The Wikipedia on sharpies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpie_(boat)
A little something on Iain Oughtred’s splendid Egret-derived sharpie Haiku:
http://www.myasylum.com/sbf/messages/839.html
Reuel Parker also has a version:
http://www.parker-marine.com/28shegretpage.htm
But my favourite is probably Phil Bolger’s famous modern sharpie, the Black Skimmer. I’ve often thought this boat with its flat bottom and leeboards would make a good choice for the Thames Estuary, if you don’t mind a boat with spartan accommodation, and that it has a tenuous kind of connection with the old barge yachts.
More on the Black Skimmer:
http://www.ace.net.au/schooner/bskimmer.htm
And still more – here are some photos of one being built:
http://www.nexusmarine.com/skimmer_construction.html
Black Skimmer plans cost just $40 from Harold H Payson & Co:
http://www.instantboats.com/bskim.html
Click on the picture below for a slightly larger image.
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Hi Gavin,
very interesting, and nice site.
an updated plan for Black Skimmer is available from Phil Bolger and Friends. I'm not sure of their price. It features a redesigned sailplan with an easier raising mast – better for beneath bridges and trailering.
Cheers
Graeme