pside 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 displacement 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_, built 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 because her centerboard was too small.

[Illustration: FIGURE 12.--North Carolina sharpie schooner converted to
yacht, 1937.]

Kunhardt mentions the extraordinary sailing speed of some sharpies, as
does certain correspondence in _Forest and Stream_. A large sharpie was
reported to have run 11 nautical miles in 34 minutes, and a big sharpie
schooner is said to have averaged 16 knots in 3 consecutive hours of
sailing. Tonging sharpies with racing rigs were said to have sailed in
smooth water at speeds of 15 and 16 knots. Although such reports may be
exaggerations, there is no doubt that sharpies of the New Haven type
were among the fastest of American sailing fishing boats.

[Illustration: FIGURE 13.--Bow of North Carolina sharpie schooner
showing head rigging.]

Sharpie builders in New Haven very early developed a "production"
method. In the initial stages of building, the hull was upside down.
First, the sides were assembled and the planking and frames secured;
then the inner stem was built, and the sides nailed to it, after which
the bulkhead and a few rough temporary molds were made and put in place
and the boat's sides bent to the desired curve in plain view. For
bending the sides a "Spanish windlass" of rope or chain was used. The
chine pieces were inserted in notches in the molds inside the side
planking and fastened, then the keelson was made and placed in notches
in the molds and bulkhead along the centerline. Next, the upper and
lower stern frames were made and secured, and the stern staved
vertically. Pl