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)
We have a 12-footer for sale.
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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 ordered 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.
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 rigs–sprit as well as lug. 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.
10'-6" too small for your purposes? That's not a problem. Just increase her mould spacing by a factor of 1.14 and she becomes a 12-footer using the very same offsets. The 12 is even more able than the 10-6 boat, and costs very nearly the same to build.
Here's what a new one looks like under construction...
.....and
the same boat completed...
xWe love it when folks send us photos of the wherries they've built.
Here's a beauty built by Jack Ish...
...and her story is as interesting as the photos he sent:
Many years ago I bought the plans for the Rhodes Wherry and the hardware kit. It took me about 16 years to complete the building. I have used Annie as a row boat for several years even though she has a center board slot. It is now time to build the rudder, centerboard, mast and sail.
I love my boat. She has a piece of Old Ironsides in the bow for strength and a piece of wood from my Peace Corps time in Borneo to personalize it for me.
Here's what you'll need to build your own...
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
Full size RW plank patterns...................................................40.00
(More info on the patterns on our New Stuff page)
How to Order
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
We've got a 12 footer for sale.
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 Windows 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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If you
prefer mail, our address is:
Duck Trap Woodworking
P.O.Box 88
Lincolnville Beach, ME 04849
