MANUFACTURER:
The Guppy 13 was made by Melen Marine Ltd, W Frankfort, IL 62896, Out of Business in 1977, also 20630 Superior Ave, Chatsworth CA 91311 213-882-5185, however the hull ID prefix MML is currently registered to Marquis Marine Enterprises owned by David Labrecque, 4520 O'Donnell St., Baltimore MD 21224, (301)-563-3885 -- I am not sure if they are related to Melen Marine. Melen Marine also manufactured boats in Chatsworth California.

HISTORY:
Thanks to Bill McCoy, the history of the Guppy and Sparrow has been discovered.
For the full info [click here]

LINKS:
Trailer Boats Magazine Article Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4
Guppy 13 Sales Brochure 1
Guppy 13 Sales Brochure 2
Guppy 13 Line Drawing by Scot Alexander
Sparrow 16 Spec Sheet 1
Sparrow 16 Spec Sheet 2
PY Sparrow Info Page
PY Sparrow Brochure
PY Pic of Sparrow at Potter Yachters
PY Sparrow 12 Line Drawing


Need a replacement rudder ? Want to replace your rudder with one that kicks up? Contact Bill at TCBoats.com, he is a custom boat builder and can make a complete rudder, or an unfinished kit for you to complete. He can also make a replacement set of hand rails, cook box, captain's chart box, or anything else that you can dream up. He used to sail a sparrow, and currently sails a wooden boat that he built specifically to mimic the Guppy / Sparrow.

OWNER GROUPS:
** 6-2-05 NEW ** Adam Smith has started the Guppy13 group on Yahoo. The Guppy and Sparrow have previously been talked about in the PDRacer group at Yahoo, but not much anywhere else.

GUPPY 13 OWNERS:
#4 Old Tinker -- Palmdale, CA   oldtinker@oldtinker.com   website2  
#14 Tim Quast -- Selah, WA   tc2764@hotmail.com   Pic1     2     3     4  
#21 Ernesto Diedrich -- Anaheim, CA   captainernesto@sbcglobal.net   Pic1     2     3   website
#26 Sean Baker, Guppy Owner and fan, -- from Cape Cod, MA   sdbaker@gis.net
#69 Dennis Orr -- Denver, CO   The_Stoneman@comcast.net FOR SALE
#72 Josh Arthur -- Annapolis, MD   arthur_jt@wvwc.edu
#73 (sold) "Mona Lisa", Robert Moffett 305-993-1647 -- Surfside, FL   r.moffett@worldnet.att.net   cdbob@bellsouth.net   Pic1
#73 Adam Smith -- Fort Myers, FL   Sailingdiver430@hotmail.com   Pic1
#79 (sold) Shorty -- Houston, Texas   Web Page
#95 (sold) Rex & Karen Swanson 707-451-0469 -- Vacaville, CA   rkeswanson@juno.com   Pic1   2   3   4   5   6   7
#95 "Grumpy's TBx3" Grant Whipp 530-275-6728 -- Redding, CA   lilbear@teardrops.net   Pic1   FOR SALE
#153 Dave Levitt   levittd@optonline.net
#167 Michael O'Hearn -- Watertown, MA, destined either Boston Harbor or downeast Maine   mohearn@mail.lesley.edu   Pic1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14
#190 (sold) "Tweety", Elizabeth and Warren, Travelers Rest, SC   Pic1   2   3   4   5
#190 "Glenda Kay", Cleon and Glenda Mcclain -- muskogee, OK   mcclain12@suddenlink.net   Pic1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   website
#198 "Ormond", Jay S. Marlow -- Asheville, NC   jaysmarlow@realtor.com   Pic1   2   3   4   5   website
#239 Frank Temple -- Marina Del Rey, CA   parkerandshelly@yahoo.com
#240 Nick and Pam Hartop (661) 251-2228 -- Los Angeles, CA   pamhartop@hotmail.com   FOR SALE
#241 Ed   Esuessle@aol.com
#244 Mike Dawkins -- Bozeman, Montana   mdawkin@attglobal.net   Pic1   2   trailer
#245 (sold) Shorty -- Houson, Texas   Web Page
#245 Jay Cowart -- Port Bolivar, Texas   jay@jaycowart.com   Web Page FOR SALE
#250   Pic1
#256 Tiffany Graves -- Grass Valley, CA   gravestiffany@yahoo.com   Pic1
#260 Bruce Muir -- North Bend, WA   bruce.muir@centurytel.net
#274 (sold) Ray -- SF Bay Area, CA   raycel@pacbell.net
#274 (sold) Lisa Whipp -- Redding, CA
#274 J J   johnnylimbo@hotmail.com
#275 Bill Kannasto -- San Francisco, CA   johnkanna@aol.com
#276 "Sea Mouse" Robert C. Cluster -- Denver, CO   mariner80202@earthlink.net
#291 (sold) Scot -- Stillwater, OK   fluzwup@yahoo.com   website
#291 Laura Thomas -- Brooklyn Park, MN.   LMTHOMAS1@stthomas.edu
#?? unknown owner -- Lake James NC
#?? "Go 4 Broke",   Pic1   2   3   4   5
#?? Bill   mcanderson@bendnet.com
#?? David Drucker -- Key West FL   Dmdsat@aol.com
#?? Ed Leach -- Sacramento, CA
#?? (sold) Tony Cervinka -- London Ontario Canada   cersack@yahoo.com   Pic1   2   3   4
Harry Gordon saw at Salt Lake   Pic1

