Tiki 21 For Sale in the Florida Keys

I just got word that my old Tiki 21 (formerly Element) is for sale again. She's in a great location for some shallow draft catamaran cruising if you're in the market for that kind of boat:

Wharram Tiki 21 For Sale

Lying Islamorada, FL.  Dan.  305-664-0190 (vm only, no text or email to phone) or svforeveryoung@hotmail.com

Forever Young is for sale (formally Element – lots of You Tube and pics on web under that name).  Solid but needs bottom sanding and paint.  No road trailer but includes heavy duty 4 wheel Cat Trax/Big Foot beach cart.  Original Wharram wing sale gaff rig with Jeckels sails (main, jib and spinnaker).  Recent 6HP Tohatsu with 2 tanks.  Solar panel on each hull with separate battery and electrical system in each hull.  LED nav lights.  Lots of power outlets in various places.  Safety net forward.  Forward and aft tramps.  Will be keeping all other items (ground tackle, sleeping pads, gps, radios, etc) for new boat.  $8,750.

Norwalk Islands Sharpie 23 for Sale

Yesterday I had a chance to personally inspect a Norwalk Islands Sharpie 23 (N.I.S. 23) that is currently for sale in Cocoa, Florida. I've read about these Bruce Kirby designs for years, but had never seen one, as they are rare in the U.S. and even rarer on the used boat market here. When Dave Lewis, the owner contacted me to let me know it was for sale, I planned to pass the information along to my readers here. As it happened, I had an opportunity to get involved with a big teak deck job for Boatsmith a bit farther down the coast, so I was able to stop by on the way home and meet Dave and have a look at the boat in person.

An experienced sailor who has explored lots of remote parts of the Bahamas in shallow draft boats, Dave has been impressed with the N.I.S. 23 but is now ready to downsize to something more suited to quick and easy launching for local daysailing.  Considering the cost to build a new boat this size, never mind having it professionally built as this one was, I think this trailerable cruising sharpie could be a good deal for the right person.  The boat has been stored indoors and comes with an excellent trailer that Dave had built after he purchased the boat from the original owner. The entire package is in good condition, as you can see from the photos.

Here are the particulars Dave provided, along with his contact email for anyone who wants to know more about this unique wooden boat:

She is a 23' Kirby Norwalk Island Sharpie(N.I.S.); has a free standing cat ketch rig.  Masts are carbon fiber.  Have two suits of sails: one white, loose footed; one tan bark, fully battened.  All running rigging leads to cockpit.

Professionally built 1996 by Sea Island Boat Works, Charleston, S.C.  Hull is epoxy coated inside and out; hull exterior sheathed in glass cloth.  Two settees (adult bunks) provide comfortable sitting headroom with main hatch cover closed.  No amenities except cockpit cushions and interior cushions for bunks.  Standard horizon VHF.

LOA 23' ;  Beam 7'-5" ;  LWL 22' ;  Disp. 1900# ;  Draft 4.5' board down;  8" board up.

I've enjoyed sailing the boat in the Indian River here in Cocoa.  The boat has always been dry sailed.  It currently resides on a single axle aluminum trailer in my garage.  This combo tracks well with a medium vehicle.

This vessel is easily single handed and makes a great daysailer, weekender. 

Dave Lewis, delewis59@yahoo.com

Kruger Sea Wind Canoe #175 is For Sale

UPDATE 10-12-13: Sea Wind #175 has now been SOLD and will be moving to the Chesapeake Bay area when the new owner picks it up in November.

I recently mentioned in the comments section of my post about The Kruger Sea Wind Canoe, that my boat, Sea Wind hull #175 is currently for sale.  I am updating here to let anyone who may be looking for a great deal on one of these boats know that #175 is still available.

