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Rhodes Wherry

Her look is that of a classic old-time rowboat, but she's a lot more than that...this one is complete with a sail rig, and can handle an outboard with ease... and she makes a superb yacht tender.

Hull Dimensions:
LOA=10'-6" Beam=4'-2" Depth Amidships=1'-4"
Wt=155 lbs (deduct 40 lbs for rowing version)

(The one shown below has been sold,
and now sails Lake Champlain.)

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Rhodes Wherry with lug rig

This is a glued lap version of the Rhodes Wherry...she's even painted wherry green like the original that is now berthed at the Schoolhouse Museum in Lincolnville Beach, Maine. That's about a mile from where she was built by Stimp Rhodes over the winter of 1898-99. Like her, all of our wherries are launched at Duck Trap too.

Note the two different rudders? The plan shows both the kickup version to the left, and the traditional fixed rudder shown below.

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The lug rig shown above is new, is the exact same one used on Sunshine, and can be prdered separately. Below is a measured perspective from a National Fisherman article that illustrates her sprit rig under sail. And here's a photo of the lug rig in action.

Rhodes sprit rig
Of more recent vintage than the Lincolnville Model, these lines and construction details were taken from an original wherry built by Stimp Rhodes 107 years ago.The lines plan page shows offsets to the outside of the planking, just as they were measured from the original. Since that time, she has been completey lofted, and an additional page of details has been added to the set of plans. That new page features offsets to the inside of the planking, full size plank keel details, inboard and outboard transom expansions, and stem rabbet detail drawn to 3" scale.

The original boat is lapstrake cedar planking over sawn frames with other natural crooks for knees, but she can be built using laminated or even steamed members and a variety of planking methods-glued lap construction would be an excellent choice.

It is surprising how much of a load this little wherry can handle. In that respect she is much akin to Sunshine, and in fact carries an identical sprit rig. Knowing she began as a workboat attests to her capabilities despite her deceptively small size. The Rhodes Wherry is an exceptional tender and a lovely little boat. Professional building time is about 135 hours, though brightwork can add considerably to the total.

Here's what a new one looks like under construction...

Rhodes Wherry planking.....and the same boat completed...

Rhodes Wherry finished

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10'-6" Rhodes Wherry Plans...........................................US$45.00
Lug Rig plan (single page)......................................................10.00
Lofting........................................................................................75.00
Rhodes Wherry CD..................................................................25.00
The Rhodes Wherry (printed in full color)..........................45.00
The Rhodes Wherry (printed in b&w)..................................30.00

Lofting price includes delivery in the US.

>>>>Compare all 5 of our wherries<<<<

We've been told that our comparison chart is very helpful
If you are interested in learning considerably more about wherries,
then you will want to take a look at the definitive book on the subject of

Wherries

If you plan to build your own boat, you'll find the information on the Rhodes Wherry CD invaluable! It is in Adobe Acrobat format, so is readable on both Macs and WEindows computers. Subdivided according to construction, "chapters" include Backbone, Setup, Planking, Joinerwork, and Rig. All of the images are in full color. If you are thinking about building this wherry, or any other traditional bvoat for that matter, this is a great way to preview the entire construction process before investing your hard-earned dollars in the plans and materials. New builders have told us that until they went through this CD, they thought they couldn't build a wherry...turned out they could...and did!


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Contact us by email or by phone at 207-789-5363

If you prefer mail, our address is:
Duck Trap Woodworking
P.O.Box 88
Lincolnville Beach, ME 04849

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© 2010 W.J. Simmons