melonseed sailboat

The Remarkable Melonseed Skiff

13'8" x 4'3" x 250 lbs.

Lovely to behold, and a superb performer. The rig stows right in the boat, trailering is effortless, and it takes barely a few minutes to launch and rig. You CAN find time to sail a Melonseed! It sails incredibly well in anything from a mere zephyr to a howling breeze, is stable beyond belief, and rows beautifully.

click for more photos...

Every major sailing publication has applauded the Melonseed. Glowing reviews and/or cover photos have appeared in Messing About In Boats, Sail, Cruising World, Sailing, Small Boat Journal and Soundings. The Boston Globe and numerous other newspapers have done major articles on the extraordinary enthusiasm, devotion and appreciation Melonseed owners have for their boats. In fact, they're nearly obsessive in exclaiming the virtues of their boats to anyone who will listen, and, in might be the ultimate endorsement, several have bought a second boat! They will trailer hundreds of miles to participate in our highly social regattas and sail with other 'melonheads'. Ladies participate on an equal level, and purchase at least one third of the boats each year (a phenomenon in the sailing industry!).

The Melonseed's construction is world class. These boats are truly beautiful! The fiberglass hull and deck is superbly and honestly built by hand layup and elegantly adorned with rich teak woodwork and fine bronze hardware. At Crawford Boat Building we've created more than just beautiful boats. Since 1976 we've built a reputation for quality workmanship and unmatched customer satisfaction. Our production is deliberately limited....resulting in a pride in our workmanship that isn't!

But here's the bottom line: This boat is really fun! It may be the perfect daysailer/picnic boat for the times. If you remember how enthused you felt when you first discovered the fun of sailing, and would like to rekindle the romance, or start a new one, sail a Melonseed Skiff. Growing old is mandatory...growing up is optional! Cruise our exciting new web site at www.melonseed.com, give us a call, or post us a note. We would love to share the story of this terrific boat with you.

Call Us: (253) 851-2126 Mon-Fri 9-5 Pacific Time

• 16.5′ Melonseed

 With its beautiful lines and smooth sliding-seat rowing, the Melonseed is a great boat for inland lakes and harbors.

Rowing enthusiasts will appreciate the available dual sliding seat rowing stations. the sailing model is the best of both worlds for a combination rowing and sailing boat..

Back in our early years, we received requests for a boat that rowed as well as our 14′ Whitehall and was just as attractive and blazingly fast, but that had more capacity and ability to row on tandem sliding seats. We designed our Melonseed to meet all of those needs, and the response was overwhelming. (In fact, the popularity of the Melonseed ultimately led us to discontinue our 16′ Swampscott Dory, as the Melonseed proved to be a more suitable boat for most modern recreational rowers and sailors.)

The Melonseed is a historical design from the Chesapeake Bay, derived from the famous Jersey Beach Skiff, but suited for rowing on more sheltered waters. The Jersey version, being a heritage workboat from the more exposed Jersey Shore, has a higher freeboard for dryness under sail and greater load carrying capacity. However, a pure rowing boat is hindered by that high freeboard due to increased windage, weight, and steeper oar angle. With this in mind, the Melonseed was developed with an almost identical underbody as the Jersey Skiff , but she is built with one less plank at the sheer to improve ease of rowing.

Our Melonseed is available as an open rowboat, a decked sailboat, and an “Expedition Rowboat” that adds the deck without the sail rig. All three versions have a fine bow and stern, elevated ends to drive over chop, and a stunningly graceful sheerline. It has a flat bottom (called a box keel) which furnishes tremendous tracking ability. On the box keel, she sits flat and secure on a dock or beach instead of leaning on to one side like a fin keel boat such as a Whitehall. The length of 16’5″ and the substantial beam of 64″ allows the use of long sweeps without the need for custom outriggers. The rowboat version is undecked. The sailing Melonseed includes a sealed deck, which effectively increases freeboard so it can heel comfortably without swamping. Both come with a standard a single sliding seat, and have a tandem slider available as an upgrade. There is very little difference in the rowing performance of the rowing and sailing versions.