It may come as a surprise that I am selling this special boat so soon after buying it, so I'll explain the reason now.  I had been in the market for a cruising sailboat to replace the Tiki 26 catamaran that I sold in August, 2012, and for several months I looked at boats from south Florida to the Texas Gulf Coast and still could not find what I was looking for.  So in March, 2013, when a friend sent me a link to a classified ad listing this Kruger Sea Wind for sale in Minneapolis, MN, I decided to jump on the opportunity to buy it, because these boats are rare on the used market and usually sell fast when they do appear.  At the time, I was ready to get out on the water, and figured it would be a long time before I found the right sailboat.  So, I drove to Minneapolis, picked up the Sea Wind and brought it back to Mississippi, where I have since paddled it on numerous day trips in rivers, lakes and the Gulf, and one three-day camping trip on Bay Springs Lake, on the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

Naturally, not long after buying the Sea Wind the perfect deal on a sailboat came along, and I bought a 1980 Cape Dory 27 in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and sailed it home with my friend, Scott Finazzo, as described in my previous post here.  Of course, a 27-foot sailboat that has to be kept in the water all the time requires a lot more in the way of maintenance and expenses than any canoe or kayak, not to mention all the upgrades and additional equipment I would like to add, so I made the decision to let the Sea Wind go at this time so I can devote my full attention to the sailboat.  Owning a Kruger Canoe, even briefly, fulfilled a long-term dream of mine I've had since first reading about Verlen and Steve's Ultimate Canoe Challenge expedition back in the 1980s.  I'm sure I will own another one at some point, as the boat has lived up to all the hype and is everything the avid paddlers who own one say it is.  But for now, the limited time I will have to use it doesn't do it justice, so I'm hoping to find a serious paddler who will be able to use it to its potential.

Sea Wind #175 is ten years old, built in 2003, and there were two previous owners before me.  It is in excellent condition for its age and has not been abused or likely even used hard.  There are a few of the usual dings and scrapes any boat of this type will sustain in normal use, but overall, the boat still looks great and performs like new.  It comes with the optional spray skirt that encloses the large cockpit for paddling in rough conditions in open water, as well as a waterproof travel cover for the cockpit, and the cockpit canopy that Verlen designed for paddling in hot, tropical conditions.  I'm selling the boat with all these extras as a package deal, and whoever buys it will save a significant amount of money over the cost of a new Sea Wind, not to mention getting it now, rather than having to wait several months depending on the builder's backlog.  You can find current pricing of a new Sea Wind and these accessories here on the Kruger Canoes website:  http://www.krugercanoes.com/Products.html

Email me directly for the price and answers to any questions you may have about this boat.  It is located in south Mississippi, but delivery or shipping may be possible depending on buyer location.

Boatsmith's Tiki 30 Reduced Price

David Halladay has dropped the price on what is undoubtedly the finest and best-equipped Wharram Tiki 30 that has ever been built.  If you're looking for a professionally built Tiki 30 - a catamaran that can take you on long offshore passages, cruise shallow waters off limits to most boats and daysail with a party on board, you won't find a better one.  David says the boat has to go because there are new projects coming soon.  This has been the demo boat for Boatsmith, Inc., and has been shown in boat shows from Mystic, Connecticut to Miami.  At two years old, it has been meticulously maintained by the pros at Boatsmith and is ready for a new owner.

 
Here's his description of the boat and her inventory, as well as the reduced price:


Looking for the perfect boat to cruise the islands?  
Boatsmith is now offering Abaco for sale for $50,000.

This is a stellar example of a professionally built James Wharram Designs Tiki 30.  This boat has been our boatshow demo boat and is very well equipped.

There is a double and single berth in each hull with 4" foam cushions with Sunbrella covers The starboard hull also has the head and nav station with a storage area aft. The port hull includes the galley with a top loading icebox aft. There are two Bomar hatches and two opening Lewmar portlights in each hull for easy access and great ventilation. These all have screens as do the companion ways. The lights throughout the boat are LEDs. There are 6 lo amperage fans, a 1400 watt inverter, a 180 watt solar panel with controller.

The cockpit is shaded by a rigid anodized aluminum tube bimini with the solar panel mounted on top.  The cockpit is fully outfitted with 2" closed cell foam cushions with Sunbrella covers. Fuel, batteries, fenders, lines, BBQ and propane all are stored beneath the cockpit seats. There is a built in beverage cooler under one of the cockpit seats.  Under the fwd athwartships seat is storage for the boat hook, boat mop, fishing poles and spears.   The forward deck is slatted teak and the aft deck includes two trampolines and a teak swim ladder.  There is a stereo/CD/XM/Ipod and VHF and GPS chart plotter. The motor is a new Yamaha 9.9 HP with electric start and power tilt. The motor lives under an insulated box in the center of the cockpit.

