Sharpie Skiff

Historic Spanish Point is an archaeological site and museum on 30 acres of water front on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida. HSP runs a maritime boat building and repair program on the original site of Frank Guptill’s 1890s boat yard. We build traditional wooden work boats typical of the local waters around the turn of the 19th century including LIZZIE G., a 3/4 size replica of the cat-ketch-rigged sharpies used right here over a century ago.Construction of our Sharpie Skiff: Cedar plank, lapstrake hull. Transverse bottom planks. Fastened with copper rivets. Some modern adhesives were used between planks. Both hand tools and power tools were used.Place of use: Little Sarasota Bay. To be used as a tender for our other heritage boats. Our crew works two days a week during the winter season. Most of our crew migrates north for the summer so, for 3-4 months every year, our boat building program becomes a boat maintenance program and every thing slows down. This sharpie skiff took most of one season to complete.The owner of record is Gulf Coast Heritage Association, inc. dba Historic Spanish Point, Osprey Florida.337 North Tamiami Trail, PO Box 846, Osprey Florida 34229Email: john.mccarthy@historicspanishpoint.org (exec director of HSP). whoitt@hotmail.com (photographer)