The sailboat has a balanced lug rig, a daggerboard, and allows for tandem sliding seat rowing with the mast up. The balanced lug rig gives the sailboat good performance in light wind, yet requires no stays to support the mast making it very easy to rig. The mast itself is 12′ long and weighs only 15 pounds, making it very easy to handle. The mast has two pieces that sleeve together, so the entire rig can fit inside the boat for storage or transport. The daggerboard is just below the front seat so you can glide over it without impediment. The console for the mainsheet is removable to quickly convert the boat from sailing to rowing configuration. With the long box keel and the balanced lug rig, the helm is remarkably natural with just enough weather helm to make sailing easy even for a beginner.

P.S. If you like the Melonseed but want self-bailing functionality and more storage for longer journeys, check out our new 17′ Salish Voyager . 

Melonseed Full Specifications

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• 17′ Jersey Skiff
• 17′ Salish Voyager
• 15′ Lobster Boat
• 14′ Whitehall
• 12′ Scamp
• 12′ Point Defiance
• 10′ Navigator
• 9.5′ Captain’s Gig
• 8′ Nisqually
• Available Now!
• New In Stock

Melonseed Photo Gallery (click to enlarge):

Praise for the Melonseed:

• Small Craft Advisor Review
• Melonseed owner #1
• Buoyancy Test

Excerpts from the Small Craft Advisor Magazine review:

“We think the Melonseed represents an excellent value. She’s quite versatile, being a pleasurable sailboat, an exceptional rowboat, and being small enough to manhandle but large enough to bring crew, the dog, or a few crab pots along.” “More stable initially than a typical dinghy at the same length, the Melonseed isn’t twitchy or overly sensitive to crew movement, and her pronounced sheer means her ends carry her up and over choppy seas.” “Rowing performance was, as expected, excellent. All of the owners we communicated with seemed overwhelmingly satisfied with performance under oar.” “…she offered exciting sailing right down next to the water, but she also felt stable and didn’t require exceptional athleticism to handle even during our races. In a word she was just like her rig: simple.”

Read more highlights over on our blog  or download the full review . (pdf file)

“Thank you for the beautiful Melonseed! Classic looks (with far less maintenance), solid construction, and amazing craftsmanship! Mahogany trim and seats just pop against white hull and deck. As expected, the features that you and Falk recommended are ideal for my family’s needs. Entire experience with GHBW has been outstanding! Knowledgeable, gracious, and very patient service. Guidance that truly meets the customer’s skills and interests. Final product that combines high-quality, reasonable price, great function, and traditional beauty. We could not be happier with GHBW and with our Melonseed! Thank you, Janet, Falk, and rest of the GHBW crew for your time and hard work!”

– Michael (17′ Melonseed)

Click here to read more customer testimonials about the Melonseed

“Well, I launched the Melonseed over the weekend, and I am VERY impressed with her! I’ve rowed her (standard oars and forward rowing system), sailed her, and even ran the electric propulsion a bit. All work very well. I was particularly amazed how well she sails – and also how simple the balanced lug rig is. Wow! My wife, Peggy, says the Melonseed is a keeper! We even dropped anchor out on Campbell Lake Saturday evening with a picnic dinner. Dropped the sail, enjoyed a relaxing meal out on the water, and then raised the sail back up to sail home. Perfect! I know the Melonseed will allow me to get my family out on the water a lot more! Again, thank you, the Melonseed is GORGEOUS – and I’m anxious to try sliding seat rowing with my traditional sculls soon too!”

