'd like to be able to place it on top of my truck. This will be for around the shallow waters of west Flordia, and just for kicks. Taking friends to the island and what not. Doesn't need to be a speed machine and since I'm not a real experience sailor, not planing on leaning into the wind to much. I was planning on making it 8' long with about a 2' beam. I've since changed this to a 14' x 4' beam design. The goal is to use only 4 sheets of plywood with minor seem sealing and paint. Stick would likely be about 10' on her. With Jib and Main sails.

Does anyone know of any plans like that? I was thinking of a pretty straight forward design of two sheets with a drop keel and sides about 2' high. This makes it a pretty flat bottom boat, so I'm not sure how well she will work. Has anyone sailed a flat bottom scow? Anyone ever build one like that? I'd like to sail her up on beaches, hence the flatness.

 

This is from Harry Sucher's book "Flatbottom Boats". Click twice on the pictures to make them bigger.

 

You just asked for a sharpie, which where built to do just what you asked.

There are many out there on the net, a lot by Phil Bolger, etc. But you really don't need any plans for a sharpie or a flatiron skiff, just a picture of what you know is a fair preforming boat and then build it to look like the picture. People have been making these things by eye for hundreds of years.

Google up "plywood sharpie" for a mess of sites, or go to Duckworks (duckworksmagazine.com) or Bateau boat plans (bateau.com).