Wineglass Wherry Review, WoodenBoat Magazine's Small Boats, 2009

"The Wineglass Wherry transports effortlessly over-land on a two-wheel dolly.  Balancing its 90lbs over the wheels, I was able to push the boat along blacktop, down the ramp, and into the water alone, without any strain... The boat was well mannered on all points of sail, tracking dead straight. This was especially impressive on a beam reach, when one might expect the boat to round up, or 'weathercock'. There was none of this behavior." Read More of the Wherry Review

 

A Classic Wooden Row Boat:
The Wineglass Wherry (WGW) possesses the wineglass transom and smooth double-ended waterline of a classic rowing boat. When designing her, John Lockwood drew inspiration from the "beach skiffs" that were common along the New England coast during the late 1800's.Used in the commercial fishery, folks launched through the surf and rowed out to the fishing grounds. Their narrow flat bottoms enabled them to be parked upright on the beach. Their "planked skegs" allowed them to be more easily built and avoided the added weight of heavy keels. Developed before the advent of power, they were superb pulling boats used year-round in coastal waters.

A Marriage of Past and Present:
Our Wineglass Wherry is a synthesis of two such boats--the Penobscott Bay Salmon Wherry and the Sea Bright Skiff. Like her predecessors, she exhibits good stability and can handle wind and chop with grace and speed. Her computer designed, woodcore-glass-epoxy hull makes her rugged, light weight and extremely strong.

A Versatile Craft:
Our customers put their wherries to multiple uses. Some want exercise and a full body workout. Others quietly pull out at dusk to watch otters feed and osprey hunt. Some want to camp. They load their WGW with waterproof gear bags and row off for the weekend, or longer. (See "The Bowron Lakes--A WineGlass Wherry Wilderness Expedition" for a description of a 15 day trip we Pygmies took in Northern B.C. Canada.) Some folks build the Wherry to row into open saltwater to fish for salmon and halibut. Retired folks put out crab pots and check them daily from their boat. Families pile in for picnic destinations and low-tide exploration. The WGW also makes a fun sailing craft. The fully illustrated construction manual comes with specs for rigging the Wineglass with a 55 sq. ft. Sprit sail or a 42 sq. ft. Marconi. Diagrams show placements for a mast, centerboard or daggerboard, and tiller.

The Stitch-N-Glue Process:
Our beautiful multi-chine Wineglass Wherry is a “stitch and glue” row boat built upright on the floor. No strongback required. The builder sews pre-cut planks to each side of the bottom panel. Next, the temporary transom and center station frames are "sewn" in place, using 19 gauge wire. The remaining planks are sewn snug around these frames. After wiring, you then edge-glue all of the seams with a dental syringe filled with epoxy. Let it dry overnight, then cut and pull the wires, remove the temporary frames, and glass the hull, inside and out. The precision pre-cut seats, thwarts, breasthook, knees, transom and gunnels are then glued in place. It is a very easy process. No lofting, no station frames, no strong back, no mold, no spiling, no cutting and no power tools are required. The entire boat can be built in 70 to 90 hours. To read more about stitch and glue construction, click here

Ultra-Light and Strong:
The finished boat weighs only 90 lbs. The 6 oz. glass cloth used to sheath the hull, inside and out, goes completely glass-clear when saturated with epoxy. If you plan to put your boat to hard use, we recommend two layers of glass cloth on the exterior and an extra 38" wide piece of cloth down the inside bottom. This brings the weight up to 97 lbs. We offer the necessary materials for these extra fiberglass layers as an accessory.  If you want to stain any of the wood, you must do so before applying any epoxy. Some folks like to personalize their craft, staining the seats and spacers between the gunnels a contrasting tone to the hull. Do a test patch of stain on scrap wood, first. Then, laminate a scrap of fiberglass onto the test piece to ensure that the stain you have chosen does not interfere with adhesion of the 'glass. Finishing your boat with paint or UV filter spar varnish (or a combination of the two) protects your boat from ultraviolet light. An aesthetic finish adds to the pleasure of building this elegant, versatile classic.

 

For oars and other accessories, see also our Wherry Accessories Page.

Read what our customers have to say about the Wineglass Wherry: Customer Feedback & Photos.

To request a Pygmy catalog, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

WineGlass Wherry Features:
Hull type… Multi-chine
Best used for… Rowing, Light sailing, Fishing, Families
Paddler experience level… Beginner to advanced

 

Inside your Pygmy kit:

 

See also our Wherry Accessories Page.

 

* We usually ship "Medium" hardener with our kits (good for temperatures ranging from 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit).  You may order "Slow" for hot climates (75-95 degrees Fahrenheit) or "Fast" for cold climates (35-55 degrees Fahrenheit) upon request. Read the System Three Epoxy Book to help select the appropriate epoxy and hardener for you. If you would like a copy of the Epoxy Book, click here to download. We also stock System Three’s Silver Tip Epoxy and offer this as an option in our boat kits for an additional charge.  For Silvertip epoxy the slow hardener is good for temperatures warmer than 65 and the fast is best for temperatures cooler than 65. Note: Silver Tip Resin can only ship via Ground Service and is not eligible for shipments to Alaska.