small plywood sailboats

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Glen-L 25 - Plywood

Introduction: 7ft Wooden Sailboat

I built this 7-foot working sailboat using 1x4 pine and quarter-inch thick plywood. Boat building is something anybody can accomplish. All you need is about $100 in tools, $200 in materials and perhaps 60 hours of spare time. I'm not a professional carpenter, so do proceed at your own risk. Hopefully this broad overview will inspire you to take up this rewarding hobby.

Step 1: Obtain Materials

• Power drill: I prefer two, one with a drill bit for pilot holes and one for Phillips head screws.
• Tape measure
• Ruler and pencil
• Power sander
• 10-20 clamps of all variety: The more you have, the easier construction will be.
• 2 4'x8' 1/4" plywood panels: No need to go for the expensive stuff. Non-marine grade oak worked fine for me.
• ~20' of 1"x4" pine chords: For the structure and deck.
• 3 2"x2" pine chords: For the oars and mast.
• 1 12"x24" board: For the rudder.
• 1 2'x2' 1/2" plywood panel: For the paddles.
• 100' of synthetic rope. Synthetic is less affected by water.
• 1 bed sheet: The sail.
• 1 piece of tagboard: The stem.
• 3-4 cans of spray-on Spar Urethane
• 2 pints of latex paint.
• Epoxy - as much as you can obtain. Avoid 5 minute quick setting Epoxy: It leaves you no time to properly set materials.
• 3/4" wood screws. Any material is fine. Epoxy will cover them.

Step 2: Layout the Design

A complex design is unnecessary. If you think about it, a boat is just an overgrown wooden cup, except instead of keeping liquid in, a boat keeps liquid out. The few design considerations were:

• The maximum width could be no wider than the inside of my Ford Expedition.
• The maximum length could be no longer than what could be wrapped with a strip of 8-foot plywood. (It came to 7 feet).
• The bottom had to be as wide as possible for stability.
• The bottom would be rounded in order to better handle shallow lakes.
• The shape would be a tear drop and look like a boat.
• It had to be light enough to carry short distances.

With these parameters set, place an 8x4 plywood panel on the ground and draw a symmetrical teardrop shape. I used the ruler to make sure lines on each side were equidistant to the edges. The process involved trial and error and ended when I was satisfied that the shape looked 'boat-like'.

Step 3: Cut and Add Beams

The boat had to be strong enough to keep out 6 cubic feet of water (a cubic foot of water weighs 64 lbs), but light enough to portage short distances. And it had to withstand collisions with branches and rocks. 1x4 beams provided this strength. Cutting these was a matter of guesswork. In order to look boat-like, these were angled so the boat's maximum width would be 4 feet at the top rail (the gunnels) and 3 1/2 feet at the bottom. A jigsaw works fine for these cuts. The beams were spaced on foot apart. This spacing, like many things about this boat, was based on a guess.

Step 4: Cut and Add the Sides

With two beams added (maybe there is a more technical term than 'beam'), the sides panels of the boat could be added. To create the sides:

• Cut a 4x8 sheet of plywood into two 2x8 peices.
• Lay these on top of each other.
• Draw out the side. Make the ends curve up slightly. The height should be between 1 and 1 1/2 feet.

With the sides made, screw them to the beams. Be careful to make sure the beams connect to the sides at the same spot. Otherwise, the boat will be asymmetrical. Boat design is very forgiving, with few exceptions. This is one of them. An asymmetrical boat has large cracks to fill and looks bad.

To get the front ends to meet, cut a 2x2 and screw it to the front of one of the plywood panels. Bend both panels until they link up to the 2x2. Make sure they are screwed in. The front, or stem, of the boat is almost ready.

Finally, lift the front of the bottom panel and screw it to the bottom of the 2x2. Sand or saw off any excess wood from the bottom panel.

The most difficult part of the build is complete.

Step 5: Add the Transom

The transom is the back of the boat, shaped like a trapezoid. Determine how wide you want the top rear of the boat and draw out the shape in a piece of plywood. Be mindful of symmetry and make sure the height of the part matches the two side panels. Cut the shape out, then cut and screw in 1x4 chords to give it strength.

Step 6: Complete the Hull Structure

Right now the sides are not well attached to the bottom and large gaps line the edges of the bottom. Reduce these by cutting small triangles out of 1x4's and place these along the bottom edges half way between the beams. This should reduce these gaps. The smaller the gaps are, the less epoxy is needed later.

This is also a good time to add the mast holder. Cut a 1x4 and place it across the top of the structure, close to the stem. Cut a 1 1/2 inch hole in the center with a jigsaw or (if you have one) a 1 1/4 inch drill bit. This will keep the mast in place. Take another 1x4, cut a similar hole in the center, and place on the bottom panel. Carefully line it up to the top mast holder. If these top and bottom mast holders aren't lined up closely, the eight-foot mast will have an obvious lean.

Step 7: Create the Gunnels

Gunnels are the side rail. These add to the structural strength and provide a good place for your hands to grip when boarding, lifting or portaging the boat. To be light, strong and good-looking, take a 4-foot long piece of plywood and trace it along the top of one of the sides. Draw another line four inches parallel to it, then cut. Do this four times:

Along the starboard (right) front. Along the port (left) front.Along the starboard rear.Along the port rear.Make sure there is some overlap between the front and back pieces. You'll have four curvy panels to line along the top of the boat. Use these parts as a template to make two more copies of each panel.

The goal is to create three layers of panels. These three layers are visible in the image, clamped together. When all three are complete, sandwich them together. Glue them together with Epoxy and clamp down. More on Epoxy in the next section.

When both gunnels are complete. Cut a triangle out of 1x4 plywood and place it on top of the stem. This is just for looks.

Step 8: Epoxy

Epoxy is nasty stuff to work with. It smells terrible, is expensive and is highly toxic. At the same, there is no substitute. Epoxy is the glue and the waterproofing agent to use. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines when using it. Generally this means wearing gloves and being in a well ventilated area. Epoxy is a two-ingredient adhesive: a resin and a hardener. Both have to be mixed prior to use. Quick setting epoxy is available, but 1 hour setting works best for boat building. It allows you time to set and correct whatever you are gluing. Any type of epoxy requires 24 hours of cure time. Clamp tightly any pieces you are gluing, and keep the ambient temperature above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 9: Add the Keel and Cover the Stem

The keel helps keep the boat stable and helps it grip the water and stay strait. Most small sailboats have a deep keel that you sink into the water before setting sail. Usually the setup is complex. I've built two boat that don't have one, and I haven't found a need for a deep, removable keel. This boat uses five strips of plywood. Cut five 1-inch-wide strips of plywood and place them along he bottom center of the boat. Screw them and glue them together. Cut off any excess wood that sticks out in front of the stem. Just that simple. No special detachable keel needed.

The stem has an unsightly crack where the front of the side panels meet. Cover this with a piece of tag board. Yep, paper. Everything will be water proofed, so paper works fine.

Step 10: Sand, Waterproof and Paint.

This is the time to add epoxy. Add it to any joint where one piece of wood meets another, or any exposed screwhead. Even if that joint will never get wet, the boat benefits from the strength of the adhesive. If there is any leak, water will find it. Take time to add 2-3 coats over every crack. Some boat builders recommend making a mix of epoxy and sawdust, then covering the glued joint with tape. I've never found that necessary. A thin bead of epoxy, a quarter inch thick at most, is all that is necessary. Adding this in tiny layers helps guarantee that no leaks remain. Make sure a tarp is below the boat, because some epoxy may leak. Also wait 24 hours between each coating, to allow the glue to dry. Finally, keep the temperature above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

After the layers are applied, fill the bottom of the boat with water. This will instantly alert you of any leaks.

Next, sand every surface until it looks nice. When sanding blobs of epoxy, wear a face mask, respirator, or at least do it outside. Epoxy is toxic.

Then paint. Inexpensive latex works fine. I prefer dark colors because it hides any errors, uneven cuts, etc. It may be necessary to tip or flip the boat, wait a half day for the paint to dry, then paint another side.

When the boat is painted - spray every surface with 3-5 layers of Spar Urethane. Allow it to dry in between coats. Spar Urethane alone does not seal leaks. That's the Epoxy's job. What it does is protect the wood and paint from water damage. When using the boat for paddling and fishing, all parts are likely to get the occasional splash.

Step 11: Add the Deck

I don't trust quarter inch plywood to hold my weight. A removable deck of 1x4's allows the boat beams to bear this burden. The deck is removable in order to make the boat easier to carry. To create the deck, determine how long it and wide it can be by measuring the inside of the hull. Make sure it doesn't cover the lower mast holder. Space the 1x4's a half-inch apart and link them with two 1x2's (cut a 1x4 into a 1x2 if needed). The 1x2's should be placed somewhere so that they interlock with the hull beams, which prevents the deck from sliding around.