~Mark (17′ Melonseed)

Here, Falk demonstrates the Melonseed’s buoyancy:

Read more about the USCG buoyancy test in our February 2010 Newsletter

Sea Stories: The Siege of Portsmouth

Shawn Payment took a Melonseed sailboat to the OBX 130, “a moving messabout” exploring anchorages of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Video: Comparing the Jersey Skiff and the Melonseed

One of the most popular questions we get is, “What’s the difference between the Jersey Skiff and the Melonseed?” Both of these boats originated as traditional working boats on the Eastern seaboard. Watch as our founder Dave Robertson shows us the difference out on the water.

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Boat Profile

The Crawford Melonseed Skiff

From a 19th-century gunning skiff to a classic sailer in fiberglass

From Issue   Small Boats Annual 2022 March 2021

M any years ago, I was looking for a daysailer I could easily trailer, rig, and sail singlehanded. It had to look good, too, with some traditional aesthetics. Crawford Boat Building’s Melonseed Skiff fit the bill.

For over 30 years, Roger Crawford has been building his fiberglass version of the Melonseed Skiff in his small shop in Humarock, Massachusetts. He began when a decaying wooden boat, built to Chapelle’s lines in American Small Sailing Craft, was dropped off at his shop to be brought back to life . He restored the boat, took it sailing, and was so impressed that he wanted one of his own. He used the hull to make a mold he could build from, enlarged the cockpit, and increased the sail area. He has been busy building Melonseeds ever since, finishing them beautifully with teak rudder, tiller, rubrails, coaming, and floorboards, and varnished Douglas-fir spars. Anyone who has admired the lines in Chapelle’s book will recognize the low freeboard, hollow bow, curvaceous waterline, and enchanting tuck-up swooping from skeg to raked transom.

The spaces under the decks provide ample room for storing gear. A foredeck hatch facilitates access to items forward of the centerboard trunk.

Crawford builds his boats stout, with 1.5-oz mat, 0.5-oz mat, 32-oz stitched roving, and 10-oz cloth, doubled in the bottom, stem, and keel areas; the skeg receives 14 laminations. The deck is end-grain balsa core laminated between layers of 1.5-oz mat and biaxial stitched roving, with a nonskid finish that looks quite a lot like painted canvas. Solid fiberglass (without balsa core) in areas where there are through-deck fittings such as cleats, pad-eyes and oarlock sockets, assures peace of mind for years to come. The hull and deck are bonded together with epoxy, polyurethane adhesive, and stainless bolts and screws. Overlapped like the lid on a shoebox, the result is a strong, torsion-free unit.

The PVC centerboard will lower itself with its own weight; a cord and a clam cleat will control its depth and allow it to retract upon striking an underwater obstruction.

Crawford built his first 99 boats with the traditional scimitar-shaped teak daggerboard as recorded by Chapelle. Starting with number 100, the boats have a 1/2″-thick PVC centerboard raised and lowered by a simple pennant. He engineered the centerboard to have sailing characteristics as nearly identical to the daggerboard as possible. I have owned and sailed both versions and find a negligible difference between the two. The daggerboard trunk is entirely forward of the cockpit, whereas the centerboard trunk, at deck level, intrudes into the cockpit about 4″, an acceptable trade-off for the convenience of a board that self-stores, pivots when grounding, and offers infinite adjustment.

The shallow hull with a barn-door rudder that does not extend below the skeg makes this boat well suited to the shallows, and with a 6″ draft with the centerboard up, one can glide and slide over some very skinny water indeed—perfect for creek crawling.

There isn’t a thwart for rowing, so a couple of boat cushions will get the rower into a comfortable position high enough off the floorboards. The sail and all three spars for the sailing rig can be stowed below deck when they’re not needed.