This boat draws only 26" and the motor and rudders are protected when grounding. The sails are in excellent condition. The genoa is on a Harken roller furler and there is an asymmetrical spinnaker with a snuffer. The primary anchor is a 22 lb Rocna and there are two secondary Danforths. The boat has a matching 14' rowing dinghy and several large fenders and a full complement of mooring and dock lines.

To arrange a demo sail or for more information call (561) 632-2628.

New Photos of Reuel Parker's Schooner, Ibis

Reuel Parker recently sent me a new selection of photos to post on his Ibis blog, which I will do in the next few days.  Here are a few shots of Ibis afloat, some taken from his Bahamas cruise earlier this year.  This vessel is also for sale, and Reuel will be relaunching her this fall when he returns to Florida from Maine.  Details can be found below the photos.  Here's one taken at the dock shortly after launch:

At anchor somewhere in the Bahamas:

Somewhere off Andros Island, Bahamas:

Reuel Parker, designer and builder at the helm:

A couple of interior shots that show the spacious accommodations in this shoal-draft sharpie schooner:

 

 

Here you can see just how shoal-draft this vessel is:

The following is taken from Parker's description and "for sale" ad on his website:

 

IBIS is the new prototype MAXI-TRAILERABLE cruising sharpie schooner. Construction is complete and sail trials have been made in the Bahamas. IBIS felt safe and comfortable during both Gulf Stream crossings as well as several other open-ocean passages. She exceeded my hopes and expectations, and proved to me beyond a doubt that properly designed and built sharpies can be seaworthy and seakindly. IBIS is presently hauled out for the summer. I will re-launch her in November of 2010. She will be available for inspection and sail trials during Fall and Winter.

IBIS is for sale for $179,950.

IBIS is 51' 4" LOA, 10' Beam, 2' 6" Draft (7' 8" Board Down), 42' LWL. Her displacement is 14,500lbs and her empty trailer weight is 12,000lbs. She has a box keel containing 2,500lbs of lead, an additional 500lbs of internal ballast, and carries an incredible 250 gallons of water in integral central tanks for an additional 2,110lbs ballast. Her lead-filled steel centerboard weighs 1,350lbs, and is raised by the same 12v winch as that used for raising the masts. The winch is mounted on the foremast tabernacle, and uses dedicated batteries charged by their own solar-charger. Fuel capacity is 80 gallons, providing over 110 hours of motor time, for a range of over 850 miles.

Sail Area is 753 sq ft in three self-tending sails (gaff schooner). Her masts are tabernacled using an electric winch and permanently installed A-frame. Her bridge clearance is 35'; With masts down her bridge clearance is less than 10 feet. She is powered by an Isuzu 3LD2 3-cylinder diesel, which powers her to a speed of 8 knots, consuming only .75 gallons per hour. This makes her more fuel efficient than most large pickup trucks! IBIS has a stern boomkin not shown on the drawings below. The boomkin supports the main traveler, boom gallows, flag-staff and GPS antenna.

IBIS is based on the Washington State halibut fishermen of the San Juan Islands in the 1880's. These were double-ended sharpies intended for use in all seasons. Construction is composite wood/epoxy/fabric, with hollow Douglas fir laminated masts and main boom (bird's-mouth method). There are five water-tight bulkheads making this vessel as unsinkable as possible. She can be sailed or motored to safety with any compartment flooded.

More details and additional photos can be found at Parker Marine Enterprises.

Alberg 29 - A Great Deal in Texas

Below: The Alberg 29 Jubilee, offered for sale in Rockport, Texas.

I can't believe this boat has been on the market so long, especially at the price it's been reduced to since October - just $21,500. I guess it goes to show how much of a buyer's market it is right now for things like cruising sailboats. The Alberg 29 is a bit of a rare item, and not very well known among fans of Carl Alberg's designs compared to the much more common boats in this size range such as the Alberg 30, the Pearson Triton and the Cape Dories.

This example was built in 1982, and while it is classic Alberg, (see the out of water photo below) the 29 was intended to be an updated, modernized version of the famed Alberg 30. There are not many of these around, and information about the design is scarce online. One resource is Twentynine, an owner website devoted to the design.

