Osprey is a sharpie built in Port Townsend by Bill and Glen Eppick. Her design is that of a New Haven sharpie which was used in the East Coast oyster fisheries around the middle of the 19th century. Osprey is the 4th complete boat built by Bill Eppick of Skye Boat Works.
Osprey was meant to be the perfect shoal draft daysailer for cruising in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. The sharpie was started in 2003, soon after the sale of Skye. The primary reference for offsets and scantlings is a drawing by H. Chappelle obtained from the Library of Congress. The resulting design is a traditional New Haven sharpie which at 28’ would have been called a one-man or 100-bushel boat, referencing crew size and carrying capacity. Construction went along smoothly with the stem, keelson and transom, hull structure of plywood, and she was turned over for more work. After the deck was laid, Bill found work with what turned out to be a years-long repair job, which delayed work on the sharpie. In 2015, when Glen’s work started taking him to Sequim, regular visits to Port Townsend resulted in a discussion about the sharpie. An agreement was struck and construction began again on Osprey.
As hull structure was done, work was started on the remaining projects. The centerboard was fit and cap installed on the trunk. Rudder and tiller constructed and fit to the hull. Coaming, toe rail and wale built and installed. Douglas Fir spars, glued up a decade before, cut and shaped, two freestanding masts and two sprits. Of course paint and varnish everything as many times as you can bear. Sails are being made by Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails.
As I write this, late-April, we have a bit more work to go. Another coat of pain on everything. Figure out rigging, it’s simple but we haven’t finished it yet. A bit more work on mast step and partners, a final fit. Finish cleats and gather up all the bits and pieces. Buy a sculling oar. We hope to launch by early summer.