C rawford has taken great pains to keep the boat as simple as possible, which makes getting on the water an easy proposition. Rigging is straightforward and the free-standing rig makes getting underway quick. The sail is kept furled around the mast and together they weigh about 15 lbs. Stepping the mast is a simple matter of inserting it through the partner on deck and into the step below. Hang the rudder on the gudgeons, insert the tiller, and reeve the single-part sheet through the block on the rudderhead. Unfurl the 62-sq-ft sail and insert the sprit end into the becket at the peak and push up to spread the sail. Cleat off the snotter with enough tension to give a crease between tack and peak (it will disappear when the sail fills). Clip the sprit-boom snap hook to the clew and tension and cleat the boom snotter. It’s customary to rig the sprits on opposite sides of the sail so that the asymmetry averages out. The sprit boom seems to cut into the set of the sail more than the sprit, making the favored tack the one with the sprit boom to windward.

When you board, either from the dock or the shallows, step toward the center floorboards. The boat can feel a bit tiddly until the firm bilge submerges. Once you’re seated on the floorboards, the boat is very stable.

The sheet is lead forward from a block on the rudderhead so the sailor can steer and hold the sheet with one hand. A cleat under the tiller can hold the sheet when it’s safe to secure it.

I find the ideal trim for singlehanding is to sit about even with the oarlock sockets, adjusting fore or aft according to conditions. The tiller comes naturally under your hand. Those accustomed to mid-boom sheeting will quickly adapt to the sheet running forward from the block on the rudderhead to your hand.

Once in the cockpit, there’s little need for moving about, other than changing to the windward side when tacking. This is not a boat that you stand up and walk about on. It wants your weight low and inside the cockpit. Setting sail is most easily done on the beach or the dock because the hollow bow and fine lines make it skittish if you go forward on the deck. I have done so many times, to furl or set the sail, or re-tension the snotter, but it does require good balance. If going forward is necessary, it’s safest to sit or kneel on the deck. Another person sitting aft in the cockpit will keep the stern down and help to steady the motion.

The cockpit is a little over 6′ long—big enough for two people and a picnic. There’s room up under the deck for a cooler, anchor, and other gear, and a 10″ x 10″ hatch gives access to the forepeak. The 7 -1/2′ oars store under the side decks. At 5′ 9″, I fit comfortably with my back against the coaming and feet in the lee bilge, with the reassuring sense that I’m down in the boat, not on it. Because seating is on the floorboards, knees, hips, and lower back need to be supple enough to tolerate that position. When sailing with a crew, the usual arrangement is to sit on opposite sides, facing in. This balances the boat nicely in most weather. In stronger wind, both skipper and crew sit on the windward side of the cockpit. The boat is very responsive to trim and weight distribution, so adding the weight of the crew to windward makes the boat stand up well to more vigorous breezes.

The Melonseed resists heeling well and often allows the sailor to sit on the downwind side in moderate breezes.

Despite the low-aspect, low-tech rig, the boat’s windward ability may surprise some folks. Although it doesn’t point like a Laser, it goes very well to weather. The spritsail doesn’t like to be strapped down too hard, and if it is, you’ll feel the stall. Give it a little room to breathe and the boat comes alive. It’s easy to find the sweet spot because the feedback from trim changes is immediate and obvious.

As the boat responds to a puff, the weather helm encourages it to head up, making it easy to naturally climb the lifts. Sailing fairly flat gives the best boat speed, but I find sitting out to windward in anything less than a Force 4 is unnecessary. In higher winds, sitting on the deck keeps the boat on its feet, reduces leeway, and maintains speed. When working to weather in a tie-your-hat-on breeze, you’ll need your foulies as spray sweeps the deck and cockpit and is tossed up into the sail. You’re plugged directly into the experience through the direct connection to sheet and tiller and the motion of the boat; the low freeboard and spray contribute to the sense of speed and adventure.

Because of the boat’s light weight, approximately 230 lbs all up, there’s little momentum to punch through steep chop hard on the wind. Easing the sheet and your course off the wind a bit will increase speed and deliver a palpable in-the-groove feeling. While it may require an extra couple of tacks, you will arrive at your windward goal far sooner than if you try to jam your way to weather.

