rowing shell plans

[ronguy]

Any suggestions where I can find plans to build a rowing shell other then Chesapeake Light Craft? I'd like to explore both wood and carbon or fiberglass. Thanks

[JimConlin]

Graeme King's 'Kingfisher' is a good one. There was a very good series of articles describing construction in WB 61-63

See also Joel White's 'Bangor Packet'. Plans form WB.

[garland reese]

There are a couple of sets of lines from Uffa Fox on the Uffa Fox website.

Ben Louden has his recreational single or double. He advertises in WoodenBoat sometimes.

Steve Killing was supposedly finalizing a recreatonal single rowing shell a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen the plans yet.

A friend of mine just finished up a strip built (no sheathing) rec single for his son. He has some lines for a double that he'll be doning next (based on some common competetive doubles, sort of). He also has done some more sporty singles, though I've not seen any lines on these.

There really aren't that many sculling shell plans out there. High performance designs are really tough to find. It is possible to do your own set if you have access to some good designs. You could get sme basic measurements and put them into a computer program, tweak them to get what you want. You'll have to work out the details yourself, but there ain't a whole lot to these boats (they are about the most minimally constructed things I've ever seen!!!!). You can strip build it (as thin as you dare, with sheathing). You can use off-the-shelf components, if you make your decisions early, during the constuction detailing process. Wing riggers would make your life easier.
I'm hoping to work with my friend on a design for my daughter, who is a little lightweight rower.

Good luck, rowing shell plans are hard to come by. One other option.........you might check around your area clubs or university programs. Sometimes there will be an old mold laying around, if you're intersted in non-wood materials construction. I saw one a while back in Wichita, KS.

[bob goeckel]

look at glen-L's sculling skiff. i'm thinking of building it. looks like a good plan.

[Matt Turner]

I can't speak for the quality of the plans mentioned, but if you're looking at carbon fiber my guess is you're interested in building a semi-competitive single scull. I've heard that in Australia this class of boat is called a "tracer".
If you can, I'd really suggest finding an existing boat to copy the interior frame from. The joinery can be pretty tricky, and I regularly find myself going back to an old frame to double check stuff.
There's another reason people don't have competitive plans out there. I've got my hull shape on ProBasic on the computer, but the interior work is all laid out full scale on my assembly table on plywood. There's a couple of drawings done for making jigs, but I don't think you could draft the design on paper accurately enough to build from.
Hope that helps a bit.

[garland reese]

If you build it with a cedar core and sheathed construction and hard decks, you won't need all the intricate bracing and framing, as the hull will be sufficiently stiff. You'll have to work out some bulkheads and a cockpit framework, platform, and such. If you use a wing rigger, mounted on gunnel flanges, the flanges and the rigger itself can act as structural members.
If you can find a new Hudson or Kaschper to look at, it may help. The new designs are good examples of how this can work. Maas even makes a very nice rigger....functional and simple. Maas does that very well.

[winslow]

ronguy - not a source of plans, but possibly interesting Turner Racing Shells (http://www.turnershells.com/)

My rowing and coaching spanned the era from when boathouses were filled with wooden shells and the smells of varnish & wood - and a synthetic hull was a hi-tec novelty or a sorry disappointment. . .to the current era of boat houses that on a hot day smell like toxic chemicals and wooden shells are treasured novelties or historic artifacts.

The carbon/kevlar/etc shells can be wonderful boats and a blast to row, but they're hard to love...at least for me. Each of the three singles I've owned was wood, but I've rowed more miles (lots more) in synthetic shells.

[ 07-14-2003, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: winslow ]

[KenC]

Originally posted by garland reese:
Steve Killing was supposedly finalizing a recreatonal single rowing shell a couple of years ago, but I haven't seen the plans yet.Steve Killing posts occasionally to the Bear Mountain builder's forum. He said that two prototypes were launched last year, and about 6 weeks ago (early June), he said that plans would be available through Canadian Canoes. But aside from that one forum posting, I can't find any information about plans at either website.

The design is called Dragonfly

http://www.canadiancanoes.com/images/pgal/df_1.jpg

[ErikH]

Talk about intruiging: Pocock shells makes a wooden shell..

"The hull is unique in that the skin is made from a SINGLE steam bent plank of 3/32" thick Western Red Cedar. The planks were purchased in the 1970's and sawn from trees 600 to 800 years old. The fineness of the grain, often one hundred lines to the inch, was rare even in the 1950's"

Not many pieces left and goin fast I imagine. If you were to buy, that seems pretty damn nice. Drool....