Step 12: Build the Oars, Mast and Sail

Each oar is a 2x2 chord of pine. Cut the corners with a jigsaw and sand it down until the wood is rounded. Closet hangers also work, require no cutting and sanding, but are five times as expensive. Cut a notch into one end of the wood. This is where the paddles will go. The paddles are made of half-inch plywood panels. Glue the paddles and oars together with epoxy. Screw them together for added strength. Spray each oar and paddle with 2-3 coatings of Spar Urethane.

The mast is an eight-foot 2x2. Cut 2 holes in the top: Rope will go here. After cutting and sanding the mast until it looks round, put it into the mast holder to make sure it fits. Just above the mast holder, drill another hole. The spar will attach here.

The spar is a 6-foot 1x2 (or cut 1x4). Drill one hole at the end where it meets the mast. Drill a hole in the enter, and drill two holes toward the end.

The sail is just a bed sheet. Cut it into a triangle. If the cut is jagged, white duct tape helps cover it up.

Step 13: Rudder and Rigging

The rudder is cut from a 12x1 pine chord and made to look like a rudder. It is detachable and hooks on to two loops that come out of the transom. It is controlled with two ropes that come out of the rudder and move through a series of hooks along the gunnels. The ends of the ropes meet near the mast. The rudder turns by tugging one of the ropes.

The oar locks are each a 2" wide loop of rope screwed into the gunnels.

Rigging is complex, so I'll let the pictures and videos describe it. The benefit of the Bermuda setup is that it has few moving parts and is the easiest to sail. It has been a process of trial and error and I'm still figuring out the best system.

Step 14: Enjoy!

Building and sailing your own boat is a hobby that challenges you physically and mentally. At the same time, anybody who has the desire can get into it. When building or sailing, stay safe and follow usual precautions like wearing a life jacket. Have fun out there.

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Home » Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen

Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen

Plywood microcruiser for rivers and lakes – cabin and cockpit fitted into a tiny 8 foot sailboat which sails pretty well – see the video below!

Owning “yacht” – you don´t have to be rich – only little playfully attitude. Perrtu Korhonen

This is the story of an actual three day trip of Perttu and his nephew in Finland.

Plans $40 from Duckworks  and is complete with all details from making the hull to making the sail from a polytarp. I wonder if it qualifies as a tiny house. Maybe a tiny house … boat.

Perttu in Finland built one of my OZ PDRacers (now OZRacer) last year as well as building a Quick Canoe that he built in the snow during the last winter and used for camping and daytrips.

He is an adventurin’ sort of guy.

During this last winter he had a secret project.  Most of the Duck community fell over with surprise when he introduced his really nicely resolved Ocean Explorer – an 8ft long cabin boat.

It uses the sail, foils and spars from his OzRacer/OZPDRacer.

It makes a lot of sense for colder climates where it can be hard to find a warm and windless place to sleep.

He’s had it away on a couple of trips – he made this neat video of one of the trips.

I couldn’t decide if it was the most crazy thing or most wonderful thing I had ever seen – but was sure it was great!

Ocean Explorer.

He used the spars, sail and foils from my OzRacer.

So we got together via the net and worked it all out to produce a really good set of plans.

About 80 pages.  It includes all the methods to build the hull, centreboard and rudder, make the polytarp sail (though you can use regular sailcloth if you like) and make the spars.

A low cost professionally made dacron/polyester sail designed by Michael Storer is available from Duckworks .  It is labelled as the Oz Sail.

Perttu spent hours doing really cool perspective drawings of the construction, I fiddled through my Oz stuff to grab what was needed for his plan. He made some suggestions for the Oz stuff and I made some suggestions for his hull – it is really very simply constructed for a boat with so much surface area.

A nice collaboration despite being about 10,000miles apart. The new shape of the world – or size – or something.

Perttu headed off on the boat for several days with a compact crewmember.

Looking aft in the cabin – adult legs go under the cockpit seats.

There are two very important things with this boat.

One is that the boat is designed to be sailed with the hatch SHUT in all but the best weathers.

Also to make progress upwind in choppy water it is important to the weight of loose gear next to the centrecase in the middle of the boat to help keep the boat on its lines.

Perttu on the building

Last winter was quite busy for me. I lost my sense of realism when my girlfriend was going to Africa for four weeks. I had bought plans for two kayaks and I was focused of building them for both of us. Then Mik´s Quick canoe came on marked and I could not resist buying plans and building one. And then I get the idea of Ocean Explorer and I started to draw sketch of it. I liked it immediately and when Hanna left to Africa I started to build it in our living room – ( I forgot to tell her – now we are repairing our living room… ). oh1 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Idea was to make small, cheap and light “yacht looking boat” with good performance. It´s cheap to build, light and sails good – the look of boat is little odd on front view, but I still like it. loma3 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

In end of last summer I made three days exploring trip with it. Maybe I have lively imagination, but I felt like real sailor- sleeping inside cabin – on boat which I have build by myself – feeling how waves moves the boat… loma2 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Scotty on my forum

Scotty went ahead and did some great google sketchup drawings of the boat and some of the parts on my forum .

Perttu’s Cruise in Finland

Yes a real multiday cruise in a tiny and cheap boat.  I Launched my boat in Porosalmi Harbour.

I had three days to explore Linnansaari National Park in lake Saimaa Finland. The harbour was in sheltered bay and the wind was behind me. When I sailed on a reach, open lake area winds picked me up and I reefed the sail one step down. It was fun sailing. I was moving windward and the waves started to grow bigger and bigger. My boat name is iSo (big), but she started to feel small. It was a little scary and exiting at the same time. I started to look for shelter behind the islands and soon I reached a sheltered bay on one small island. I was so focused on sailing and taking photos, that I wasn´t sure in which island it was. I don’t have GPS– with maps there is always possibility to get lost! In the evening the winds are usually gentler. I had time to make coffee and refit the wind indicator, which had dropped into the cockpit. The bay was only 50m wide and it was a little battle to sail out to open lake. In the evening the winds were nicer and the sun was shining – not a trouble in the whole world.On one island there were 15 canoes and a group of young germans singing Kumbaya my Lord – I thought I must sailed too far south. The first night inside the cabin. The boat moves little with waves. I was reading a book and listening to the radio. Nice feeling – dawn comes and I fall into sleep. 12.8. 07:00 – Holiday – Why wake up at 7 o’clock? 09:30 – Stuck in calm. I miss yesterday´s winds and surfs. History knows greater sailors and explorers than me, maybe we still share something common – moments like this? That spirits up my mind and I start reading and let the sail up. 11:00 – Water supply showing alarming low. Sun is burning hot. In these latitudes the sun can be an enemy – am I gonna survive?My boat carries Michael Storer’s lugsail and it picks up even the littlest whisper of wind. I am actually moving slowly. My destination is Linnansaari Island´s north edge. The map says it has a dock for small boats. My boat has berth´s for two – is that dock going to be too small? 11:50 – A bird. Sign of land, binoculars! coconuts – whiskey for all! 12:00 – Back to reality (at least half of reality) – no whiskey for sailors! – Maybe a little in the evening? It´s time for lunch break. Tuna and pasta. (I caught the tuna earlier this morning.) When I moored, the winds started to blow. Luckily they died as soon as they appeared – I had time to eat in peace and take a small nap. 14:15 – In Linnansaari Island small boat’s dock. My fear was unnecessary. The boat just fit the dock. I hiked to a cliff which gave a great view of the lake. 17:00 – Moored to rocky island. Coffee break and swimming – feeling free. You don’t have to be rich, (with money) to complete your dreams! 16:00 – Nice steady winds – not big, but keeps us moving. 20:45 – Found nice place between two small islands. I took a couple of photos, set up the boom tent and slid into my sleeping bag. Later I watched the sunset through the cabin window.

13:08 – Friday the 13th. Beautiful morning, no clouds and the sun warms nicely. After breakfast I headed back to the harbour where I started. This trip is going to end soon. It´s time to start planning the next one. Any questions or comments: Plans are $40 and include Perttu’s hull and Michael Storer´s Lug rig, spars, sail design for home sailmaking,  and foil shapes.Plans for this baby are available from Duckworks or BoatCraft Pacific and soon all storerboats agents.

26 thoughts on “Ocean Explorer – a micro cruising sailboat for inland waters from Perttu Korhonen”

Hi….Michael…the new SkechUp for the 12ft design .is i think the very practical One….love that it has mor space..and payload.. hope to see that…i was playing micro sail boat for quit some times…..!!!have tons of adventure ..on that type

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22625264@N04/sets/72157622492439800/

the 8″ is too short for me (space), the 12″ is too long (car). i guess i’ll have to “stitch” the 8″ read to the 12″ front. otherwise i can’t roofrack that one on my compact car… (volkswagen rabbit, roughly 10″ long) also i need less height than the 12″ one…

what do you think – could be done in glass fibre with no wood for 30 kilograms ? (building a outer form, laminating in carbon or metal struts and using baloon pressure lamination techniques)

what about a 5hp suzuki engine (we have very few wind) ?

