ALAN PAYNE 20FT KETCH RIG CENTREBOARD SHARPIE 20 FOOT KETCH (MONTAGUE) RIG SHARPIE  Just Listed

Built as and started off life as a Coorong Outdoor Bound expedition boat in Goolwa SA. I bought her in South Australia to get her in use in Tas as a sail trainer, but the associated bureaucracy is too time consuming to make it worthwhile.
When she got to Tas it became obvious there was rot in the plywood seats, so the cockpit was stripped out and a false floor laid over closed cell foam, with enormous buoyancy. The cockpit is now self draining and huge lockers added under the seats with waterproof hatches. This has made her a much safer boat, and after a capsize very little water remains in the boat, it all streams out through the vent in the bottom of the boat, whereas previously, there would have been tons of water to bucket out with considerable difficulty.

She is an excellent river expedition boat, and has explored the Scamander River, the lower Pieman and the Huon.

All the work in the cockpit was done with foam composite, the hull is solid glass so the boat is pretty well unrottable, and light. The original fore and aft decks are plywood, but there is no evidence of rot there.

The trailer has just been completely refurbished. It ran out of rego and I have just stripped the trailer right back, anti-rusted it, repainted and laid new decks and carpet. It is now registered till April 2025.

There is a Suzuki 4 hp 4 stroke outboard but I am about to trial it with an 1kW electric Spirit Evo this next week.