Thunderbird

Designed in 1955 by local yacht designer Ben Seaborn, the Thunderbird was intended to be an amateur built, plywood cruising boat. The design was commissioned by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association and the plans were for sale at an affordable price at every lumber yard. The 26’ Thunderbird turned out to be not only easy to build, but extremely fast and seaworthy. By the early 1960's, Thunderbirds were recognized as the fastest 26’ sailboat around. Many have cruised to Alaska, Mexico, and Hawaii. Our Thunderbird, Zest, is #35. She was built in 1960 and was donated by Terry Holme and Thomas Kayson.

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This type of boat was developed in 1869 for gillnetting salmon in San Francisco, but quickly became the standard type from Columbia River to Bristol Bay, Alaska. Fishing under sail in these boats was mandatory in Bristol Bay until 1952. CWB chose this type of boat as our logo because of the long history as a Northwest work boat.

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New Haven Sharpie Betsy D

New Haven Sharpies were developed in the 1840s for oystering in Long Island Sound on the East Coast. At that time, their unstayed masts constituted a design breakthrough because they allowed a narrow, flat-bottomed and initially unstable hull to carry lots of sail area. In strong winds, the masts will bend and spill some of the wind. The sprit-rigged sails are easily adjusted for draft. The rig is a cat ketch. The lines of CWB's New Haven Sharpie were taken from Chapelle's American Small Sailing Craft. CWB member Bo Garrison built the boat in 1977 and donated it to the Center. The Sharpies evolved from simple flat bottom rowing skiffs, gradually becoming longer, narrower in proportion and with an overhanging counter stern. All these things made the boat faster and easier to power with oar or sail. At the end of the 19th century, a 35’ Sharpie, with a small cabin forward, cost between $300 and $500.

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Sharpie Colleen Wagner

This 28' sharpie is a replica of Egret, designed by Ralph Munroe and built in 1885. A sailing sharpie is a narrow, flatbottom vessel with a centerboard, inboard balanced rudder and unstayed masts. This sharpie was launched in 2001, built by students of the Marine Carpentry School of Seattle Central Community College. The boat was funded through donations by CWB members and named for CWB's co-founder.

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Friendship Sloop Amie

The design for this popular fishing and lobstering boat developed in the late nineteenth century, in Muscongus Bay, Maine. Clearly inspired by the lines of the large fishing schooners, the Friendship Sloop is gaff rigged with a clipper bow. Since it was originally designed for working and not racing, the dimensions of this class vary, and the average hull length is between 25' and 40'. Although their work days are over, hundreds of Friendship Sloops are still sailing because their open cockpit and romantic charm make them a popular little yacht. Amie is 25' (on deck). She was built by Bob Holcomb and launched in 1978. She is privately owned and on loan to The Center for Wooden Boats. The Friendship Sloop website is www.fss.org

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R-Boat Pirate

Locally designed and built, this important boat was designed by Ted Geary, Pirate and built in 1926 at Seattle's Lake Union Dry Dock Co. Early in the process, it was decided to make her the best built R-boat on the coast. Two huge Douglas Fir timbers were shaped into a keel/horn timber centerline structure. A double planked hull was specified and only the best materials were used; Burma teak outside and Western Red Cedar for the interior planking. This combination made her strong, light, and extremely rot-resistant -- qualities that saw Pirate through many years of successful racing, and then a few decades of less than perfect maintenance. In October 1999, the Pirate Syndicate officially donated this graceful racer to The Center for Wooden Boats. Since then she has undergone a museum-quality restoration using techniques and materials as close to original as possible. Pirate was sailing again in 2005 and is available to the public for sailing and interpretation of early boat building in Seattle. Pirate's R-boat website is www.r-boat.org.

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Long Boat - Discovery

Our 26-foot longboat Discovery was built by Greg Foster, in 1988, at Whaler Bay on Galiano Island. We use it primarily for youth programs.

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Yawl - Blue Moon

This yawl was designed by Naval Architect Tom Gillmer for his own use about 1950. It was based on the British Falmouth Quay Punt of the 1880s. These were 20 to 30 feet long, and used as taxis off the port of Falmouth. They were fast and seaworthy with a long keel and low mast with long gaff. The Blue Moon was built in Norway in 1954. It is 23 feet on deck and displaces approximately 9,000 lbs.

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