Plans from Duck Trap
the
Rhodes Wherry
Please note that information on plans pages will be scant while we are trying to get our site back up and in operation. Should you have questions in the meantime, please email us. Thanks for understanding.
The Rhodes Wherry from which I derived these lines was built here in Ducktrap by Stimpson “Stimp” Rhodes during the winter of 1898-99. It was a birthday present for then 12-year-old Osborne Wade who like his father before him fished for Atlantic Salmon off their shore. Ozzie was destined to become one of the very last Salmon fishermen. The only man to fish longer was his friend and neighbor Robie Ames. You can read all about them and their gear in Wherries.
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The boat at the left is 12' overall and now sails Lake Champlain.
The original boat (now residing at the Lincolnville Historical Society) was and still is 10’-7” overall. They are superb little boats and make great tenders. Fitted with either a loose footed sprit rig or a lug sail they are fitted with a daggerboard and a single rowing position. Unlike our other wherries this model features a straight rather than a rounded tuck. I asked Ozzie about that and he allowed as how they were less expensive to build than those with a rounded tuck. “Expensive” is a relative term of course; Ozzie never paid more than $75 for a wherry in his whole life.
That said, the Rhodes Wherry is straightforward to build and suitable for children as well as adults. Some have even been built as homeschool projects. They began with the building and the following season delved into sailing lessons. What a great lesson plan!
The original boats were all cedar planked, but we've built them glued lapstrake as well using 9mm Okoume marine plywood. That has the advantage of being less susceptible to the high temperatures and the slipstream of highway travel that are often the lot of dry sailed boats.
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Sailing at Pittwater, New South Wales
The plans consist of lines and offsets, construction plan, and sail plan. US$65
We also offer the full size lofting for the 10'7" wherry, should you prefer to get right to the building.It's a blackline print on 36" wide 24# paper and shipped rolled US$85
And if you really want to save time, or are a little apprehensive about getting out the planking, we also offer full size plank patterns for the 10'-7" boat. US$65