by Simplicity Boats A
Celebration
of Traditional
Sail... |
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Experience
our fine line of affordable, quality model sailboats that REALLY sail ! All
made of top quality materials to last a life time... get a "future
heirloom" today. Your grandchildren's kids will thank you!
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When I was 9 years old, a model
sailboat in a toy store window got me dreaming about sailing. I saved for
many weeks to buy it, and spent many hours enthralled with imaginary
voyages. It looked real good, but could have been even more inspiring if
it had sailed well. |
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I've been making model boats for years trying to come
up with one that was simple, good looking & rugged but most
importantly would sail really well. I also added to my design "wish
list" a potential to explore the behavior of different sail
rigs. |
We named our first member of our pond skiff
family "Dream Catcher" because you can't sail her without
starting to dream a little.
There's nothing quite so powerfully
creative as a dream held in a youthful mind... SEED
THE DREAM...
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We're happy to report
that our Dream Catchers have started sparking the imaginations of
many a young sailor. |
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Our simple step by step instructions can have you
sailing in minutes.
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She can be "bare boat" sailed -
un-finshed wood - or
painted and decorated to the captains whim.
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GAff RIG
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The hull is solid pine, 12" long by
3 1/4" beam. Her lines are based loosely on my sharpie skiffs Daydream
& award-winning Summer Breeze. She
is available with a variety of different rigs.
Our "Sailor's Aprentice" comes with
three that make nine different rig configurations. Her moveable keel allows
great flexibility in rig balance. You can choose your favorite rig and be
sailing her in minutes. Or you can explore through the exercises in
"A Brief History of Sail" and maybe learn a thing or two about
how sailboats work, or the pros and cons of various rigs.
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CAT KETCH SHARPIE RIG
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The ripstop nylon sails have sewn
in mast
sleeves allowing speedy and simple rig changes. This allows quick changes
to suit changing wind conditions, and also experimentation with different
rigs just for the fun of it. |
GAF MAIN SHARPIE MIZZEN
(my favorite at present) |
SHARPIE MAIN SAIL |
SMALL SHARPIE MAIN |
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Even when it gets breezy she
"stays on her feet" due to her effective self righting
keel. |
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A fleet of Dream Catcher "Chamelions"
prepare
for a voyage to a boat show... |
seed the dream...
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... start them dreaming... |
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Simplicity Boats
"Sailor's Apprentice" Pond Skiff kit includes the following... |
One carved solid wood hull with
multiple mast steps .
3 sails...
1 gaff sail (can be sprit rigged)
1 leg o' mutton (triangular) main sail
1 leg o' mutton mizzen sail
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4 booms & spars
rigging line & wire
high wind weighted keel
10 brass screw eye
2 cleat posts
sand paper
Thorough written and pictorial instructions for assembly and
sailing.
Booklet... "A Brief History of Sail" with suggested exercises
for experientially re-tracing the evolution of sail power.
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These craft are ideal for
experimenting with and learning about the different points of sail. Here
she's enjoying a downwind run "wing an' wing." |
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Here "Chameleon" is sporting
her Mediterranean style standing lug sail. |
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The removable keel
makes the skiffs easy to display on a coffee table, mantle or shelf. |
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My current favorite rig is a Cat
Ketch, with a gaff main and a sharpie mizzen. |
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Blue Heron -
a two masted
Florida sharpie
by Simplicity Boats -
Kit $44/Finished $74
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Penny Pine Puddle
Sailors!
by Simplicity Boats - Who says
a penny won't go far these days? |
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The first skiff of our line was "Chameleon"
- more than a boat, she's an education in traditional sailing rigs.
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She's
available as a sharpie ketch, a gaff rig, a Bermuda rig, a lateen rig, standing lug or balanced lug rig.
If you already have a favorite rig that you're
loyal to, you might want a single rig Chameleon. Each come
with a quality spruce hull, ripstop sailcloth rig (available in assorted colors),
all brass hardware and a solid steel high wind keel. These boats are made so
your grandchildren will be using them to teach their kids about sailing. They
look as good on your mantle or coffee table as they do bounding over the
waves! Rig with one sail - Kit $25/ finished $58 - Rig with two sails Kit
$29/ finished $58
If you can't decide on
your favorite rig, you may want to consider our "Sailor's Apprentice"
package. This is a single Chameleon hull but with a wardrobe of 3 sails allowing for
as many as a nine different rig configurations. Here are eight of them.
Her unique multiple position keel allows perfect
balance of her many rigs. Don't
know a ketch from a schooner... or a sprit from a snotter? Well you
will in no time after playing with "Apprectice." Nothing like hands on experience to teach you how to
set the sails of a gaff ketch rig to make her self steer in a blow. She comes
with a brief history of each rig and tips and tricks for getting the most from
them.
Kit $39/ finished $79
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Here is "Blue
Heron" - an 18" two masted sharpie reminiscent of those
that plied the waters pulling oysters out of the Chesapeake Bay and delivering
mail in South Florida at the turn of the century. Her graceful lines and gently
rounded transom contribute to her distinctive looks. She can be rigged five
ways. As a ketch, yawl, schooner also Main alone & Mizzen alone.
(for higher winds) She uses two keels to give plenty of control and
stability while maintaining shallow draft like her full sized sisters. |
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Hulls come standard in spruce, but are available
in cypress for a small extra charge of $5. Cypress has natural resistance to rot and
wood eating organisms and takes a finish beautifully. |
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It is a little denser than
spruce so your boat will weigh slightly more. They still sail great, it will
just affect how big a party you can throw on board or how much cargo you can
haul...;-)
Feeling Foot
Loose? Several of our rigs can be used "loose
footed" that is without a boom, or with. Loose footed rigs have been popular with fisherman and working boatman for a hundred years.
They had more important things to do than ducking booms - which they considered
a literal pain in the neck. (Is that why they're called "booms?")
If it's some little tyke your shopping for a fleet
of "Puddle
Pals" is both fun and affordable.
Here is a Simple Skiff recipe....
Take your new skiff,
add a puff of moving air (a breeze to a blow)
a dash of
water (from a puddle to an ocean)
combine with some time to play (a few minutes
to a few hours)
mix well ...
CAUTION!
This can lead to a lifetime addiction to sailboats, water, and nature! enjoy....
Please send pictures!
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Thought
you would like this picture of Dean and the little sail boats. Dean read
Stewart Little and he dressed up as George and read the Sail Boat Chapter
to his class today. He used his boat and Benjamin's and you can see
Stewart sitting on the "Wasp". Of course the 'Wasp" won the
sail boat race. Hope the boys get to finish the boat soon. (Their building
one of my Mini-Sharpies.) |
Experimental
Plastic sails you can make for pennies...
A variety of
sailing methods for your boat.
A little Pond Skiff
survey... to help us know what to build for you...
LATEEN RIG |
LUG RIG (standing or balanced) |
BERMUDA RIG |
Simplicity Boats Home Page
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