When tacking, the natural weather helm does most of the work. I usually release the tiller with a slight nudge and let the rudder swing of its own accord. As the bow turns through the wind, I scoot over to the other side of the cockpit. By that time, the bow is falling on the new tack and I center the tiller and trim the sail. Coming about in a big chop requires that you sail through as opposed to relying on momentum to carry you.

The sail is not equipped with reef points as most owners don’t find them necessary. When the breeze stiffens, the peak of the sail gets twisted to leeward, spilling the wind. The twist reduces the effective sail area and lowers the center of effort, reducing the heeling force.

If you get caught in irons, you won’t be there long. Because the mast is in the eyes of the boat, you can easily back the sail to swing the bow off. If you raise the centerboard and back the sail, the boat will pivot in place, a useful tactic when maneuvering in tight spots.

This boat will spoil you for jibing. The sprit-boom keeps the foot from rising and the single-part sheet runs smoothly through the block as you ease the sheet at the end of the jibe. Jibing is a casual affair in moderate conditions and doesn’t require much sheet tending. Higher winds demand more prudence and control. In Force-5 conditions, I opt for the “chicken jibe,” looping to windward to bring the boom across, then falling off on the opposite downwind tack. One of the benefits of the free-standing, rotating mast is that the sail can be luffed out forward of the mast to flag out ahead of the boat in certain situations, like easing into a lee shore landing in mild conditions.

Control downwind is good, as the sprit-boom exerts its self-vanging effect to limit the twist in the sail. There is, however, a golden rule: To prevent the white-knuckle “death roll,” don’t allow the peak to go farther forward than perpendicular to the boat’s centerline. Leaving a bit of centerboard down helps maintain directional control, and I usually scoot aft a trifle to give the rudder a little more bite. The tucked-up quarters and raked transom prevent the stern from dragging.

T he hull’s theoretical maximum speed for the 12’ waterline is 4.6 knots, and the boat seems to get up to hull speed easily. I can’t confirm this with GPS data, but I once sailed on one tack for 8 miles, closehauled, in a 12–15 mph breeze. I loosely timed the leg, and the resultant math showed a bit over 4 knots, which I thought impressive for sailing closehauled into a chop. The boat really struts its stuff on a reach, with the bow wave bubbling along the side deck. In the right conditions running before the wind, it’ll plane for short distances, and sometimes surf down the backs of the waves.

Crawford’s early boats were equipped with reef points. Reefing can be done, but it requires rigging a halyard and longer snotters which complicates the simple setup. In those early years, Crawford decided that the reefpoints were superfluous because the boat is so capable in such a wide range of wind speeds. No one was using them anyway. In reality, if you think the boat needs a reef, you probably shouldn’t be out there. Scandalizing the sail by dropping the sprit and letting the peak of the sail fold over is useful in a hard chance, but pointing ability will be compromised.

The 62 sq ft sail has enough area to provide pleasant sailing in light air. The spars are Douglas-fir and the trim, tiller, and rudder are all teak.

A 10–15-mph breeze is magic, but the Melonseed will ghost in a whisper and tromp happily to windward throwing spray in 20. I have sailed in mid- to high-20s with gusts over 30 and the boat took it in stride.

Capsizes are rare, and all I know of were caused by a cleated sheet that wasn’t freed quickly enough in a gust. The small clam cleat on the tiller can be used to relieve your grip on the sheet, but the sheet should stay in hand in all but the mildest breeze, cleated or not. The full bilges do a good job of resisting heeling once submerged, and the peak of the sail tends to depower as it twists off a bit in the bigger puffs. Solid water creaming alongside the coaming is your cue to ease off. But there is a point of no return, when solid water over the coaming fills the cockpit and you wish you had eased the sheet. The boat has flotation under the decks and will float upright when swamped.

On those days when the breeze is elusive, I “power-sail” through the flat spots with a few strokes of the leeward oar. It’s also possible to row off a lee shore in moderate conditions with the sail set. You can leave the sheet unclipped to allow the sail to luff without the chance of it wrapping around the tiller. Be prepared for the foot of the sail to take a swipe at your hat.