It is a common misconception, but modern wood construction is much lighter than fibreglass. Even with carbon you would find it difficult to get close to the weights of the same structure in premium plywood such as the gaboon species. Sometimes called Okoume. Still much cheaper than Carbon particularly when considering the cost of moulds and materials that won’t go into the boat

Fibreglass will be about 60 to 100% HEAVIER than wood. Glass specific density – 2.5gm/cm^3 Resin specific density – 1gm/cm^3 Okoume wood specific density – 0.35gm/cm^3

About 3hp would be more than enough for little boats like this. More will just make the boat stand up with its nose high in the air. Sensible speed is about 5knots (nautical miles per hour)

Best wishes Michael

What is the approximate dry weight of the OE with and without sails/rigging? I’m wondering if the boat is (at least in theory) car-toppable.

Cheers! ~Rob

I will forward this to Perttu and ask him for an approximate figure. It will vary a lot depending on the plywood and timber selected.

One thing to be aware of is that BULK can be as big a problem as weight when roofracking.

I calculated the approximately weight for hull and it shoud be around 45 -55 kg ( birch plywood ) Approx 130 lbs. and 5.5 kg for spars ( pine ) Thanks Perttu

(Comment from Michael … the hull weight looks about what I would expect but would depend on the timber. The whole rig for the OzRacer (the first two Oz PDRacers we built) was about 18 to 20 lbs (7kg) for the sail, rig and the few fittings and ropes).

Perttu and Michael, thanks for the response! That’s certainly an impressive weight and well within the 75kg limit of my roof rack (all bulk concerns aside …). I think it may be doable with speed restrictions and short trips.

Hello everybody, this boat is wonderful :-).

I have some question: is the ocean explorer a good boat for two persons?

What do you think to use that in the mediterranean sea? Do you think that the ocean explorer can works well in the normal waves of that sea?

Thank you very much

Paolo, Italy

Sorry, I forgot one thing.

The “Stitch and glue” is the construction tecnique?

No, it is not stitch and glue. It uses timber with square cross section in all the corners.

This requires fewer building steps than stitch and glue because the hull shape is so simple.

I would not recommend the Ocean Explorer for the Meditteranean. If you know it already, you know there are many beautiful sailing days when you could sail any boat, but then the screaming strong winds come from the mountains or the deserts. I don’t think it would be safe. It really is a boat for rivers and lakes with good sailing conditions because it is such a tiny boat.

As far as two people … It depends on the two people. I have slept in a very small tent with another person and it had been fine. I have slept in a much bigger tent with one person and they found it difficult. It is a small space with a small vertical dimension.

Not everyone will like it, but some who have the spirit of adventure will think it is cute and fun.

Excellent pictures, and funny story of the holiday trip. I especially like the shots on flicker of your living room co nstruction. If my wife was away, I would likely do the same if I had to, knowing she would HIGHLY disapprove. I love the final product, and am considering making one when I get home from West Africa rotational work.

I surfed the web and love the videos of your boat under sail. Post more to Youtube if you have any. I just restored an 18ft 1972 Folbot sailing kayak and had a blast learning to sail it last month while at home on days off. My wife said not to come home with another project that kept me up all hours of the night in the garage …… I think I will be in hot water when I pull in the drive way with the plywood in my truck :)

Bill, Surette’s Island, Nova Scotia

This is exactly what I am looking for! When do you think these plans will be available?

Plans are for sale now!

Ooze Gooze plans on Duckworks

I didn´t draw boom tent for this boat, same type boom tent like Ocean Explorer can´t be use, because cockpit is longer than boom. Boom tent is so nice equipment, that I would miss it, so that may come in future as add on – and curtains for sure – ha!

Now there is optional plans for outboard mount and some another small things, but that boom tent needs some thinking — Thanks

This is fantastic!

My wife (Finnish, coincidentally!) and I currently enjoy infrequent weekends doing minimalist canoe camping in the hidden lakes of the Canadian Shield (we’re not much for crowds). Our children are very near the age where they can be left on their own, so for over a year I have been conspiring to build a PD Goose for “luxury” camp cruising. My new home with double garage was completed over the winter and I came back to this page to visit the Goose plans when I saw this!

I intend to check back frequently and be one of the first in line when the 12ft plans are ready.

All the best from Canada,

Guess what Darren,

We finished the plans yesterday. Plans are for sale now!

More pics of the Ooze Goose sailing micro cruiser will go up here as we get them together.

Perttu’s computer drawings are a wonder.

Wow!…..How exciting!

Not only am I enticed about about this microcruiser’s sailing performance, but I am already being flooded with dreams of my sweetie and I on ultra-romantic wekkend and long-weekend getaways….I can picture us anchored up in some of our favourite private gunkholes – her stretched out sunbathing in the cockpit; me sitting on the bow catching supper; swimming; an ice chest full of cold ones; and the best part – no hauling camping gear ashore and back again!

Is this plan set also going to come with all the extra goodies – boom tent, curtains, blocks, etc?

The plans come with some of those accessories drawn up just like the smaller version. I will dig up Perttu for comments about what is there exactly – he will reply here and the reply should be forwarded to you automatically.

We are really interested in the performance too and how it handles different conditions. It is not really an “open water” boat, I would probably think of it like an open boat in terms of seaworthiness. If you keep that in mind and gradually extend what you do I think it will be very good fun.

Plans are for sale now Darren.

I’m loving this design. I really think there is genius in it. Great collaboration. I don’t think I can resist building one…I’ll send pictures

Most of the Genius is Perttu’s. I just supplied the running gear to make it go nicely.

I’m quite taken with your Ocean Explorer. My only problem is my wife always comes sailing with me, so the boat would have to sleep 2 adults. I’m 5’10” and my weight is 210 pounds; my wife is 5’3″ and her weight is 110 pounds. Could you design a larger Ocean Explorer that would sleep my wife and I? I sure hope so. We tent camp in a two person pack tent that weights 6 pounds. Good protection with a bit of comfort would be fine for us. Thanks so much for your help. We hope you have a great year.

Perttu and I are working on a 12ft version. It is a lot of work so it might take some time to get it ready.

One of the best ways to monitor what is happening is to join my forum as well as this website.

auch ich denke übereine 10 ft version nach- gegebenenfalls 12 ft-,auf keinen fall größer oder schwerer. habe großes interesse an neuesten informationen.

Thankyou Roland,

I work slowly when creating new plans. But I will write something here when it is ready.

12ft is a good choice. 10ft makes it difficult to get good performance when there are two people on the boat.

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Ørekroken 27. november 2011, Pål Gustad, Black Pearl Photo: Tage Solberg

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Sharpie 600

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Latest updated Monday, February 5, 2024, 159 comments

Images | Particulars | More about | Background and history

Plans, Sharpie 600 - 310 EUR Purchase

Sharpie 600 is designed as a daysailer and weekender, a use most boats are put to, regardless of their design purpose.

The design brief for Sharpie 600 goes like this:

• Daysailor for many: Roomy cockpit (< 200 cm) Comfortable under sail and in a harbor. Everything within reach without passengers being in the way. No boom above the cockpit (with the lug rig). Flexing masts reduce heeling in a gust (also the lug). Easily lowered masts in a tabernacle (gaff rig).
• Weekender/Cruiser for two: Comfortable for one, acceptable for two. Provisions for basic cooking. Room for a portable toilet. Usable in bad weather. Some kind of heating for use in early spring or late fall.
• Fast: Fast enough to cover considerable distances in a day. Lots of sail (SA/d=21) for ghosting along in a breeze without having to resort to an outboard motor or oars.
• Safe: Self-righting after a knockdown. The lug rig reefs without affecting sail balance. Ability to beat away from a lee shore in a blow. If possible unsinkable (with built-in positive flotation).
• Small and handy: Should maneuver calmly and smartly under sail, motor or oars. Short, narrow and light (d/l=159) - easily handled on and off a trailer. Low moorage fees - if applicable. Draft not more than 25 cm, allowing sailing on to the beach and drying out upright on the sturdy flat bottom. The rudder and centerboard should lift without damage if you hit bottom.
• Pretty: Pretty in a traditional way, under sail and on the beach. To maneuver calmly and smartly under sail, motor or oars.
• Low maintenance: Modern wood. Epoxy/glass-sheathed plywood. No permanent installations: electricity, plumbing, motor etc. If fitted with a motor, an outboard is recommended, preferably in a well (but a few Sharpies have been fitted with a small inboard motor under a bridge deck). Easy trailering.
• Easy to handle: All conceivable maneuvering on land or in water should be possible for a competent single-hander. With the gaff rig, the mast in a tabernacle should be easily lowered for passing under a bridge, while the lug rig masts are light enough to be handled manually.
• Easy to build: Designed for amateur construction, the Sharpie is built on 7 transverse and 2 longitudinal bulkheads, preassembled like a large jig-saw puzzle. To this, bottom-, planking- and deck panels, sheathed in epoxy/glass are glued.

