Wineglass Wherry Another Way

[CapnRog]

My previous post about Pygmy's Wineglass Wherry asked if anyone around Olympia was building one. No replies, so I assume not. Over 200 hits have been recorded, though, so there must be some interest in the design. I am interested in experiences people have had with the boat. How is the build (understanding it involves Epoxy)? How does she handle under sail? How does she row? Thanks for any input...

Cap'n Rog

[Thorne]

Just because we look at a thread doesn't mean we know diddly about the topic...

;0 )

The WGW looks like she'd row very well, and handle nicely. Much depends on your planned uses -- solo or a crew of 2 or 3? Rowing or sailing as primary power? Protected waters or rough surf / swell?

Don't think she'd sail all that well, although I can't tell if the sailing rig calls for a centerboard, daggerboard, or wishfull thinking... My concerns would be for extreme tenderness in gusty winds, as I'm sure the rig would work well (be balanced) otherwise.

http://www.pygmyboats.com/images/WGW2_067.jpg

My other concern would be the lack of freeboard in rough waters -- she sits pretty low for a boat that size, which would be an issue when heeling under sail.

That said, I rigged a very similar-sized dory for sail and have had a lot of fun with her. But my Chamberlain dory skiff is very stable at well over 300lbs and seems to carry the width a bit further aft, producing more reserve buoyancy for sailing. And the sides are higher at 18" rather than the WGW's 16".

http://www.pygmyboats.com/images/2_038.jpg
WGW under load

http://www.luckhardt.com/stnlgn06-2.jpg
CDS under load (of sorts) - note the width aft.

[Steve Paskey]

I haven't rowed one myself, but I know that one fellow rowed from New York to Key West in a Wineglass Wherry. It wasn't a continuous trip -- he did it in two-week stints over the case of a number of summers, putting in each year where he had taken out the previous year.

He gave a slideshow presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival a couple of years ago, and said he was quite pleased with the boat. (I don't know if he sailed it.)

[rbgarr]

I've admired the Pygmy WGW for a while and got beat out for this hull (fg) on eBay which is very much like it. It has fore and side decks which could have made a good small sailboat with a rig like the one on Gartsides RIFF. At 4' beam it would fit neatly in the back of the 'Burban, too.

I've even got leftover spars, tiller, oars and plywood for daggerboard and rudder... and Jamie was willing to bring it north on the roof of his Legacy for me. I was so looking forward to fixing it up for the Small Reach Regatta.

I HATE those *#@%$#* eBay snipers!

http://tinyurl.com/yar7mh

[Steve Paskey]

I thought about bidding on that boat. Would have, but I'm likely to move cross country next summer, and didn't need one more thing to drag along.

It was built by Mathews Bros. in Denton MD as a fill-in between jobs.
www.mathewsboats.com/ (http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/www.mathewsboats.com/)

There was another for sale not too long ago.

[CapnRog]

Thorne, thanks for the info and photos. I hadn't noticed how low the freeboard was. I doubt that we would be doing any aggressive sailing, so that might not be a serious issue. A big plus for us is the light weight, allowing the boat to be carried easily to launch by two people.

[Tom Robb]

If you want to sail, build a sail boat. If you want to row, build a row boat. A 50/50 compromize betyween the two may satisfy neither.
Eurika! Build both!

[J. Spira]

Amen Tom.

[Rick Starr]

If you want to sail, build a sail boat. If you want to row, build a row boat. A 50/50 compromize betyween the two may satisfy neither.
Eurika! Build both!

My pooduck skiff performs both reasonably well. Quite well given the size.

[Thorne]

Ditto - my Chamberlain dory skiff also rows very well and sails nicely. Not as stable or as fast as a sailboat of similar size, but compares well to the two ply BlueJays that I've owned in many ways.

http://www.luckhardt.com/lordchamberlain3web.jpg

For **performance** rowing or sailing -- best to build a boat specifically for that purpose. But for both for fun, some of the combo designs work reasonably well. (Notice I'm not talking about outboard power here...)

[CapnRog]

Very nice looking craft, Thorne. How about more info on her?

[Tom Robb]

It depends on what sort and how much compromize you're willing to accept.

[Thorne]

CapnRog -

You must be new here, as everyone else has seen far too much of my dammed dory...

;0 )

http://www.luckhardt.com/dory1.html
http://www.luckhardt.com/dory2.html

[CapnRog]

Thorne, there is never too much of a good boat. Thanks!

Cap'n Rog