Tricked Out Striped Guppy In Florida -   Pic1   2
The story behind this one is that the previous owner was going to cruise from Florida to the Carribean. He removed the cockpit and decked it over to increase the storage capacity and cabin area, he made a bunk half under the cockpit where he planned to sleep. Just after he completed all the modifications, he died of a heart attack. The boat was sold by his son to another guy who took these pictures.
Bas Jan Ader "Ocean Wave"
An artist who attempted to to sail across the Atlantic in a Guppy, but was lost at sea. His boat was found, but later stolen and has dissapeared.   Wikipedia Information   FamousSmallBoats.com   Article   Pic1




GUPPY 13D OWNERS (daysailor, no cabin):
#24 Ron Adair -- Reno, NV Copter7140@aol.com  
#29 Randy myrrhine22@hotmail.com     Pic1   2   3 FOR SALE 209-824-9557
#31 Trudy & Mike Talbott in Southern California rowdyraven@prodigy.net   Pic1   2   3   4   5 FOR SALE $350
#35 Byron Williams in North Alabama BAW5126@aol.com
#?? Alan Clarke aclarke@innercite.com FOR SALE


GUPPY 16 OWNERS:
#19 Jay (1976) beachbreeze@charter.net   Pic1   2   3
#21 Carl Taylor (1976) carl_taylor7@yahoo.com   Pic1   2

MANTA OWNERS (daysailor also made by melen marine, no cabin, has centerboard):
Manta Owners Group
#43 Vince, Normal IL, vince.bobrosky@verizon.net   Pic1   2
1976 Tony Gonzales, Nightmaretony@yahoo.com   Pic1
Jeanne Randall -- Austin TX texgrand@hotmail.com
Manta at Half Moon Bay Yacht Club


SPARROW 12 OWNERS:
#19 Bill McClure   wtmcclure@mindspring.com   Pic1   2   3   4   5
#62 (sold) Steve Wolverton -- Tyler TX   moose@overland.net   Web Page
#62 (sold) Bill Tosh -- Rusk, TX   Web Page   Pic1   2   3   4
(sold) Bruce Appling   Finnbp@aol.com
#?? Jim Goeckermann
This is either the plug used to create a sparrow, or a hull that had the cabin top removed. You can see several differences in the hulls, the one on the bottom is a guppy. The keel on the guppy is curved where it attaches to the hull, also the stem of the guppy has more curve at the bottom. The sparrow transom has more of a curve to it.
compare   Pic1   2   3   4   5

SPARROW 16 OWNERS:
#87 Bill McCoy   whmccoy@gmail.com   website
#?? Mark Susi   mark_susi@mentorg.com   Web Site
#?? Bill McClure   wtmcclure@mindspring.com   Pic1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9
#?? Josh Colvin   smallcraftadvisor@earthlink.net

SPARROW 17 OWNERS:
#?? Eric Bolstad   Eric.Bolstad@sas.com   Pic1
#?? Simon   oldeeng@earthlink.net   website   Pic1