The Sharpie 600 took the third prize in Classic Boat´s design competition in 1996.

A pro built Sharpie in France .

The plans show either the lug or the gaff rig and this must be specified when ordering. Both are a bit unusual today, but are excellent on small shallow-draft centerboard boats. They were very common earlier, being easily handled, simple to set up with a minimum of technical gadgets and comfortably sailed singlehandedly.

The gaff sloop

The mast of the gaffer sits in a tabernacle and can be lowered and raised in minutes to pass under a bridge. Since most sailors are used to one-mast boats it might seem less challenging than the lugger. The gaff is a way to increase the sail area on a shorter mast and thus reduce weight aloft (the same way full extended battens increase the area aloft on a modern competitive mainsail). A gaff mainsail can be lowered or reefed without pointing the craft into the wind (let go of the throat and peak halyards and the sail comes down regardless of the wind direction). The gaff rig is not as efficient close hauled as a modern rig but makes up for it reaching and running.

The lug rig was my first choice for the sharpie since I was very impressed with the performance of the lug rig on my canoe yawl  a couple of years earlier. But many interested builders were not quite confident with such an archaic rig, and I got questions about an alternative. So I drew a gaff sloop. Now, after 15 years, the gaff rig counts for approx 2/3 of the shipped drawings. Many seem to choose the gaff for aesthetic reasons: it looks more ship-ish.

Particulars

The plan set consists of six sheets (A1 size = 23"x33") with all the information a builder with some experience (e.g. kayak or canoe building) would need to build the boat. Inexperienced builders may need to consult books in basic boatbuilding techniques.

Sheets are:

• Construction details
• Sections with a table of offsets
• Profile view
• Rigging, masts and sails

The boat is built with plywood – a simple and quick way to achieve strength and a smooth finish – double 12 mm sheets on the bottom, 12 mm on the sides and 9 mm on the deck and house. Wood strip construction is an alternative – though it will be more time-consuming.

The plywood sections and longitudinal bulkheads fit together like a large puzzle, creating a super-stable 3D grid, joined by epoxy fillets. The image above shows the lug version. The ballast is lead sheet glued/screwed to the floor (a thrifty builder without access to a commercial lead-casting foundry perhaps could do the job himself, using old lead tire weights or scrap lead, a charcoal fire and a simple mold – a particle board with wooden battens – but check the environmental policies in your area!).  

Note: The gaff and lug version are on different plans. Please specify which you want when ordering.

No building manual is included. For more information on building techniques, please consult one of the books on boat building listed in literature .

More on the Sharpie 600

I frequently get questions about the off-center board, positioned 30 cm to the right of the centerline. It means that the centerboard trunk that usually transforms the cabin of shallow-draft cruisers into two narrow and not very usable spaces is now out of the way, hidden behind the longitudinal bulkhead. The Sharpie 600 is surprisingly roomy.

"But won´t she sail better on one tack?" In practice, you must be a very good sailor to be able to notice any difference. In the good old days, the centerboard was often placed through the planking beside the keel as boat builders did not like cutting holes in the backbone. Thus, my Sharpie follows a respected tradition, although the offset is slightly more than the older custom.

The suggested interior layout is simple and easily maintained, without any installations (electricity, plumbing etc.): a portable toilet can be stored under the cockpit seat or under a hinged seat. The recommended water system is two 25 l jerrycans under the lifting galley countertop – one for fresh water and one to collect the waste water – that are reasonably easy to lift out and fill/empty. An alternate solution is to have two cans for fresh water and to drain the 'gray water' waste through the centerboard trunk. A removable section of the transom can be a perfect place for an outboard motor, or you can arrange something a little more elaborate with a motor well in the aft left corner of the cockpit. Lighting can be LED lamps with dry cells, or LED lamps run on a house battery under the cockpit (in which case a four-stroke outboard motor with an alternator would be best suited)

The photos below (from Audun Bull in Norway and his S/Y Kuling ) show the surprising space that can be achieved in a tiny pocket cruiser when the centerboard is hidden behind the pantry counter.

If someone wants to put sailmarks on the sails of their Sharpie, here are a couple of suggestions. They are available as downloads on the resource page . The color can be adjusted to suit the color scheme of the hull.

The gaff version:

The lug version:

Sharpie 600 – background and history

The Sharpie 600 started as a private project - an idea for a very simple, hassle-free, inexpensive and convenient way for me to spend time at sea. When the design was nearing completion in 1996, the UK magazine Classic Boat launched a design competition with almost the same specifications as those I had set for myself. I submitted my design in the competition and was happy to see that the Sharpie 600 was honored with a third place award.

Sharpie 600 was honored with a third place award in Classic Boat's design contest 1996

Perhaps a centerboard and a mizzen placed off-center were hard to take for English traditionalists. One of the judges commented:

"Björn Thomasson's flat-bottomed 'weekender-for-two' appealed to me for its charming simplicity. At a personal level, I am not entirely comfortable with the asymetry of the off-center board and mizzen. Hang the rudder in a slot to allow for a central mizzen and centre the board and this little lug-rigged cat yawl complete with two-berth cabin, head and galley, would be just right fo a drying mooring. The high aspect ratio lug rig certainly suits the little boat. Allowing for my personal prejudices, I gave it a third place."

Perhaps if I had put the centerboard in the middle (compromising the livable room in the cabin) and centered the mizzen mast (complicating the construction with a non-lifting rudder in a slot, or a link system between the rudder and tiller) I might even have won! They are tricky, those Englishmen ;-)

By the time the competition ended I had discovered that kayaks were an even more efficient way of spending time at sea, so the prototype was built by Wermlandia Båtproduktion and exhibited at the Stockholm Boat Fair, where she attracted a lot of interest from sailors, journalists and boatbuilders.

To date (Summer 2021) 51 sets of plans have been shipped, but I am still waiting to start building my own Sharpie 600. There have been a lot of kayak projects in those years.

Design & Illustration

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Hirundo 750

Hirundo is trailerable, with her 2.5 meters of maximum beam and lifting keel; she can be considered on the heavy edge of a trailerable sailboat.

IDEA19 is a 6 m fast paced trailerable sailboat; she can be built by homebuilders in both GRP and wood-plywood & epoxy resin.

Saltaspiaggia

A mimimal coastal cruiser, easy and cheap to build (plywood and epoxy and “stitch and glue” system ) and to sail; the perfect on budget solution to escape from crowded beach

“Saltaspiaggia”, can be translated as “Beach-hopper”; this sailboat is a minimal coastal cruiser, a sailboat to hop from one beach to another with a small group of friends, and to be garage-built by a homebuilder with plywood and epoxy. This was my goal when I decide to develop this plan, which had to be: easy to build and rig , quite cheap, and produce a small sturdy trailerable sailboat enough roomy to allow a small family of four to travel for a week holiday.

I decided to stretch the “stitch & glue ” plywood and epoxy system somehow to its limit; a 6,20 m multichined hull was the result, to be built by an homebuilder as a dinghy “on steroids”, keeping things easy, in plywood sheets and epoxy resins starting from a very detailed set of drawings.

Hull is quite simple, with a good balance between interiors and cockpit volume, a shallow draft lifting keel, with a decent amount of lead ballast poured in the lifting keel; sail area is the low range, since I was more interested in a small light manageable sailboat than in absolute performances; I choose a somehow peculiar cutter configurations, with a mainsail, a small olympic jib and a bigger genoa/MPS to be used in light conditions or downwind/reaching; bow sails are quite small so they can be furled with a cheap dinghy furler , avoiding expensive cruising boat furler; a second option in the plans is the classical gaff rig mainsail, which keeps the centre of effort of sailplan even lower, increasing stability in windy conditions.

Plans are, as always, richly detailed; this time I decided to add a drawing about mast building, to allow an even cheaper realizations (alloy masts are quite expensive, in this case you can built your own wooden mast by plans). Engine is a 5-8 HP long shaft outboard fitted on transom, aside from a transom hung rudder, simple and effective.

Boat Profile

Ptarmigan 17

A Selway Fisher pocket cruiser

From Issue   Small Boats Annual 2023 December 2021

Y ears ago, I had built and sailed a 14′ flat-bottomed skiff, but the time had come for something with more capacity, capability, and comfort. A few times my wife Ramona and I had been caught in rough conditions that made me feel more than a bit uncomfortable, and I didn’t feel confident heading out to distant shores with the little boat. And sleeping under a tented boom, well, I’d had enough of that. Still, it was nice to have a boat I could tow home and store in the garage where I could keep it in good repair.

