Initial pictures of 45' Sharpie yawl from internet. They display in reverse order to how loaded, so begin with last first.

Built in 2012. Sold because too large for builder whose children have left for university, and he has another smaller sailboat.

My knowledge of her is incomplete at this point - having only recently purchased via internet auction and not having seen her personally yet - but generally she is built along Sharpie lines with 10' beam and 45' length, gaff-rigged main, cutter foresails (and optional 5' bowsprit can be attached), yawl mizzen, also gaff-rigged.

No onboard motor but the pusher slots into stern somehow and outboard can drive vessel from there, how exactly don't yet know.

Wood epoxy stitch and glue construction. Galvanised steel shrouds and stays. Used sailcloth for custom-configured sails. Ground tackle only includes 100lb (!) fisherman anchor but plenty of chain and other rode. No motor.

Oh, here is the initial description:

"45'loa, 10' beam, 2' draft with daggerboard up. Sharpie style design. Fully rigged for sailing, 4 sails included (main, mizzen, 2 jibs) tiller steering, captains cabin will full size 8" thick foam mattress. Full galley with long countertops, under counter 12/120V fridge, 3 burner stove with oven, 25 gal fresh water tank with water pump and manual pump at sink. Full head with manual toilet, never used, 20 gallon holding tank. 2X4' solar panel with charge controller, 8 position electrical panel with circut breakers and LED indicators, 8 6V 400 amp hour batteries, depth finder, 120 v shore system, am/fm cassette/cd sound system. 12v TV. Large cabins, "breakfast nook", forward cabins with room to store bikes/scooter, large windows with lots of light. Would make a great livaboard, the equipment alone is worth the price. Launched in 2012. Wood/epoxy construction. Comes with a 10' dingy/pusher boat (like with a skipjack)."

The stove and fridge are not included in the price I finally paid though might pay more to retain stove.

The waterline was incorrectly drawn which is why the bow seems to be so high relative to it. That said, there is nothing up there - such as anchor, stores, etc., so now the amidships cabin structure is overweighting the vessel configuration.

THe polyurethane brighwork is overdue for more coats and is showing signs of deterioration. There is about 1 gallon per hour leaking from unknown source. Currently plugged into mains at marina and 500 gph bilge pump runs every 3-4 hours for one minute which solar panel should be able to handle easily under sail.

Unspecified amount of cement ballast, 300 lb metal centreboard.

Tabernacle-stepped mainmast, 34' high, with wood compression section into keel. 24' main boom (?).

3 main cabins 6' clearance. Other storage areas fore and aft without portholes.

Samson post at bow.

Foam insulation inside making for positive buoyancy if flooded. Believe she is self-righting if capsized.

About Sharpies:

"The sharpie's rapid spread in use can be accounted for by its low cost, light draft, speed, handiness under sail, graceful appearance, and rather astonishing seaworthiness. Since oyster tonging was never carried on in heavy weather, it was by chance rather than intent that the seaworthiness of this New Haven tonging boat was discovered. There is a case on record in which a tonging sharpie rescued the crew of a coasting schooner at Branford, Connecticut, during a severe gale, after other boats had proved unable to approach the wreck.

However, efforts to improve on the sharpie resulted in the construction of boats that had neither the beauty nor the other advantages of the original type. This was particularly true of sharpies built as yachts with large cabins and heavy rigs. Because the stability of the sharpie's shoal hull was limited, the added weight of high, long cabin trunks and attendant furniture reduced the boat's safety potential. Windage of the topside structures necessary on sharpie yachts also affected speed, particularly in sailing to windward. Hence, there was an immediate trend toward the addition of deadrise in the bottom of the yachts, a feature that sufficiently increased displacement and draft so that the superstructure and rig could be better carried. Because of its large cabin, the sharpie yacht when under sail was generally less workable than the fishing sharpie. Although it was harmful to the sailing of the boat, many of the sharpie yachts had markedly increased beam. The first sharpie yacht of any size was the Lucky, a half-model of which is in the Model Room of the New York Yacht Club. The Lucky, built in 1855 from a model by Robert Fish, was 51 feet long with a 13-foot beam; she drew 2 feet 10 inches with her centerboard raised. According to firsthand reports, she was a satisfactory cruiser, except that she was not very weatherly because her centerboard was too small.

Kunhardt mentions the extraordinary sailing speed of some sharpies, as does certain correspondence in Forest and Stream. A large sharpie was reported to have run 11 nautical miles in 34 minutes, and a big sharpie schooner is said to have averaged 16 knots in 3 consecutive hours of sailing. Tonging sharpies with racing rigs were said to have sailed in smooth water at speeds of 15 and 16 knots. Although such reports may be exaggerations, there is no doubt that sharpies of the New Haven type were among the fastest of American sailing fishing boats."

excerpt from: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/29285/29285-h/29285-h.htm

Of course, every individual boat will be different so it is unhelpful to generalise. This one is relatively large and therefore has high cabins, but those same cabins reduce weatherliness in heavy weather. Still, it's quite possible that this boat is more of a good sailing vessel than many might initially suspect. I will find out in May!

One aspect I suspect has more significance than most would consider these days is the choice of using stayed mast. Unstayed masts allow for bending under strong wind pressure which spills it out of the sails, reducing heeling/capsizing. Stayed masts fight this natural tendency thereby actually making the vessel less seaworthy even if more efficient for racing purposes. Speed was valued highly by commercial vessels in the 1800's as witnessed in the development of the cutters, and then by gentlemen racing enthusiasts. Such concerns have dominated how 'efficiency' is evaluated for far too long, imo, whereas more important concerns like being easy to balance, seaworthy, economical to operate and repair are too often sacrificed on the altar of an efficiency which is based on an ultimately not-very-important ability, namely speed to windward.