OWNER COMMENTS:
From Adam Smith:
As to chop I've been in 3.5-5 ft. chop going in and out of a channel when the tides changing. That's rough, but the boat survived. Motor, I use a Minn Kota Endura 30 lbs. thrust trolling motor. It moves it quite well in calm water. Great for in and out of docks and on and off the trailer. Only problem I ever have with it is fighting the tide if it's going out of the channel I sail to get back to my trailer. But that's quite a current.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Where Do I get Sails For One? -- Bill Tosh at TCBoats.com currently produces replacement sails on a custom order basis. He does quality work, and can make either the original sails, or improved custom ones. If you don't want to purchase sails, you might consider making your own temporary set of sails from Tyvek. For more info, look on the "sails" page at PDRacer.com

The sail dimensions for a Guppy are:
Mainsail: 12.5' luff, 4' foot, 13' leech, tack angle 88.05, 25 sqft.
Jibsail: 13.5' luff, 6.5' luff, 11.5' leech, 38 sqft.
Genoa: 15' luff, 6' foot, 13' leech, 40 sqft.
Spinnaker: 16' stay, 9' foot, mid growth 9', 122 sqft.
Some potter owners have converted their Potter 15's to use Sunfish sails which are 70-80 sqft. The sunfish sail is very feasable to use on the Guppy also.

How do I get the Jib down, at sea? -- A guppy is a tender boat, and most people don't like climbing on a guppy's deck while on the water. There are 2 simple ways you get get the jib up and down without crawling up there. 1 - Down Haul Line - simply attach a block near the bow, and run a line from the head of the jib, thru the block, and back to the cockpit. To douse the jib, just loosen the halyard and pull the down haul, and the jib will come down and scrunch into a ball at the bow. It might flop around a bit, you can tighten the sheets to keep it more tidy. 2 - Wire Luff In Jib - Instead of running the jib up the forestay, you can install a wire in the luff of the jib and fly it free. To drop it, you just loosen the halyard and pull the jib back down to the cockpit.

How Fast Are They ? -- The shallow V shaped bottom does let the hull slip thru the water at a suprising rate for such a small boat. One day in light air I had my GPS with me, and with every puff of air the boat would immediately speed up to 3.8 mph. Using a standard formula, the theoretical hull speed of a Guppy 13 is 5.5 mph based on it's length. The hull is a semi-planning one, so it may go faster in the right conditions. Adam Smith sails his Guppy in the Gulf Of Mexico and averages 4.5 mph, but has recorded speeds up to 6mph on his gps.

How Stable Are They ? -- The V shaped hull that makes it go quickly also effects the initial stability. If I step on the gunwale, or lean over the side, the boat will roll over to about 35 degrees off vertical. The fixed shoal keel does a good job returning the boat upright afterwards, but still the tenderness is a real shocker when you get into an empty boat. Also because the cockpit is so small, and so far aft, you have to keep the cockpit drain plug in otherwise the foot well will fill with water. All of this changes when you load the boat up with ballast -- start with about 150 lbs up near the bow. What this does is lower the hull into the water and let the chines bite the water instead of sitting way above it, and help counter act the weight in the cockpit. To get a better idea of what I am talking about, look at this picture:   [click here]   Look at how high the hull sits on the water. There was almost no wind at the time, and the boat was totally empty except for the 150 lb skipper. Earlier that day I was sailing with Roger sitting up on the bow, and it was like a totally different boat -- very stable, felt solid in the water, and made better headway than when I sailed solo without weight up there. I think sailing without weight in the bow also makes the stern drag, and this is very bad for sailboats. The dragging stern creates underwater vortexes which produce a large amount of resistance. Now if you think about it, if you were to go on any type of overnight cruise, you will need to take some water with you. If you installed or secured a water tank at the bow, you could easily carry 200 lbs of water at 8.2lbs per gallon is 24 gallons, with a conservative consumption of 2 gallons per day is 12 days without having to re-supply or use a water maker.

How Do They Handle Chop ? -- VERY well. That V shaped hull is far superior to a flat bottom when the water gets rough. With a flat bottom boat, when the wave hits, the boat is lifted from the side so it creates a bobbing back and forth along it's axis. With the V shaped hull, when the wave hits the boat is lifted from the center underneath the hull, so the boat bobbs up and down. Also has plenty of freeboard so is a fairly dry ride. Of all the 12-14' light weight boats I have been in, this one handles the waves the best.