Selway Fisher’s Ptarmigan 17, as drawn, met most of my needs and could be adapted to suit the rest. The options detailed in the plans took care of my wants, and the design appears to accommodate amateur builders with a range of skills and requirements. There are drawings for both stitch-and-tape and glued-plywood lapstrake construction. You can also choose between a simple catboat rig and a yawl rig. With all the options for customization, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 10 different boats built from the same set of Ptarmigan 17 plans.

The glued-plywood lapstrake construction accentuates the hull’s curves. Stitch-and-tape construction without the laps is an option included in the plans.

The boat’s optional yawl rig had piqued my interest. I liked the idea of sailing under a balanced helm if the conditions got too serious, and I thought that the smaller mainmast on the yawl rig would be a bit lighter to lift. The combination tabernacle-equipped mainmast, small cabin, and ease of trailering led me to finally choose this design.

The building package comes with seven sheets of construction plans and a 14-page booklet of instructions. Dimensions are metric. A concise building schedule outlines each step of the build with recommendations on the choice of plywood, instructions on using epoxy, and what fastenings to use. There’s a section on how to lay out and draw the side panels on the plywood, and how to draw curved elements using a grid pattern. Measured drawings for the molds, stitch-and-tape side panels, bottom panel, and stem are clear and easy to follow. You do not need to do any lofting to build this boat. There are detailed drawings and instructions on stitching and filleting. The plans are complete with details for building sub-components such as rudder, centerboard and trunk, and the tabernacle. The plans are cross-referenced with the instruction booklet and provide the recommended scantlings.

There are instructions for building an outboard well or a transom cutout. All specifications for the standing and running rigging are listed. For builders interested in making their own sails, there’s even a reference to a Selway publication on that topic. The booklet is light on details for the four-strake, glued-lap plywood version; however, there are several good books available on the topic.

Both of the Ptarmigan 17’s sail rigs are gaff-rigged. The single-mast catboat rig carries a sail area of 139 sq ft and includes the dimensions for an optional 24-sq-ft jib. The yawl rig’s total sail area is a little smaller at 135 sq ft, with a main of 79 sq ft, a jib of 36 sq ft, and a leg-o’-mutton mizzen of 20 sq ft. There are two reefpoints drawn on the mainsails. With the yawl rig you can douse the mainsail in high winds and sail with a balanced helm under jib and mizzen. The yawl—with bowsprit and boomkin —is almost 23′ in sparred length. The mizzen is self-tending and only requires attention when coming off the wind. The plans do not specifically address tackle, but we made our own blocks in keeping with the overall look and feel of the boat. There are several good articles on making your own blocks in various publications.

I found the plans for this boat detailed, complete, and accurate, and while a few questions did arise, they were quickly answered via email. When I started this build, I found many ways of keeping safe and saving time; the project took me five months of full-time effort.

T he boat tows well behind an SUV or pickup truck, and the trailer does not require brakes for the boat’s 1,300 lbs. The flat bottom and shallow 6″ keel help keep the weight low in the boat. For trailering, I keep the bowsprit attached and secure the mast in a cross-framed 2×4 support; the gaff, boom, and mizzen are supported and strapped to the frame and the forward ends pass through the companionway.

The yawl rig has an 18.9 sq ft mizzen, a 78.8 sq ft main, and a 36.6 sq ft headsail.

With some practice, the yawl can be rigged and ready to go in about 20–25 minutes. It saves time to tag the rigging to help remember where the stays go and in what order they go on. The mast is lifted with its three stays, three halyards, and the topping lift set in place. The foot of the mast is secured in the tabernacle. Lifting the rigged mast requires some effort but is manageable and made easier with the help of someone pulling on the headstay. I secure the jaws of both the gaff and the boom using 1/8″ braided nylon cord with several parrel beads threaded on. I lace on the sails, add the rudder and motor, take off the securing straps, and I’m set to launch. When hauling out at the ramp, I have a 2,000-lb single-speed hand-operated winch that handles the boat with ease. The boat always seems to attract a crowd filled with compliments, comments, and questions.

The plans call for open slats for the cockpit seating and sole. The builder’s modification to plywood enclosures provides convenient storage.

The 5′x 6′ cockpit will accommodate four but is most comfortable with one or two. With two, there’s plenty of room to hoist the sails and move around when coming about. The helmsman has a clear view forward of the small jib over the cabin. The mainsail is high enough off the cabin roof to have a clear view to port and starboard. All sheets and halyards are led aft into the cockpit and can be easily handled without the need for winches. The throat and peak halyards need a hefty tug. The plans call for 7mm (3/8″) halyards, which I find easy on the hands. The 65″ x 25″ footwell is 17″ deep. The trunk is 4″ wide and its cap is 12″ above the cockpit sole. It extends into the footwell 20″ and passes through the main bulkhead to within a foot of the forepeak bulkhead. The steel centerboard is raised and lowered with the help of a worm-gear winch that is operated from the cockpit. With the board down, the boat draws 3-1/2′.

The cabin has bunks for two. The centerboard trunk divides the footwell between them.

The cabin interior is 6-1/2′ x 5-1/2′ and is 52″ high at the crown. There are two bunks that run the length of the cabin and are 26″ at their widest. For sitting there is good headroom and ample legroom in the footwell between the bunks. Storage compartments are built into the underside of each bunk. It’s a simple interior, but it keeps you dry. The yawl cabin has a support post under the tabernacle that is about 16″ abaft the forepeak bulkhead. The tabernacle in the catboat version is supported by the forepeak bulkhead. The plans call for a sliding plywood hatch over the companionway, but I chose to make mine with a plexiglass top for added light in the cabin. There are two 12″ x 16″ windows on the cabin sides. If you wish to build a self-righting boat, the instruction booklet calls for adding buoyancy under the cockpit benches and forward of the forepeak bulkhead. An additional 160 lbs of lead can be bolted to the floor as extra ballast.

The boat’s 1,300-lb weight gives the feeling of stability—it is not tippy when you step aboard—and will carry through when tacking in light air. The Ptarmigan 17 was designed for inland lakes, estuaries, and coastal areas, and I have never felt uncomfortable in these waters. Adding one or two larger sails both on the jib and mizzen would be nice to have for sailing downwind and in lighter wind conditions. In windy conditions, the first reef goes in when the winds approach 20 knots. Anything above this and the main is doused and tied off. Even in these conditions the boat has never left me feeling unsafe; it feels stable and there is no need to put the rail in the water. The ride is generally dry, with little spray. Passengers in the cockpit can sit close behind the cabin to shelter from the elements. The rudder is shallow and extends 3’ beyond the transom. It controls the boat well in all conditions.

While the builder ultimately chose to use an outboard bracket, his Ptarmigan 17 has a built-in motorwell appropriate for a small outboard. The opening of the well is visible at the bottom of the transom.

The plans and notes describe an optional motorwell, set to starboard, but do not specify the size of the auxiliary outboard motor. A 2.5-hp is all Ramona and I need to get into and out of the harbor, or back home when the wind dies. I built the motorwell to house an electric trolling motor but found that I needed more power, so I switched to a small gas motor that I set on a transom-mounted bracket. The motorwell could easily accommodate the 2.5-hp outboard.

W hen I decided to build this boat there wasn’t a lot of information on how the boat would perform. A few pictures and a description by the designer were all that I had. My experience with a smaller boat helped refine my requirements for the new boat, which the Ptarmigan 17 met: capable of crossing the larger lakes in almost any condition, easily towed behind our pickup, and equipped with a dry bed to crawl into at night. I did make some modifications, such as building a self-draining footwell and building fiberglass-covered benches to drain the rainwater over the side. To provide more storage space, I extended the forward ends of the side benches, covering the centerboard trunk with more seating. Now I can leave the boat unattended at a mooring without having to worry about the cockpit filling with water.

If you’re looking for a small cruising sailboat to explore far and wide, that you can easily trailer and store at home in between adventures, then you should take a close look at the Ptarmigan 17. Just be ready for the many admirers you’ll meet along the way.

Steve Cormack is a self-taught amateur builder with a workshop in Pender Harbour, British Columbia. He started building boats nearly 40 years ago and has completed several small plywood kayaks and strip canoes. In addition to the Ptarmigan, he has built a Handy Billy motorboat (which he uses for day trips), and a Selway Fisher Blackswan 22 for cruising. He is currently finishing a 32′ Lake Union–style dreamboat based on a Katherine 30, designed by William Hand Jr.

Ptarmigan 17 Particulars

Beam/6′ 11″

Hull depth amidships/2′4.5″

Draft, board up/1′2″

Draft, board down/3′5″

Sail area, cat/139 sq ft

Sail area, yawl/135 sq ft

Maximum headroom/4′6″

Plans for the Ptarmigan are available from Selway-Fisher (£195 print, £175 PDF) and Duckworks ($236 print or PDF).

Is there a boat you’d like to know more about? Have you built one that you think other Small Boats Magazine readers would enjoy? Please email us!

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Comments (6)

Wow! Amazing! Do these plans include the modifications of the self draining foot wells and benches and storage space? Or are those changes a builder would have to figure out on their own?

