The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Migrations of an American Boat Type, by
Howard I. Chapelle

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Title: The Migrations of an American Boat Type

Author: Howard I. Chapelle

Release Date: July 1, 2009 [EBook #29285]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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CONTRIBUTIONS FROM
THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY:
PAPER 25

THE MIGRATIONS OF
AN AMERICAN BOAT TYPE

_Howard I. Chapelle_

THE NEW HAVEN SHARPIE 136

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY SHARPIE 148

THE NORTH CAROLINA SHARPIE 149

SHARPIES IN OTHER AREAS 151

DOUBLE-ENDED SHARPIES 152

MODERN SHARPIE DEVELOPMENT 154

THE MIGRATIONS OF AN AMERICAN BOAT TYPE

_by Howard I. Chapelle_

[Illustration: FIGURE 1.--Scale model of a New Haven sharpie of 1885,
complete with tongs. (_USNM 318023; Smithsonian photo 47033-C._)]

_The New Haven sharpie, a flat-bottomed sailing skiff, was
originally developed for oyster fishing, about the middle of the
last century._

_Very economical to build, easy to handle, maneuverable, fast and
seaworthy, the type was soon adapted for fishing along the eastern
and southeastern coasts of the United States and in other areas.
Later, because of its speed, the sharpie became popular for racing
and yachting._

_This study of the sharpie type--its origin, development and
spread--and the plans and descriptions of various regional types
here presented, grew out of research to provide models for the hall
of marine transportation in the Smithsonian's new Museum of History
and Technology._

THE AUTHOR: _Howard I. Chapelle is curator of transportation in the
U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution._

For a commercial boat to gain widespread popularity and use, it must be
suited to a variety of weather and water conditions and must have some
very marked economic advantages over any other boat