Are They Self Righting ? -- The shoal keel will self right the boat, however I don't know to what degree she will self right, probably will right up to 120 degrees. From 90 degrees she will quickly come back up. If you tie a couple of chlorox bottles to the mast head (like the Hobie racers do), the boat won't turn upside down and the most it can go over is 90 degrees where the mast lies flat with the water.

Do They Have Positive Floatation ? -- The V berth forms a cavity underneath, I am not sure what is under there. Mine was sealed, it would probably be a good idea to install a deck plate (6-8" screw in inspection port) so that you can inspect in there and fill with foam if nescessary. Also you can install foam underneath the cockpit for additional floatation. You can also add more flotation under the cockpit, probably putting a couple of duffel bags filled with styrofoam packing chips would be suffecient. See my oday 19 page for more info on packing chip floatation. For more information about emergency floatation [click here]

What Size Motor ? -- Get some 7' oars, and mount oarlocks into the gunwale about 24" from the stern. I mounted a set of sockets that were the flush mount type, and then to keep the water from coming in the sockets, I used a piece of garden hose (with cork in the end) slipped over the socket from the inside of the hull. You should never put corks into the top of an oarlock socket, otherwise it could become jammed in there just when you need to use it the most. Also a 1.5 hp Cruise and Carry outboard will work good, they are only 12 lbs.


WILD MODIFICATION IDEAS:
1 - Convert to an unstayed mast and sprit rig or lateen sail. I would mount a pipe from the forward most edged of the cabin strait down and secure into the cabin sole. This would act as a mast partner / mast step. Also, the pipe would be tall enough so that it could have a plug inside it and a drain hole that dumps out on top of the cabin -- incase any water got in there. If you think this is too crazy of an idea, checkout Bobber's Mooring [click here] , he already did it on a previous potter and is going to do it with his current one. The most important thing with changing a sail, is to properly balance the center of effort. A lateen would be easier to work with because you can change the mounting points on the yards. A sprit rig would have to have the sail changed and reshaped if not balanced properly. For a great web site on doing this [click here]

2 - Cut the current hatch way opening so it goes right up to the mast step at the forward edge of the cabin, fiberglass a lip around it, and then make a folding removable hatch. The new hatch would basically be a simple rectangle with a hinge in the middle, so that the forward section could be bolted (with horizontal bolts thru the cabin opening lip) and the hatch either closed, folded half open, or fully removed. Also, a small snap over cover could be made so that if the hatch was propped up the sides would be covered - this would give enough room inside the cabin to use the potti.

2a - Make a "dog house" hatch cover. This is basically a box that sits on top of the existing hatch opening, and provides a space for your head to stick up when using the potti or sitting below etc.

2b - Make a simple fabric wedge cover for the hatch cover. Similar to dog house hatch idea, only it is soft cover that snaps on. Provides head room while below.

2c - Cut a slot in the cabin sole just inside the companionway so that you could have enough room to use the potti inside the cabin. The Sparrow has a small rectangle just inside the cabin for this purpose. Would cover the slot when sleeping in there with a couple of orgy boards, and the sides would be re-glassed to seal off the floatation under there. From the experiments I have done, I need a minimum of 41" to use the can -- and with a slot cut there, it would be just enough.

3 - In the aft area of the cockpit, on the vertical surface of the sides of the foot well, mount a couple of round screw in type deck plates and secure a box behind them to make a cubby hole for storing maps, gps and other doodads.

4 - Replace the port holes on the cabin with clear screw type deck plates, and fit screen under a ring on the outside of the mounting that turns them into screened vented windows. The deckplate would unscrew from the inside, and the screen would be on the outside. Also mount a pair of deckplates on the forward edge of the cabin for pass thru ventilation.

5 - Make a simple kickup rudder [click here]

5a - Make a barn door type rudder, it is shallow so it doesn't have to kickup.

6 - Mount a bimini top on the cabin, and then sew a simple cockpit tent that would pull over the top and snap to the sides. [click here]

6a - Use an umbrella as a poor man's bimini. Can hold it for your own personal shade while sailing.

Back to guide