Stacey, I modified the design according to a few of my own preferences. One was for a self-bailing cockpit floor and the other was for seats that would shed the rain water. These adaptations are well suited to our climate here on the west coast of Canada.

Hello Steve, You have built a very charming pocket cruiser. You obviously have some accomplished woodworking skills. Are the protruding frames above the deck and the strong bulwark attached to them a modification to original design plans? A lovely and practical feature. How is the deck sealed around frames to ensure waterproofing? Is there room for a portable loo and small galley flat in the cabin? Any frustrating weather helm issues with the yawl rig? Lawrence

Thanks, Lawrence. Yes, I did extend the frames to allow for the small bulwarks. I used epoxy putty to fill any voids then covered the deck with a 6-oz glass cloth set in epoxy. I have not had any issues with leaks as of yet.

I suppose you could fit a small portable loo if designed in during construction; same for the galley. I might suggest a galley that could be set up when needed and stowed especially at night when you need the space for the berth.

I don’t recall any issues with weather helm as of yet, and am more than happy to have the option of dousing the main altogether should the conditions require it.

I watched your video of your Black Swan project and of your Ptarmigan 17 build. I am certain Paul Fisher must be very pleased and honoured by your handiwork. Congratulations! Lawrence

Do you suppose the cat rig could be replaced by a junk rig fairly easily, with the sacrifice of a through-cabin mast?

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The Scout is a wide, stable, 10-foot boat that's a blast to sail and row. Weighs only  ~70 pounds and makes a great tender, yet has enough dry stowage below deck to take on a beach camping trip of its own. The offset daggerboard makes an open footwell so you can even sleep aboard.

The Scout is available as a CNC plywood-and-foam kit exclusively here at Duckworks. You can also grab the epoxy/fiberglass kit , sail & rigging , and any hardware that you need right here as well. Or if you prefer, check out the  COMPLETE SCOUT PACKAGE  with EVERYTHING you need for your build! 

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Total noob. Small plywood sailboat questions.

Discussion in ' Wooden Boat Building and Restoration ' started by unseen wombat , May 12, 2009 .

unseen wombat Junior Member

Hey guys. I'm new here and I have some stupid questions. I'm in the first stages of looking into building a little wooden sailboat. I'm deciding on a plan, and I think this one is the one I'm leaning toward: http://www.svensons.com/boat/?p=SailBoats/Falcon . What do you think? Does it look seaworthy? Any difficulties in that plan I should be aware of? I expect to take it out on Lake Erie and stay near the shore (Nice days only)! or maybe to Mohican State Park. Now my stupid questions deal mostly with the plywood. 1. When the sides and the bottom come together at the chine, one of those plywood sheets is going to have exposed edge grain. Isn't this bad for plywood, even marine plywood? Don't you need to somehow seal that edge? Is paint sufficient? Would gluing on a solid hardwood edging be good, or is that overkill? 2. Also, doesn't water come up between the plywood and the chine? Or do you expect the glue between them to be watertight? I know it's dumb, but that's the first thing I wondered when I saw that corner and no instructions for what to do in the way of sealing it. 3. Should I use douglas fir plywood? I hear it develops cracks in the paint over time because of its grain, and I don't want that. Are there any better alternatives? What about oak plywood? Or do I need to get that expensive scandinavian company's mahogany stuff if I don't want cracks? 4. Are stainless steel screws and bolts good? Or do I need silicon bronze if I don't want rust stains? (I've never built anything to be so exposed to water as a boat, so I don't know how stainless will hold up over time, but silicon bronze is expensive ). We do expect to store it in our barn, so it won't be constantly afloat. Is there anything in the plywood that will react with the steel, like there is with treated lumber? I'm really looking forward to building this. (My mom and wife tell me it's going to sink, but I'm gonna make sure it doesn't, and take sailing lessons before I go out on my own). I have all the woodworking equipment I need, even a shopbot (which I just got and haven't set up yet), and have some experience with other projects, (like this: http://finewoodworking.taunton.com/item/10815/walnut-shaker-crib-and-nursery-set ) but no boat yet. Thanks for your advice, guys.  

jmolan Junior Member

http://www.devlinboat.com/ I would start here, Sam has a great video on modern ply contruction. i would not want to build from that old of plans. New methods are far better at time and labor and using epoxy. Old ways are not always better in plywood constructions. There is a lot of info out there on modern ply contruction. Google stitch and glue and you will have a ton of info to comb through.  

marshmat Senior Member

Hi 'wombat', welcome aboard I'm not too familiar with this particular boat. From the drawings you linked to, she appears to be of fairly traditional ("old school") construction. Not especially complicated, but she'll demand some skill with cutting bevels and that sort of thing. If that furniture in the other link you posted is your own handiwork, you're definitely capable of doing a boat like this one. Seaworthiness in a 14' sailboat is almost entirely a function of the crew- do they handle her well, do they bring her back to the marina when they should, etc. When the boat weighs less than the crew, the boat's inherent seaworthiness is somewhat less of a factor than the crew's skill and intelligence. This boat appears to have a structural member at the chine, that the bottom planking and side planking are screwed and glued flush with. Hence the watertight seal. Exposed edge grain on plywood is obviously a weakness, as is checking; there is also the issue of abrasion resistance if the boat is being hauled out a lot. Hence why sheathing the hull in fibreglass/epoxy is such a popular method among more modern designs. In 1978, when the article on the "Falcon" was published, the technology to do this was still quite experimental. Today it is easy and common. There have been a number of good threads on here over the last few years regarding stainless vs. bronze fasteners, and regarding the various grades and types of plywood. Careful use of the "advanced search" function on this forum (or Google with the qualifier site:boatdesign.net ) should bring them out of the abyss for you.  

Hi guys, thanks for the responses. Yes, me and my mom built the nursery set for my daughter. It took us a long time working only nights and weekends, but we finished it just before my wife went into labor. Except for the mini step-stool. We did that later with the leftover walnut. From what I see in other discussions, it looks like stainless steel is no good. I guess I'll have to shell out the money for silicon bronze if I want to do it right. For plywood though, I found a place near me in Sandusky that sells the good stuff, so I won't have to pay for shipping. That makes me really happy. Thanks for the link and suggestion on the stitch and glue technique. It does look easier, though I don't think the traditional method would be too hard either. But it will save on weight, which is a good thing I think. 100 or so lbs versus 475 is a strong argument in its favor. Is such a light hull on a sailboat less stable though? Will I need ballast? How much do I add? I have one more stupid question. Suppose I wanted the hull to be bright finished. Could I still sheath it in fiberglass? In fewer words, is fiberglass clear? Sorry so dumb. I've never worked with fiberglass before in my life.  

alan white Senior Member

That last question has been asked before. Whatever plywood you use, it will likely be peeled ply, meaning wild grain, though some tropical plywoods look okay finished bright. It's been said many times, you can use light glass and it will be invisible, but go heavier. like 6-8-10 oz per yd and you can see the weave. Mistakes can't be covered. That means you have to do a good job and avoid visual clues that you screwed up. Then the epoxy you used has to be protected with a varnish having good UV inhibitors, and further, that finish has to be kept up because neglecting it will cause epoxy yellowing below the glass, indicating degradation. 6-8 coats of varnish will do, and a couple of new coats each year, sanding between, and so forth... Personally, I don't go for that kind of masochism myself, but you may wish to do so. It's done all the time with canoes, but then they don't sit out in the summer sun at a mooring either.  

alan white said: ↑ That last question has been asked before. Whatever plywood you use, it will likely be peeled ply, meaning wild grain, though some tropical plywoods look okay finished bright. It's been said many times, you can use light glass and it will be invisible, but go heavier. like 6-8-10 oz per yd and you can see the weave. Mistakes can't be covered. That means you have to do a good job and avoid visual clues that you screwed up. Then the epoxy you used has to be protected with a varnish having good UV inhibitors, and further, that finish has to be kept up because neglecting it will cause epoxy yellowing below the glass, indicating degradation. 6-8 coats of varnish will do, and a couple of new coats each year, sanding between, and so forth... Personally, I don't go for that kind of masochism myself, but you may wish to do so. It's done all the time with canoes, but then they don't sit out in the summer sun at a mooring either. Click to expand...

http://www.systemthree.com/index_2.asp Lots of pis an info on finishing bright or clear. Have fun!  

If you cover the boat at home, after washing off salt water if present, and paint the interior and bottom, then maintaining the sides, if nice okoume or meranti, is not going to be a big deal, since you're only doing a stripe around the boat topsides. I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you the work involved. Also, small dings and scrapes (what boat doesn't get those sometimes on their topsides) can't always be hidden by a maintainence coat. That means that the nice original finish (unlike paint) will never look as good as new. I like doing the tiller, coaming, spars, and guards. Nothing more. that wood tends to show up more if not buried in a sea of varnished surface. I see an old Chris Craft in all of its shining glory, and instead of drooling, my carpel tunnel acts up.  