Below is a photo of Jubilee's nicely-finished interior, which is still in good shape, as all of the boat appears to be.

I've been wondering when this boat would sell, and I am quite surprised it's stayed on the market for this long. For someone wanting to go cruising in a moderate-sized bluewater vessel in the tradition of the boats described in John Vigor's Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, this could be your vessel. Someone should buy it and send me a postcard from the Caribbean this winter.

Get all the specs and details on the owner's ad here:

http://www.sailingtexas.com/salberg29100.html

Wharram's Fiberglass Tiki 8-Meter Now in U.S. Production

Fans of James Wharram's catamaran designs will be interested to know that his fiberglass version of the popular Tiki 26 - dubbed the Tiki 8-Meter - is now in production in the United States. The prototype of the design, shown in these photos, was built in the U.K., and production was planned there, but never got underway. Now that Boatsmith Inc., of Jupiter, Florida has become the only official Wharram professional builder in the U.S., the company has acquired the molds for the Tiki 8-Meter. Two boats are now under construction from these molds, both custom orders from a south Florida resort hotel that will use them in the day charter business.

Like her wood-composite Tiki 26 predecessor, the Tiki 8-Meter is designed to be trailerable, and is light enough to tow even with an average-sized car.

Deck and cockpit layout is much the same as the Tiki 26. There is seating for eight in the cockpit, an outboard motor in a well, trampoline forward, and sitting headroom and space for two single bunks in each hull. Subtle changes from the original version include more rounded corners, cambered coachroofs and updated portlights. The Tiki 8-Meter retains the classic Tiki lines but looks a little more contemporary and refined. Note the canvas dodger in the photo below:

This dodger is one of the best designs I've seen on a small Tiki, and I plan to incorporate a similar one on my own Tiki 26, which is under construction. The dodger itself is made of Sunbrella, and can features two positions: one that is low and can be left up while sailing, as seen in the photos at the top of the page, and a raised position that protects and shades the entire front half of the cockpit.

In the drawings below, one can get a better idea of the versatility of this set-up.

The really neat thing about this dodger is that it was designed with the idea of attaching a zip-on tent to the aft edge, allowing the entire cockpit to be converted into a comfortable living area when the boat is on the hook.

Screened-in, with removable storm flaps aft, this deck tent allows for a comfortable double berth in the cockpit in addition to the berth space below.

David Halladay, of Boatsmith, is expecting that the Tiki 8-Meter will be a big hit among sailors in Florida, as it offers shallow draft for poking around all the thin water surrounding that state, and the seaworthiness to cruise over to the nearby Bahamas. Lots of boat buyers are wary of wooden boats, even of modern composite construction, simply because they may not be educated about the improvements of modern methods and materials. Having the option to buy one of Wharram's boats in foam-core fiberglass will ease their minds a bit. Boatsmith also plans to offer other designs in Wharram's line-up in this construction. Find out more at: http://www.boatsmithfl.com/

Florida Wharram Rendezvous

Next weekend’s 2009 Spring Wharram Rendezvous in Islamorada, Florida promises to be largest gathering of Wharram catamarans ever assembled in one place in the States. For the first time ever, James Wharram’s designs are represented there by a licensed U.S. Wharram builder: David Halladay, of Boatsmith, Inc.

Halladay and rendezvous organizers Dan Kuntz and Gene Perry are working tirelessly in their efforts to promote Wharram designs in south Florida and other regions of the U.S. Through email campaigns, postings on blogs and websites and word of mouth, they have reached out to every Wharram builder and owner they could find to lure them to the gathering in Islamorada – a jumping off spot for cruising the sub-tropical Florida Keys and nearby islands of the Bahamas.

They are expecting thirteen Wharram cats to make the rendezvous, as well as a “half-boat” and a “boat and a half.” Some of the Wharram designs expected to show are: Melanesia 17, Tiki 21, Tiki 26, Taneuei 29, Pahi 31, Tangaroa 36, Tiki 38, Narai 42, and of course, David Halladay’s Pro-Built Tiki 30, Abaco. This is a good place to look over the various sizes and designs if you are considering building a Wharram.

