Sandpiper 32 Sharpie Schooner Refit

The Sandpiper 32 is a fiberglass round-bilged Sharpie, of which 17 were reportedly built by Marine Innovators in Florida. Designed to carry 1800 lbs. of iron ballast sealed in 200 lbs. of polyester bonding filler in a molded fiberglass grounding shoe which is integral to the hull and fiberglassed over inside the hull. The remaining 500 lbs. of recommended ballast (gear) is carried inside for trimming. Video by AtomVoyages.com LENGTH OVERALL 32' WATERLINE LENGTH 28'4" BEAM 8' HEADROOM 5`, AFT CABIN POP-TOP 6'+ FREE STANDING MASTS (for CAT SCHOONER) 32' and 26' ENGINE - Inboard or outboard motor DISPLACEMENT 7400 lbs. SAIL AREA (for CAT SCHOONER) 363 sq. ft. DRAFT - boards up 19" (we measured it as 24") DRAFT - boards down 4'6" Inboard electric propulsion system: https://www.annapolishybridmarine.com/thoosa-inboard-systems.php Below is designer and builder Walt Scott’s description of the Sandpiper: SANDPIPER has evolved from over 45 years of designing and sailing shoal draft boats. In addition I have spent many hours over the writings of Chapelle, L. Frances Herreshoff, Beebe, Colvin and other devotees of the sharpie. Finally, Munroe's. "THE COMMODORE'S STORY", and Gilpin's, "THE GOOD LITTLE SHIP", convinced me that what I needed for my own cruising boat here in the shoal waters of the west coast of Florida was a scaled down version of the Commodore's PRESTO. PRESTO was the first of a long line of round-bilged sharpies designed by Commodore Munroe for use in general transportation and salvage operations in the shallows of the Florida Keys from the 1880's into the twentieth century. They were derived from the original flat bottomed sharpies used for oyster tonging off New Haven in Long Island Sound. The long narrow flat bottom work boat existed in various forms along the entire Atlantic coast and around into the Gulf. They were easy to move with oars before the gasoline engine existed; their rigs used simple unstayed pole masts; they could carry a heavy load with little draft; they could be beached without damage; and they were inexpensive to build. A SANDPIPER hull is very similar in lines to PRESTO except that it displaces 7400 lbs. on a 28.3 ft. waterline instead of 17,000 lbs. on a 35.5 ft. waterline for PRESTO. This makes for an easier boat to move around on land and take home for winter storage. PRESTO carried 4 ½ tons of inside ballast. SANDPIPER carries 1800 lbs. of ballast sealed in 200 lbs. of polyester bonding filler in a molded fiberglass grounding shoe which is integral to the hull and fiberglassed over inside the hull. The remaining 500 lbs. of ballast (gear) is carried inside for trimming. The low ballast center of gravity combined with the light weight rig and the low cabin profile result in a positive righting moment even in a 90 degree knockdown. PRESTO carried a large heavy centerboard which took up a lot of space in the cabin. SANDPIPER instead has two bilgeboards which swing into trunks which are integrally molded into the hull under the berths. The use of bilgeboards not only eliminates the internal space problem but it reduces the vulnerability of the slot to damage or jamming from grounding. Sharpies, being long and narrow, favor a divided rig to get sufficient sail area along with a low center of effort and a low rig center of gravity. The SANDPIPER rig is a cat schooner rig with unstayed masts of aluminum. [This boat is a schooner but not unstayed cat rig]. One of the disadvantages of the sharpie has always been lack of headroom. With the relatively narrow and shallow hull it is necessary to keep the cabin weight low to maintain good stability. With the help of the arced bottom I have been able to attain a minimum of 5 ft. head­room in SANDPIPER. For additional headroom at anchor, a tight fitting pop-top spans the main cabin area, providing 6 ft. of headroom or even more if required. A seal around the sides can be fabricated of vinyl coated cloth with snaps and Velcro bug proofing.