Sea Bird 26 Yawl

Description

The Sea Bird yawl is a 26 ft (LOA 25 ft 10 in, LWL 21 ft 6 in) wooden sharpie-type cruising yacht designed in 1899 by Thomas Fleming “Tom” Day of New York for the Rudder magazine “$250 Boat Design Competition.” Day’s goal was to produce the largest, safest, and most seaworthy small cruiser possible for the money, using the then-revolutionary sharpie principles of flat bottom, hard bilge, and centerboard, but adding a generous yawl rig and a small keel for stability. The result was an instant classic: cheap to build, shallow draft (1 ft 4 in board up, 4 ft 6 in board down), exceptionally roomy below for her length, and surprisingly able offshore. The actual design work, including the lines and plans, was executed by Charles D. Mower, The Rudder's design editor at the time, who refined Day's concept into the V-bottom sharpie-inspired hull with yawl rig that became iconic. Day's role was pivotal in promoting and popularizing the boat through The Rudder's plans, serialization of his 1911 transatlantic voyage aboard the prototype Sea Bird, and the accompanying build guide How to Build a Cruising Yawl, which spurred hundreds of amateur constructions, but the credited designer remains Mower (often listed jointly as "Day-Mower").