Some of these boats in attendance are for sale: including the brand new Abaco. You can buy this well-appointed and beautifully finished Tiki 30 in sailaway condition right on the spot. You can also meet with David Halladay at the rendezvous to discuss any size Wharram cat you might be dreaming of, and talk with him about contracting its construction. Used boats for sale that you can inspect at the rendezvous include Dan Kuntz’s 2002 Tangaroa 36 MKIV, a 2007 Tiki 38 offered by Hans Bortmann, and a Narai 40 MKII.

Other attractions will be local Florida authors signing their books: including Frank Pappy, Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys, Charles Kanter, Cruising Catamaran Communique and others, and Corrine Kanter, Cruising KISS Cookbook. The sailing magazine Latitudes and Attitudes will be represented and will have free subscriptions, hats, books and other items for door prizes. All in all, this year’s Spring Rendezvous is on track to become the largest ever, with as many as 70 or possibly even 100 visitors expected, coming from across the U.S. and England and Canada.

The Spring Wharram Rendezvous takes place May 15, 16 and 17 at Islamorada, Florida. Shoreside headquarters will be centered around the Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar, located at 81924 Overseas Highway in Islamorada. The Lorelei is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. The boats will be anchored nearby and open to visitors. Dinghies are in short supply, so visitors are asked to bring one if they have one available.

For more information, email floridawharamrendezvous@hotmail.com or david@boatsmithfl.com.

Wharram Tiki 21 For Sale in Colorado

If anyone is looking for a Wharram Tiki 21 in the U.S. that literally needs nothing and is ready to go, you could scarcely find a better one than Element, the example I restored for my own use in 2006 and sold last year to Bill Cotton, of Fort Collins, Colorado. The restoration and refitting of Element is well documented on my blog at: http:tiki21element.blogspot.com

The sailing season is short on the high mountain lakes of Colorado, so Element has not been heavily used since Bill bought her last summer, and should still be in the excellent condition she was in when I sold her.

Here is a short video clip I took while sailing in the Mississippi Sound last year just before the boat was sold. In this video I'm steering from the leeward hull, averaging 9-10 knots on a reach near the north coast of Horn Island. This was taken during a great 4-day beachcruising trip in May, 2007.

The Tiki 21 can be easily beached and draws only 14 inches, which is quite handy in areas like the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Element comes with a custom road trailer, opening up lots of sailing possibilities from inland lakes to any coast you care to drive to.

Below is a photo of Element with her current owner, Bill Cotton, the day he bought the boat from me. Below the photo is his description of the boat and his contact information.

This boat was beautifully restored by Scott Williams. It comes with main, jib, and spinnaker, a 5HP Nissan 4-cycle OB, a deck tent, trailer, ground handling equipment including two hull dollies and tow bar. It is a great sailing boat; goes well to weather, ideal for shallow water sailing as no center board or dagger board, no deep extending rudder. I have had it up to 15kts. It is very stable. It handled well with no hull raising in 50kt+ downburst. Located in Colorado. “Some assembly required!” cotton@atmos.colostate.edu; cell: 970-222-6812. $9000.

Dispatch Photo Service for Long-Distance Boat Buyers

Below is an old Alberg 30 from the late 60's, looking good at the time this photo was taken, with new topside paint and good sails. If you're looking for a sailboat like this to buy, especially one that's located far from where you live, you want to be sure the seller's photos are current and accurately represent the condition of the vessel. Now there is an easy way to get the photos you need without depending on the seller. Read on for more.

If you've ever been in the market for a specific type of boat, particularly a cruising sailboat in a certain size and price range that fits your needs, chances are you've had to look beyond your hometown unless you happen to live in a major boating center like Annapolis, Maryland or Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Popular online classified services like Yachtworld and Boat Trader usually have at least a few examples of every type and size of production sailboat, but the ones you might be interested in can be scattered far and wide.

After losing my Grampian 26, Intensity to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I was in the market for a replacement cruising boat until I eventually gave up on finding the right one and decided to build my own. Naturally there was a shortage of good boats left on the northern Gulf coast, since so many were either badly damaged or destroyed like mine. Several hurricanes in a two year period had greatly reduced the available choices in much of nearby Alabama and north Florida as well. I perused the online ads for months, seeing many likely candidates listed in New England, the Annapolis area, south Florida and on the West Coast - all far enough away to make going to look a time-consuming and expensive proposition. Of course most online advertising sites allow the insertion of photos, and many of the listings included lots of views of the interior and exterior of the vessel for sale.

