SPARROW 16: One Owner’s Thoughts


For mostly single-handed sailing the inland lakes of North Idaho and the Salish Sea, my Sparrow is in the “Goldilocks Zone,” not too big nor too small, is easy to rig, and is rela- tively fast for its size. For cruising, it is perfect for an individ- ual or perhaps a couple. Day sailing with two others is com- fortable if using my shorter tiller. Its sturdy construction, hard-chine hull, and 350 pounds of ballast are confidence inspiring even in 4-foot waves and winds up to 25 knots.


Te stock boat is great, but it benefited from some upgrades. Tese include running the halyards and topping liſt aſt and installing a jib downhaul, adding a second reef point to the main, adding a heavy weather jib, and installing a basic elec- trical system. For cooking, a Sea Swing stove was mounted to the compression post. Te mooring cleats were replaced with stainless steel ones with backing plates. An opening port at the front of the cabin was added to improve ventila- tion. Te deck to the hull joint at the bow separated needing repair and the keel needed to be re-glassed. With a towing weight of 2,200 pounds, my 1999 Blazer handles it fine, but a transmission cooler adds peace of mind when going up the big grades. For ease of launching, an extendable tongue pre- vents submerging my rear axle. Instead of towing a tender, an Origami 6 folding dinghy resides in the port quarterberth.


Christine Berven, Moscow, ID Sparrow 16 #19 Christine’s Dream


at various times) above the fiberglass cabin sole that is part of a molded liner. A shallow inspection port just below the bridgedeck area opens to the bilge. To port and starboard are settee/


quarterberths. As seats, they’re actu- ally quite comfortable. Te settees are 10” above the cabin sole, and there’s a maximum 38” of headroom above the settee for a total sole-to-overhead measurement of four feet. Tere are also vinyl padded backrests bolted to the wood-trimmed cabin shelves. Te boat is beamy enough that there’s room for two people to sit across from one another. Te quarterberths measure a generous


22 inches in maximum width by 6’ 9” long. The all important measurement from berth cushion to the underside of the cockpit seats is 14.5 inches. And then there’s additional “bent-knee room” along the hull under the coam- ings. While we’d almost never choose


SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR


to sleep in a quarterberth, the Sparrow’s were tolerable even for grown-ups. Aſter discovering comfortable sitting


room and two reasonable quarterberths aboard a boat with a 14’ 6” waterline, we were sure we’d find a woefully inad- equate V-berth. Not so. Te Sparrow’s measures 5’ 7” wide by 6’ 6” long, not luxurious, maybe, but certainly adult- sized. There’s a compression post to contend with, though Chuck Gaylord told us he sold a number of boats to honeymooners who opted for hinged compression posts that could be folded up at night. Another smart touch is the location


and function of the Sparrow’s molded sink. It sits beneath the aft portside cushion on the V-berth, under a wood panel cover. Obviously designed by someone who has cruised on small boats, the sink is totally out of the way when not in use, but easily accessed, and


at the right height when needed. It’s also surprisingly deep at six inches. With the sink and an optional gim-


baled stove mounted on the portside companionway bulkhead, you’ve got the basics for a functioning galley. Te sink’s pump faucet swivels to make room for the cushion and is connected beneath the liner to a water container in the forward stowage bin. Te drain exits below the waterline at a thru-hull. We’re told that owners keep a plug in their drain when cruising because, when heeled to any extreme, water from the holding tank can find its way up and out of the sink. Stowage is adequate courtesy of two


bins under the V-berth and the two cabin shelves. One quarterberth will likely end up full of sail bags, PFDs and other gear. There’s a sizable space allotted be- neath the aſt center of the V-berth for


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