I am quite proud of the complete absence of even a single drop of varnish on my runabout. Everything's done in marine enamel- bright red topsides, blue accents and gunwales, grey inside. Eight seasons later she still looks new, with only about an hour of work every couple of years to touch up scratches. I do like the look of a bit of wood here and there, but it's quite possible to get beautiful and practical in the same package with a good choice of paints.  

PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

Interesting Matt, I'm proud of the complete absence of any paint on my runabout, not a drop, just varnish, soon to be replaced with clear LPU. Of course I don't recommend this treatment for anyone. My boat is housed in doors, lots of ventilation and is kept clean. Most folks couldn't care for a boat like this. Falcon is an old design (quite old in fact). She'd be a good candidate for taped seam conversion, which would make here much lighter (around 30 - 40%), much more water tight, easier to clean, less parts to make, stronger and faster under sail. An experienced builder could make the conversion other wise you'll have to hire someone to work out the details. Lake Erie on a good day will be fine for this boat, but she doesn't have a lot of freeboard so run for shore if the weather turns on you. She could stand some updating if you elect to have a construction upgrade preformed. Appendages and rig both could tolerate some modern thinking. This is one of the problems with these old free plans. First of all they're not usually very comprehensive. Also they don't incorporate modern materials or techniques. Lastly, dealing with a living designer is a handy thing, especially if you have a question. You can try the "crap shoot" of a discussion forum, hope for the best or call a living designer.  

I don't think I really want to hire someone to redesign the boat. I'd be happy if I could find a similar design in the stitch & glue style. Though I'm not sure I've given up on the traditional construction. I've been over and over the plans, and I think I could do it. Especially with the shopbot to help me cut the panels. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the weight. A lighter boat sure would be nicer. Too bad there's no free stitch & glue plans out there. I hate to spend $100 for a plan I later decide I don't like. In searching for information on stitch and glue, I did find the "hulls" computer program, which is perfect for making DXF's of the panels to send to the shopbot. I probably will go with paint, since upkeep sounds like a real pain in the neck. As a woodworker though, I might have to have nightmares after painting mahogany or white oak. (Paint is for poplar or pine, never anything nicer, but I guess boatbuilding is different than furniture making).  

Phil Bolger's "Gypsy" might be worth a look: http://www.instantboats.com/gypsy.htm She's a similar size and style to the Falcon, but in tack-and-tape construction (T&T is essentially stitch-and-glue without the wire stitching step). She'd be a lot lighter than the Falcon (about 120-150 lb versus 475), and is reported to be reasonably fast under sail. The rig is free-standing- no stays, no shrouds, no chainplates. There's a light fibreglass sheathing, which is a big durability improvement over bare plywood. Plans are only $40, and they include nesting drawings to cut the whole boat out of five sheets of plywood. Shopbots are handy, but whether it would save much time on a build like this is debatable. Most plans in this size will be drawn for hand lofting with a batten, which is frankly much faster and easier than people often say it is.  

unseen wombat said: ↑ I don't think I really want to hire someone to redesign the boat. I'd be happy if I could find a similar design in the stitch & glue style. Though I'm not sure I've given up on the traditional construction. I've been over and over the plans, and I think I could do it. Especially with the shopbot to help me cut the panels. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the weight. A lighter boat sure would be nicer. Too bad there's no free stitch & glue plans out there. I hate to spend $100 for a plan I later decide I don't like. In searching for information on stitch and glue, I did find the "hulls" computer program, which is perfect for making DXF's of the panels to send to the shopbot. I probably will go with paint, since upkeep sounds like a real pain in the neck. As a woodworker though, I might have to have nightmares after painting mahogany or white oak. (Paint is for poplar or pine, never anything nicer, but I guess boatbuilding is different than furniture making). Click to expand...

Phil Bolger's "Gypsy" might be worth a look: Click to expand...

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Just about any small sailboat can get a bit of extra power with a trapeze in a stiff breeze. That doesn't make it mandatory. Gypsy, and boats like her, can be sailed in a leisurely fashion with kids on board, if you so choose. Of course, unlike their heavier bretheren, they also have the ability to get up and go like a scared cat if you feel the need to do so. Osmotic blistering isn't really an issue with glass/epoxy on plywood. It's more of a concern when you have a polyester laminate (ie, production fibreglass hull) staying in the water all season.  

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10 Best Small Sailboats (Under 20 Feet)

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 28, 2023

Compact, easy to trailer, simple to rig, easy to maintain and manage, and affordable, the best small boats all have one thing in common: they offer loads of fun while out there on the water.

So whether you're on a budget or just looking for something that can offer ultimate daytime rides without compromising on safety, aesthetic sensibilities, alternate propulsion, and speed, the best small sailboats under 20 feet should be the only way to go.

Let's be brutally honest here; not everyone needs a 30-foot sailboat to go sailing. They come with lots of features such as electronics, entertainment, refrigeration, bunks, a galley, and even a head. But do you really need all these features to go sailing? We don't think so.

All you need to go sailing is a hull, a mast, rudder, and, of course, a sail. And whether you refer to them as daysailers, trailerable sailboats , a weekender sailboat, or pocket cruisers, there's no better way to enjoy the thrills of coastal sailing than on small sailboats.

There are a wide range of small boats measuring less than 20 feet available in the market. These are hot products in the market given that they offer immense thrills out on the sea without the commitment required to cruise on a 30-footer. A small sailboat will not only give you the feel of every breeze but will also give you the chance to instantly sense every change in trim.

In this article, we'll highlight 10 best small sailboats under 20 feet . Most models in this list are time-tested, easy to rig, simple to sail, extremely fun, and perfect either for solo sailing or for sailing with friends and family. So if you've been looking for a list of some of the best small sailboats , you've come to the right place.

So without further ado, let's roll on.

Table of contents

{{boat-info="/boats/hunter-15"}}

The Marlow-Hunter 15 is not only easy to own since it's one of the most affordable small sailboats but also lots of fun to sail. This is a safe and versatile sailboat for everyone. Whether you're sailing with your family or as a greenhorn, you'll love the Hunter 15 thanks to its raised boom, high freeboard, and sturdy FRP construction.

With high sides, a comfortable wide beam, a contoured self-bailing cockpit, and fiberglass construction, the Hunter 15 is certainly designed with the novice sailor in mind. This is why you can do a lot with this boat without falling out, breaking it, or capsizing. Its contoured self-baiting cockpit will enable you to find a fast exit while its wide beam will keep it steady and stable no matter what jibes or weight shifts happen along the way.

This is a small sailboat that can hold up to four people. It's designed to give you a confident feeling and peace of mind even when sailing with kids. It's easy to trailer, easy to rig, and easy to launch. With a price tag of about $10k, the Hunter 15 is a fun, affordable, and versatile boat that is perfect for both seasoned sailors and novices. It's a low-maintenance sailboat that can be great for teaching kids a thing or two about sailing.

Catalina 16.5

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-16-5"}}

Catalina Yachts are synonymous with bigger boats but they have some great and smaller boats too such as Catalina 16.5. This is one of the best small sailboats that are ideal for family outings given that it has a big and roomy cockpit, as well as a large storage locker. Designed with a hand-laminated fiberglass sloop, the Catalina 16.5 is versatile and is available in two designs: the centerboard model and the keel model.

The centerboard model is designed with a powerful sailplane that remains balanced as a result of the fiberglass centerboard, the stable hull form, and the rudder. It also comes with a tiller extension, adjustable hiking straps, and adjustable overhaul. It's important to note that these are standard equipment in the two models.

As far as the keel model is concerned, this is designed with a high aspect keel as the cast lead and is attached with stainless steel keel bolts, which makes this model perfect for mooring or docking whenever it's not in use. In essence, the centerboard model is perfect if you'll store it in a trailer while the keel model can remain at the dock.

All in all, the Catalina 16.5 is one of the best small sailboats that you can get your hands on for as low as $10,000. This is certainly a great example of exactly what a daysailer should be.

{{boat-info="/boats/hobie-16"}}

There's no list of small, trailerable, and fun sailboats that can be complete without the inclusion of the classic Hobie 16. This is a durable design that has been around and diligently graced various waters across the globe since its debut way back in 1969 in Southern California. In addition to being durable, the Hobie 16 is trailerable, great for speed, weighs only 320 pounds, great for four people, and more importantly, offers absolute fun.

With a remarkable figure of over 100,000 launched since its debut, it's easy to see that the Hobie 16 is highly popular. Part of this popularity comes from its asymmetric fiberglass-and-foam sandwiched hulls that include kick-up rudders. This is a great feature that allows it to sail up to the beach.

For about $12,000, the Hobie 16 will provide you with endless fun throughout the summer. It's equipped with a spinnaker, trailer, and douse kit. This is a high-speed sailboat that has a large trampoline to offer lots of space not just for your feet but also to hand off the double trapezes.

