Schooners

During the 1840s, canal barges began to replace the sailing sloops and schooners that once populated the lake. However, schooners were still used during the mid-to-late 19^th century. There were four classes of schooners that gradually increased in size, as seen in the image below. The smallest classes were built in 1823 and 1841. These early schooners were shorter and narrower, and the bow and the stern were more tapered. The next class appeared in 1862. Slightly longer and wider than the previous classes, the 1862 schooner had a more square profile. Finally, the last class, built in 1873, was quite a bit longer and increasingly more square in its profile.

Schooner Sizes: Image courtesy of Arthur Cohn, Lake Champlain's Sailing Canal Boats, 2003

Seen in the two images below are a profile view and frontal view of schooners along Lake Champlain.

Schooner: Image courtesy of Arthur Cohn

1883 Schooner, "The Gleaner": Image courtesy of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

The two images below illustrate the 1862 and 1873 class schooners. Although a bit difficult to discern in the images, the 1873 schooner, on the bottom, is wider and longer than the 1862 schooner.

1862 Class: Image courtesy of Arthur Cohn

1873 Class: Image courtesy of Arthur Cohn