Naturally the owners of these boats want to project the most positive image possible because they want to make a sale. Many of the photos used in ads are low image quality, making the boat look pretty good overall but lacking sharp details that make a real analysis possible. When calling or emailing about a particular boat for sale, a common response I got from boat owners is that "I don't have any recent pictures" or "these pictures are a few years old." Other boat sellers will use downright deceitful techniques, posting photos of a boat in her better days and representing them as current. This is especially true of ads on sites like EBay, where sellers hope to make a sale before the prospective buyer even sees the vessel in person.

So what can a boat shopper do? If there's a particular vessel offered for a deal that seems just right for your needs, you can do like I did several times and take a chance on going to see it. I took two 1800-mile round road trips to south Florida, as well as some shorter trips to look at boats that were all much worse in real life than in the advertiser's photos. The Alberg 30 shown in the photo at the top of the page is a prime example. I was interested in this boat after finding the ad for it on an Alberg 30 online message board. There were no photos in the ad, but the owner responded to my email query by sending a few, including the one above and the collection shown below. For the price and the included equipment, this deal seemed too good to pass up. After a few discussions with the owner, who lived in the U.K., but kept the boat in south Florida for winter sailing, I drove 800 miles to yard where it was stored, with high hopes that I had found a suitable cruising boat.

What I found when I got there was an old, dilapidated Alberg 30 in need of everything. Nothing short of a total restoration would bring her up to my standards, and it was obvious that some time had passed since the photos above were taken. Below is just one sample of the forward deck area. I wish I had taken more photos, but I was so disappointed I didn't bother. The interior was a wreck, and the engine was a rusted hunk of metal covered with old, peeling paint and grease. It was a project I would not have taken on even if the boat itself was free. Even all the extra equipment advertised, such as the self-steering windvane, was rusted, frozen up, and useless.

Another potential candidate for my next cruising boat was a Wharram Tiki 30 catamaran that was for sale in the Boston, Massachusetts area. I had long been interested in this design and was already considering building either a Tiki 26 or Tiki 30. At the time, I also owned a smaller Tiki 21 that I was restoring, but already knew was too small for my long-term needs. When this Tiki 30 came up for sale at a reasonable price - actually less than the cost of materials to build a new one, I was excited about the possibility of going to Boston and either sailing it home or loading it on a rented trailer to bring it back. The owner pointed me to a site where this photo was posted, showing the Tiki 30 as it appeared when he bought it from the original owner several years previous. It looked good then, but as you can see, this photo reveals very little detail.

I asked the seller for more photos, considering the distance involved for me to come look at it, and he obliged a few days later, sending me more than a dozen current photos taken with a high resolution digital camera. Opening the photos on my computer and viewing them at normal size, the boat looked fine. But the advantage of high resolution images is that you can crop small areas and resize the photos to zoom in, revealing things you would otherwise miss. Below is view from the bow, showing the whole boat, which looks pretty good.

And here is a close crop of the same image, showing the port bow detail, where you can tell much about the build quality by looking at the shape of the sheer line and seeing how it is not very fair. (You can click on these images right here to see a larger version and see what I mean)

Here's another view of the boat, showing the port hull interior and bunk. It looks pretty decent here.

But look at this crop, showing the overhead hatch. The opening looks like it was chopped out with a dull hatchet.

These are just two examples. Using Photoshop, I could examine all the images and crop details from other parts of each photo. What I saw was a Tiki 30 that appeared overall to be okay, but was built and finished way below professional standards in almost every detail.

Some may think I'm being too critical of this particular boat. For the asking price it was still a good deal for someone. But having built a smaller Wharram cat and at the time being in the process of restoring an amateur-built Tiki 21, I knew what to look for and what would be involved in bringing a catamaran like this up to my standards. I was grateful to the owner for sending the high-resolution photos, as it saved me a trip to Boston.

