Mystic Sharpie

[adifferentbreed]

Any thoughts on the 32 foot Mystic Sharpie, difficulty, price, weight etc. ?I'm still 99% sure I want to build a Vacationer, but I did stumble on this fine looking boat. Man if it wasn't so cold outside I would already be building, instead of looking at all kinds of trailer sailor sites.

[JeffM]

32 feet? That's a step or 3 up from a Vacationer! What do you want to do with your boat? Sharpen your requirements and limitations a bit and you'll have an easier time choosing a design, and be happier with the result.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Whole different breed of boat. You aren't just talking about an easy to build (relatively quickly too) trailerable boat. The Mystic Sharpie is an entirely different boat than you are talking about if you are considering building a Vacationer.

There are a couple of them in this area. Both have, if I've got it correctly been up the Inside Passage as far North as Glacier Bay. Not really an open ocean boat but certainly qualifies as a Coastal Cruiser. Lots more boat than any of the Stevenson's projects that there are plans to build.

Handles quite well according to a couple that I know that has been on one of them for extended periods. Plenty of room for the couple that wants some extended cruising comfort along with trailerability.

Gong to cost a whole lotta bucks more than a Vacationer even if built like Barnacle Jim's. But then it is one whale of a lot more boat too.

No real comparissons between them other than they both get wet.

[JeffM]

Let me try to talk you into something smaller and lighter.

My Core Sound 20 lives in my garage for free. I can put it in the water anywhere in the US that has a ramp. I can launch and retrieve single-handed. Last season I sailed every stetch of Narragansett Bay, because I didn't have to always start at the same "home port." The season included a weekend trip to Block Island 8mi off shore.

With an 11' cockpit, I can daysail the entire family in sprawling comfort, putting the kids far enough apart so they don't annoy each other too much, yet with a fairly simple tarp tent I have an 11' cabin boat I can camp-cruise in from April to November.

My rig is so easily struck that I can do it almost on the fly to go under bridges. The self-tending rig allows me to tack without putting my coffee cup down. Because it's a cat ketch, I can "park" it head to wind in the middle of the Bay in a stiff wind and chop without fear and at a moment's notice. She will then calmly tend to herself so I can to consult a chart, eat a quick meal, use the head, or put in a reef. She is quite fast, yet easily single-handed.

My only real complaint is that, in any kind of wind, the kids in the forward cockpit can get pretty wet. (I'm working on that.) She could point a little better (I typically tack through about 105 degrees), but that might be partly due to my sloppy building or mediocre sailing.

In short, she does the variety of things I want from her very well. You need to decide what things you want, prioritize them, and consider costs in time and money. I bought plans in July '04, cleaned out the garage in August for work space, and launched late August '05.

[adifferentbreed]

Talked it over with da "Boss", she says build the Vacationer sail her 2 years and we'll start on a larger boat, so I guess I have time to decide on the Sharpie later............not gonna do anything if it doesn't warm up -2 with a high of 20 for the next 5 days with snow tomorrow and Sunday. So if I'm right in my calculations 3500 to 5000 for a nicely finished Vacationer? Seems like alot of fun for little money.

[Guest Oyster]

A while back, Jim Stumpt had a very nice package for sale that would be just righ for you in a vacationer. I am not sure what the outcome was if he sold it or not. As far as the 32 foot Sharpie, thats a lot of boat, especially if you build it tradtional. I love sharpies and own a varation of one now, a bit smaller of course.

[Bud_Wilson]

If I was even thinking about a Vacationer I would jump all over Jim Stmpt's Vacationer. Jim is a good craftman and his Vacationer is a very nice Boat , ready to go sailing now. You can go sailing while you think about the larger boat. Y'all Come Cap'N Bud.

[adifferentbreed]

While I'm sure his boat is top notch, I just gotta build my own. Building bikes for me has always been enjoyable, and I feel if you don't build her yourself, she'll always be someone elses. As much as I enjoy riding my bikes, alot of the enjoyment comes from my building them, and I feel the boat will be the same. I guess it's the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Besides, I don't have alot of woodworking experience, so I get to learn some new things along the way. Again, thanks but I just gotta build it. As an aside being that I live on the Utah/Colorado border ( Grand Junction Colorado) for now, are there any Vacationers or Weekenders you know of in this area I could see first hand?

[Guest Oyster]

A good book to buy is the Reul Parker book called The Sharpie Biik. Click on the link at the bottom of the page that sends you to Amazon and Frank gets a portion of the proceeds and you can find it. Its around 13 buck. It has some neat designs of sharpies that you can also pick from in the middle ranges.