The boom and the sprit are set on opposite sides to even out their effect on port and starboard tacks. THREE CHEERS, shown here, is the author’s Melonseed, hull #463 .

Although you can row with the rig struck down inside the boat—the 10′ spars fit entirely under the decks—I prefer to leave the rig ashore if I’m rowing just for the pleasure of it. The boat carries well between strokes, tracks well, and isn’t knocked off course by a cross-chop. There is no thwart—sitting on a couple of cushions puts me at the right height. Crawford has an optional foot brace that bolts to the floorboards with wing nuts and can be positioned specifically to suit the rower.

Since I keep the boat in the garage and haul it to the water for each sail, ease of trailering is an important consideration. With the spars stowed in the boat alongside the centerboard trunk, the Melonseed makes a neat, streamlined package for towing. The boat and trailer total less than 500 lbs, so it’s an easy pull even for a compact car.

Roger Rodibaugh, despite living in landlocked central Indiana, has been sailing for 50 years. He credits the sailboat on top of his first birthday cake with starting it all. He recently retired from chiropractic practice and sails his Crawford Melonseed Skiff,  THREE CHEERS,  on Summit Lake and Prairie Creek Reservoir. He’s looking forward to the sailing season of 2021, which will be his 30th in a Melonseed.  

Melonseed Skiff Particulars

Length:   13′ 8″ Beam:   4′ 3″ Displacement:   235 lbs Sail area:   62 sq ft Cockpit length:   6′ 1″ Spar length:   all 10′ Weight:   235 lbs

Finished Melonseed Skiffs , complete with standard equipment, are available from Crawford Boat Building for $15,500. (Prices updated March 2022)

Is there a boat you’d like to know more about? Have you built one that you think other Small Boats Magazine readers would enjoy? Please email us!

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Comments (8)

For one of the very best of all the Melonseed videos open this link . Turn up the volume as the music is wonderful, pour a glass of your favorite beverage and watch some beautiful sailing.

Perhaps the best of the small traditional craft for recreation. Few have survived and I suspect that most of the Jersey gunners used the cheaper sneakboxes. The Seaford skiffs of Great South Bay on Long Island seem to have been more common, are shaped about the same but have a built down keel and are centerboarders, instead of the sprung keel and daggerboards of Melonseeds and sneakboxes.

Folks – with all due respect to the long time Melonheads on the eastern seaboard and others far and wide; you have just heard from the Master of the Midwest Melonheads, a group of fun-loving kindred spirits that ‘RJR’ as we call him, started gathering together back in 1999 (I think it was) for a week long gathering known as the Melonseed Midwest Rendezvous or MSMR as we’ve called it. It is truly a blast and we look forward to it every summer – well except this past one. RJR will shy away from this designation, but I believe he has done more to celebrate and promote this wonderful sailing craft than any other, short of Roger Crawford himself. For some of the most evocative video of the Melonseed you’ll ever see, check out John Masella’s YouTube channel .

And for a glimpse of RJR’s familiarity with this wonderful little skiff, check out the bit from my 2013 MSMR vid starting at about 2:05:

I’m blessed to have taken my first ride in RJR’s Melonseed in 2001 and then went home and ordered up a boat. Try one and you may do the same!

Doc Musekamp Oshkosh, WI MS#178, Pearl

Great article, RJR! Informative with a beautiful layout. Along with Roger Crawford’s website, it’s my new link to send to folks I’m trying to convert to a Melonseed.

This is the Way.