Montgomery 17

{{boat-info="/boats/montgomery-17"}}

Popularly known as the M-17, The Montgomery 17 was designed by Lyle C. Hess in conjunction with Jerry Montgomery in Ontario, California for Montgomery Boats. Designed either with keel or centerboard models, the M-17 is more stable than most boats of her size. This boat is small enough to be trailered but also capable of doing moderate offshore passages.

This small sailboat is designed with a masthead and toe rail that can fit most foresails. It also has enough space for two thanks to its cuddly cabin, which offers a sitting headroom, a portable toilet, a pair of bunks, a DC power, and optional shore, and a proper amount of storage. That's not all; you can easily raise the deck-stepped mast using a four-part tackle.

In terms of performance, the M-17 is one of the giant-killers out there. This is a small sailboat that will excel in the extremes and make its way past larger boats such as the Catalina 22. It glides along beautifully and is a dog in light air, though it won't sail against a 25-knot wind, which can be frustrating. Other than that, the Montgomery 17 is a great small sailboat that can be yours for about $14,000.

Norseboat 17.5

{{boat-info="/boats/norseboat-17-5"}}

As a versatile daysailer, Norseboat 17.5 follows a simple concept of seaworthiness and high-performance. This small sailboat perfectly combines both contemporary construction and traditional aesthetics. Imagine a sailboat that calls itself the "Swiss Army Knife of Boats!" Well, this is a boat that can sail and row equally well.

Whether you're stepping down from a larger cruiser or stepping up from a sea kayak, the unique Norseboat 17.5 is balanced, attractive, and salty. It has curvaceous wishbone gaff, it is saucy, and has a stubby bow-sprit that makes it attractive to the eyes. In addition to her beauty, the Norseboat 17.5 offers an energy-pinching challenge, is self-sufficient, and offers more than what you're used to.

This is a small, lightweight, low-maintenance sailboat that offers a ticket to both sailing and rowing adventures all at the same time. At about 400 pounds, it's very portable and highly convenient. Its mainsails may look small but you'll be surprised at how the boat is responsive to it. With a $12,500 price tag, this is a good small sailboat that offers you the versatility to either row or sail.

{{boat-info="/boats/sage-marine-sage-17"}}

If you've been looking for a pocket cruiser that inspires confidence, especially in shoal water, look no further than the Sage 17. Designed by Jerry Montgomery in 2009, the Sage 17 is stable and should heel to 10 degrees while stiffening up. And because you want to feel secure while sailing, stability is an integral feature of the Sage 17.

This is a sailboat that will remain solid and stable no matter which part of the boat you stand on. Its cabin roof and the balsa-cored carbon-fiber deck are so strong that the mast doesn't require any form of compression post. The self-draining cockpit is long enough and capable of sleeping at 6 feet 6 inches.

The Sage 17 may be expensive at $25k but is a true sea warrior that's worth look at. This is a boat that will not only serve you right but will also turn heads at the marina.    

{{boat-info="/boats/laserperformance-laser-sb3"}}

Having been chosen as the overall boat of the year for 2008 by the Sailing World Magazine, the Laser SB3 is one of the coolest boats you'll ever encounter. When sailing upwind, this boat will lock into the groove while its absolute simplicity is legendary. In terms of downwind sailing, having this boat will be a dream come true while it remains incredibly stable even at extraordinary speed.

Since its debut in 2004, the Laser SB3 has surged in terms of popularity thanks to the fact that it's designed to put all the controls at your fingertips. In addition to a lightweight mast, its T- bulb keel can be hauled and launched painlessly. For about $18,000, the Laser SB3 ushers you into the world of sports sailing and what it feels to own and use a sports boat.

{{boat-info="/boats/fareast-18"}}

As a manufacturer, Fareast is a Chinese boat manufacturer that has been around for less than two decades. But even with that, the Fareast 18 remains a very capable cruiser-racer that will take your sailing to the next level. In addition to its good looks, this boat comes with a retractable keel with ballast bulb, a powerful rig, and an enclosed cabin.

Its narrow design with a closed stern may be rare in sailboats of this size, but that's not a problem for the Fareast 18. This design not only emphasizes speed but also makes it a lot easier to maintain this boat. Perfect for about 6 people, this boat punches above its weight. It's, however, designed to be rigged and launched by one person.

This is a relatively affordable boat. It's agile, safe, well-thought-out, well built, and very sporty.

{{boat-info="/boats/chuck-paine-paine-14"}}

If you're in the market looking for a small sailboat that offers contemporary performance with classic beauty, the Paine 14 should be your ideal option. Named after its famous designer, Chuck Paine, this boat is intentionally designed after the classic Herreshoff 12.5 both in terms of dimensions and features.

This is a lightweight design that brings forth modern fin keel and spade rudder, which makes it agile, stable, and faster. The Paine 14 is built using cold-molded wood or west epoxy. It has varnished gunnels and transoms to give it an old-time charm. To make it somehow modern, this boat is designed with a carbon mast and a modern way to attach sails so that it's ready to sail in minutes.

You can rest easy knowing that the Paine 14 will not only serve you well but will turn heads while out there.

{{boat-info="/boats/wd-schock-lido-14"}}

Many sailors will attest that their first sailing outing was in a Lido 14. This is a classic sailboat that has been around for over four decades and still proves to be a perfect match to modern small boats, especially for those still learning the ropes of sailing.

With seating for six people, the Lido 14 can be perfect for solo sailing , single-handed sailing, or if you're planning for shorthanded sailing. While new Lido 14 boats are no longer available, go for a functional used Lido 14 and you'll never regret this decision. It will serve you well and your kids will probably fall in love with sailing if Lido 14 becomes their main vessel during weekends or long summer holidays.

Bottom Line

There you have it; these are some of the best small sailboats you can go for. While there are endless small sailboats in the market, the above-described sailboat will serve you right and make you enjoy the wind.

Choose the perfect sailboat, invest in it, and go out there and have some good fun!

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Exploring the Different Types of Plywood Offered by Local Suppliers

When it comes to woodworking projects, plywood is a versatile and commonly used material. Whether you’re building furniture, cabinets, or even a small DIY project, having access to high-quality plywood is essential. Fortunately, there are numerous local plywood suppliers that offer a wide range of options to suit your specific needs. In this article, we will explore the different types of plywood offered by these suppliers and help you make an informed decision.

Standard Plywood

Standard plywood is the most commonly used type available from local suppliers. It consists of multiple layers or plies of wood veneer that are bonded together with an adhesive. The layers are usually laid perpendicular to each other, creating a strong and durable panel.

The thickness of standard plywood varies depending on your project requirements. It typically ranges from 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch, with 1/4 inch and 3/4 inch being the most common thicknesses available locally.

Local suppliers often stock standard plywood in various grades as well. These grades dictate the quality and appearance of the plywood. The most common grades include A, B, C, and D – with A being the highest quality and D being the lowest.

Marine Plywood

If you’re working on a project that requires water resistance or durability in wet environments such as boat construction or outdoor furniture, marine plywood is an excellent choice. This type of plywood is specifically designed to withstand moisture and can be used for both interior and exterior applications.

Marine plywood is made using waterproof glue between its layers, making it highly resistant to delamination when exposed to water or humidity. It also features fewer voids between layers compared to standard plywood, ensuring enhanced strength and stability.

Local suppliers often carry marine-grade plywood in various thicknesses ranging from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch. It is important to note that marine plywood can be more expensive than standard plywood due to its specialized construction and added durability.

Hardwood Plywood

For projects that require an attractive finish or sturdy construction, hardwood plywood is a popular choice among woodworking enthusiasts. This type of plywood features a hardwood veneer on the face and back, giving it an appealing appearance that can be stained or painted to match your desired aesthetic.

Hardwood plywood is available in various wood species, including oak, birch, maple, cherry, and walnut. Each species offers unique grain patterns and color variations, allowing you to select the perfect match for your project.

Local suppliers typically stock hardwood plywood in different thicknesses and grades. The thickness options are similar to standard plywood, while the grades range from A to D – with A being the highest quality.

Specialty Plywood

In addition to the commonly available types of plywood mentioned above, local suppliers may also offer specialty plywood options for specific applications. These may include fire-resistant plywood, flexible or bendable plywood for curved surfaces, or even pre-finished plywood with a ready-to-use surface.

Specialty plywoods are designed to meet specific requirements and are often used in specialized industries such as construction or manufacturing. If you have a unique project that demands specific characteristics from your plywood material, it’s worth checking with local suppliers for any specialty options they may carry.

In conclusion, local suppliers offer a wide range of plywood options suitable for various woodworking projects. Whether you need standard plywood for general purposes or specialized varieties like marine-grade or hardwood plywoods for specific applications, exploring what your local suppliers have to offer can help you find the perfect material for your project needs. Remember to consider factors such as thicknesses, grades, and specialty options when making your selection.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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