Figure i i . — North Carolina sharpie schooner hauled up for painting. 



ate beam, were extensively used in the small oyster 

 fisheries west of New Haven. There were also a few 

 sloop-type sharpies in the eastern Sound. In some 

 areas this modification of the sharpie eventually de- 

 veloped its own characteristics and became known as 

 the "flattie," a type that was popular on the north 

 shore of Long Island, on the Chesapeake Bay, and 

 in Florida at Key West and Tampa. 



The sharpie's rapid spread in use can be accounted 

 for by its low cost, light draft, speed, handiness under 

 sail, graceful appearance, and rather astonishing sea- 

 worthiness. Since oyster tonging was never carried 

 on in heavy weather, it was by chance rather than 

 intent that the seaworthiness of this New Haven tong- 

 ing boat was discovered. There is a case on record 

 in which a tonging sharpie rescued the crew of a 

 coasting schooner at Branford, Connecticut, during a 

 severe gale, after other boats had proved unable to 

 approach the wreck. 



However, efforts to improve on the sharpie resulted 

 in the construction of boats that had neither the 

 beauty nor the other advantages of the original type. 

 This was particularly true of sharpies built as yachts 



with large cabins and heavy rigs. Because the sta- 

 bility of the sharpie's shoal hull was limited, the added 

 weight of high, long cabin trunks and attendant 

 furniture reduced the boat's safety potential. Wind- 

 age of the topside structures necessary on sharpie 

 yachts also affected speed, particularly in sailing 

 to windward. Hence, there was an immediate trend 

 toward the addition of deadrise in the bottom of the 

 yachts, a feature that sufficiently increased displace- 

 ment and draft so that the superstructure and rig 

 could be better carried. Because of its large cabin, 

 the sharpie yacht when under sail was generally less 

 workable than the fishing sharpie. Although it was 

 harmful to the sailing of the boat, many of the sharpie 

 yachts had markedly increased beam. The first 

 sharpie yacht of any size was the Lucky, a half-model of 

 which is in the Model Room of the New York Yacht 

 Club. The Lucky, buUt in 1855 from a model by 

 Robert Fish, was 51 feet long with a 13-foot beam; 

 she drew 2 feet 10 inches with her centerboard raised. 

 According to firsthand reports, she was a satisfactory 

 cruiser, except that she was not very weatherly be- 

 cause her centerboard was too small. 



PAPER 25: THE MIGRATIONS OF AN AMERICAN BOAT TYPE 



145 