Holly Bird Palm Harbor, FL MS#268, GOSHAWK

Your wonderful article on the Crawford Melonseed was a cruel reminder that it is still March in New England and still a bit early to get back on the water in my Melonseed! Instead I went out to the garage to give it an admiring look and a pat on the gunnel. Digger Donahue BOLD O’DONAHUE Hull #534

Digger, there’s a lot to be said for having your little darlin’ in the garage where you can give her a look and an affectionate pat—day or night and in all weathers. My Melonseed lives in the garage and the daily view has gotten me through many, many winters and fanned the flames of anticipation for the new season. Wishing you an early and long season on the water. RJR

Beautiful lines on this Crawford Melonseed. I very much enjoyed the article and the video of the boat in action! Thank you.

My Melonseed, SERENITY, (#241) is a joy to sail. It really doesn’t get any better than this.

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Melonseed Skiff

In the late '80s, a half-built, half-rotted hull was literally dumped on the doorstep of the Crawford Boat Building shop in Marsfield, Massachusetts. Roger Crawford saw more work involved than was justified, so he covered the hull with a tarp and did his best to forget the little hulk. But he kept hearing "Help me! Help me!" coming from under the tarp. He took another look, a long look this time, and discovered a boat of exquisite proportions. In fact, every lookiloo in the neighborhood had remarked what a beautiful hull it was. One thing led to another: Soon the boat was regenerated, a mold was produced, and to make a long story less long, by 1995 Crawford Boat Building had built more than 100 Melonseeds. Owners of Melonseeds call themselves Melonheads.

This is a sprit-rigged skiff with a boom. I had to check my latest edition of Royce's Sailing Illustrated to identify the correct name for this rig. If you don't have a copy of Royce's, you had better run out and get one. It's a wonderful reference and covers just about anything you can think of concerning sailing boats. The Melonseed is a skiff you can sail or row. The builder increased the sail area by 25 square feet to improve performance. The Melonseed loves a good breeze.

I'll tell you what makes this boat special. It is as shapely a little hooker as you will find anywhere. From its hollow entry to its almost heart-shaped transom, this boat is a symphony of shapes. The sheerline is bold and sprung with confidence. Freeboard is minimal. The sectional shape shows a firm turn to the bilge, ensuring excellent stability and a forgiving nature. The barn-door-styled rudder and centerboard or daggerboard (you have the option) make sailing off the beach a breeze.

Aesthetically this boat is pure tradition. It just doesn't look like any new boats. It really doesn't look like any old boats either. We don't even know who the original designer was. I suppose he was a builder back in the late 1800s who carved a half model, sawed it into sections, then lofted the boat. That's the way they did it. The builder's eye was king.

You need to go for a sail. Now. You load your dog into your Melonseed, tuck your flask into your pocket and off you go. It takes a minute and a half to get under way, and you've left every care on the dock. You schoon around the bay looking so good. Hah, there's the new Swan 80 anchored by the cove.

You sail down the side of the big Swan, definitely closer than the crew of the Swan would appreciate. A paid hand is sitting on the foredeck trying to get a spit shine on a pair of alligator-skin topsiders. As you approach the stern you see the owner of the Swan. He's muttering something about "distinctly ordering Mount Gay rum." You smile and wave, sliding silently by in your gunning skiff.

Now who's got bragging rights?

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• Sailboat Guide

Melonseed is a 13 ′ 8 ″ / 4.2 m monohull sailboat designed by R. Crawford/Trad. and built by Crawford Boat Building (USA) starting in 1989.

• 2 / 20 Annapolis, MD, US 2007 Melonseed $5,000 USD View
• 3 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 4 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 5 / 20 Annapolis, MD, US 2007 Melonseed $5,000 USD View
• 6 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 7 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 8 / 20 Annapolis, MD, US 2007 Melonseed $5,000 USD View
• 9 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 10 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 11 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 12 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 13 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 14 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 15 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 16 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 17 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 18 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 19 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View
• 20 / 20 San Antonio, TX, US 2003 Melonseed $8,000 USD View

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Crawford Boat Building P.O. Box 486 Humarock, MA 02047 781-837-3666 [email protected] www.melonseed.com

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