But what do you do if the owner of the boat you're interested in does not have a good camera or is not willing to send you images of good quality? For one, you could look up a marine surveyor in the area and have the vessel inspected, but if it turns out to be a no-go like these above, you'll be out several hundred dollars. It might be less than a trip to see the boat in person, but could get expensive if you have to go through several boats.

A new and better option, at least if the boat is in North America, is Tim Purpura's

Dispatch Photo Service.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Tim Purpura has built a network of professional photographers in major U.S., Canadian, and Mexican cities to serve the needs of businesses and individuals who need photos taken in a particular location. The members of the network are all equipped with high-resolution digital cameras and high-speed Internet access, so they can go out and take the photos you need and have them on your computer screen in as little as two hours in many cases.

I think this is a great service for boat buyers, as there are network members in most major coastal cities and the list is growing. From the Dispatch Photo Service website you can scroll through the state and city listings and find the photographer for the area where the potential boat is and then email or call to request exactly the photos you want. Most of the photographers will also have a cell phone on the job with them, so when they get to the marina or boatyard, they can communicate with you about the details you want photographed.

The price for the service is quite reasonable. Tim asks that all members keep their hourly rates in the $35-$50 range, with a two hour minimum. In many cases the two hour minimum is enough, especially if the boat is in a city where the photographer does not have to drive far. So for $70-$100 you can have all the high resolution photos you want of the boat, which is a fraction of the cost of a marine surveyor or a trip to see it in person.

I think Tim Purpura has hit upon a brilliant idea and I'm sure the network will continue to grow as more people in need of remote photography learn of this service. To see sample photos and learn more about the service in different cities, go to Dispatch Photo Service and view the listings. Many of the members have their own websites with more about their photography experience and services offered.

Sharpie Project for Sale in Minnesota

I just came across a partially-built sailboat project that could be of interest to someone wanting a headstart on building their own cruising boat. This is a good design - one of Bruce Kirby's Norwalk Islands Sharpies - specifically the 29-foot version. I've been interested in Kirby's sharpie designs for a long time myself, as I lean strongly to shallow draft sailboats that are also capable cruisers. This 29-footer combines the best of both worlds - offshore coastal sailing and shallow gunkholing - and with decent accomodations.

Here's a description from the designer:

"The Norwalk Islands Sharpies are shallow-draft cruisers designed by Bruce Kirby to satisfy the demand for low cost, attractive, easy-to-build boats that will sail superbly and be well mannered through a broad range of weather conditions. They are centerboarders with retractable rudders, designed as day sailers and coastal cruisers and capable of enetering the shallowest of creeks and harbors.... These hard chine, traditional looking but high tech cruisers [are] aimed directly at the home builder...."

"The 29-footer gets up into the range where even a sharpie, which, by its heritage has low headroom, can have six feet in the aft part of the cabin. This is accomplished with a high-cambered cabintop... which blends with the traditional sheer and low freeboard to give down-below space not found in the old workboats. Although the 29-footer has all the advantages of super shallow draft, she also has the heft to travel [far] afield.... With her long waterline, slim hull form and generous sailplan the 29 could put in a good days run, especially with the wind abeam and a staysail set from the mizzen mast."

Boatbuilding projects like this get put on hold or abandoned for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it's because it is the builder's first effort and the project proves to be much more time consuming and expensive than anticipated. But that is not the case here. Bob, the owner of this project has previously completed a smaller cruising sharpie, and judging by the photos, he did a great job. He chose another design I like a lot: a stretched version of Karl Stambaugh's Catbird 18.

The Norwalk Islands Sharpie 29 project consists of a planked hull with 3 layers of 1/2" plywood on the bottom and 1260 pounds of lead ballast sandwiched in the middle layer. Bulkheads are in and the interior accomodations are roughed in. The hull exterior is ready for fairing and sheathing. Below is a view of the framed hull before planking with plywood.

Here is a view of the planked plywood bottom

No spars or sails are included, but with the hull built to a point where it can be safely moved on a trailer, this is a great beginning on the project for someone who wants to finish this design. Go to the owner's webpage http://www.dillon-racing.com/nis29/ for more information about the project and to see more photos of the Catbird 18 he built. You can email the owner, Bob at this address: bdwc@uslink.net

For more on Bruce Kirby's Norwalk Islands Sharpies, visit the designer's website at: http://www.nisboats.com/