Need a row boat, suggestions please.

[DavidF]

Of course I need a new boat, no matter that I have 16. But this one is different. This is an exercise vehicle for my mother who last year had open heart. So the boat needs to be very stable, track well, and be available in the North Channel (Huron) area or easily shipped there.

The best boat would be one I build for her but she should get out there now (it took me 18 months to build my skiff) and my father wants low maintenance. I think I could talk my father into a plywood skiff covered in glass and epoxy but I don't know who builds and sells them.

Thank you for your suggestions.
David

[Thorne]

You have 16 boats and none can safely be rowed?

You will have to be more specific -- what waters will she be rowing, how will the boat be stored/transported/launched, how far does she need to row per outing, etc?

Without any specific info, I'd say just pick up any rowable 8-10' tender and let her try it out.

[Lance F. Gunderson]

I rowed one of Dynamite Payson's Gloucester Gull dories for many years, until it was destroyed in an accident; then I switched to a Rangeley Lakes boat which continues to give good service; I highly recommend both types. P.C.Bolger has designed many fine rowing boats over the years. Plans are readily available. I like light row boats. Remember you will always have your own weight as ballast. I've always liked Joel White's Shearwater but I've never had the oppertunity to row one. There was a fellow named Brooks in the Camden area who was building nice light weight pulling boats; I seem to recall he wrote some books too. Check him out.

[Daniel Noyes]

Hi David
I think the 13.5 ft Chamberlin dory-skiff from Gardners dory book would be ideal for your mothers needs. short and stable but a very fast and easy boat to row, glides along effortlesly at 3 +- mph. Designed by a master, the Stradavarius of dory-skiffs.
an added benifit to building a historic small boat is your keeping a bit of history alive.
Daniel N.
http://dansdories.googlepages.com

[JimD]

I always liked Glen-L's Fife:

http://www.glen-l.com/designs/canu-row/canoe-row-images/dsn-fifl.jpg

http://www.glen-l.com/designs/canu-row/canoe-row-images/dsn-fife3.jpg
http://www.glen-l.com/designs/canu-row/canoe-row-images/dsn-fife4.jpg

[paladin]

I have plans for a slight "V" bottom dink, pram type, a couple inches shy of 8 feet, no sails, no outboard, use 1/4 ply on bottom, 3/16ths sides and ends....lightweight....build it in 2 weekends....and glass it...actually xynole fabric/epoxy......easy rowing, good capacity...cheeeep.......send private e-mail if interested...

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Look at the R13 at;
http://www.boatplans-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=R13
There's even a lightweight version done with 4mm-6mm okoume.

[JimD]

Lots of nice dinghys around, too. Selway Fisher is worth a look, too:

http://www.selway-fisher.com/GPDinghyup13.htm

http://www.selway-fisher.com/NCoble10p1.jpg

[DavidF]

I would much rather build her the boat. But it is more important that she being rowing tomorrow (mom was never one for exercise and if she has the inclination, best not to delay her). She will be rowing on a glassy calm lake in Northern Ontario.

While we may seem to have a surfeit of boats, they are sailboats, canoes or v-bottom outboard skiffs. When I was a kid we had a great sharpie my grandfather built out of Popular Mechanics. But that rotted away because Dad ain't the greatest at maintenance. The flattest bottomest prefab dinghy may be her best bet.
Thanks,
David

[rbgarr]

Rossiter Boats have a nice rowing boat called the Loudon up your way, but it's probably way too expensive: http://www.rossiterboats.com/

However, the guy may have ideas about where to look for what you're after.

Good luck!

[Nicholas Carey]

I would much rather build her the boat. But it is more important that she being rowing tomorrow (mom was never one for exercise and if she has the inclination, best not to delay her). She will be rowing on a glassy calm lake in Northern Ontario.You might look at Wayland Marine (http://www.merrywherry.com/)'s boats. In particular, the Merry Wherry or one of its siblings. Most of their boats are stitch+tape plywood kits that use the Pantedosi Row-Wing, a drop-in sliding seat. And it looks like they now have a line of ready-to-row composite [cough] boats as well.

Myself, I like the Merry Two over the smaller Merry Wherry as the Two can be rowed either as a single or as a double, or it could be set up as a single with a back seat for a passenger (build out a passenger seat assembly that mounts on the hard points for the rowing unit. Here's the Merry Wherry (http://www.merrywherry.com/merry.html):

http://www.merrywherry.com/merrywherrykit.jpeg (http://www.merrywherry.com/merry.html)

And here's the Merry Two (http://www.merrywherry.com/mtwo.html):

http://www.merrywherry.com/merrywherrytwoki.jpeg (http://www.merrywherry.com/mtwo.html)

If you're concerned about making it safer, build it out like the Merry Sea (http://www.merrywherry.com/merrysea.html) with bulkeads and forward/aft floatation chambers and storage:

http://www.merrywherry.com/item3c.gif (http://www.merrywherry.com/merrysea.html)

As far as building a Merry kit (http://www.merrywherry.com/whybuild.html) goes, the parts are all CNC-machined and should go together right quick:

http://www.merrywherry.com/yours.jpeg (http://www.merrywherry.com/whybuild.html)

[Evan Showell]

A Cape Dory 10 would fit the bill well. Should be able to find one used for c. $1,500 although it may take a bit of hunting to find one. Try the Cape Dory Board, craigslist and ebay as potential sources.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

You want simple? This is as simple as it gets. It's not sexy but, a quick build. Flat bottomed double ender,12 feet long, 44 inches wide. Made from only 3 panels. You will need 2 sheets of ¼" ply, 1 sheet of 3/8", 50 yards of 4" glass tape, 1½ gallons of epoxy and about 1 lb of wood flour. You can get everything but the plywood from the designer for US$160. Plans are US$35. You could have the plans and the epoxy kit on you front porch in about 5 days if you didn't live in Canada.
Take a look:
http://www.boatplans-online.com/studyplans/D12_study.htm
The boat is shown with a sail but, it is really a double-ender row boat with an optional sail set-up. Since you don't need a daggerboard or the rudder the construction is as easy as it gets.

[Rum_Pirate]

A Penobscot 14 is a pretty, sea-kindly, hull form in lapstrake construction.

http://www.by-the-sea.com/archdavisdesign/davis_penobscot14.html

Have a look at the several plans/boats here

http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/boat.htm

I've built the Single sheet skiff - although it would not be suitable for your mother.

[htom]

Since you already have canoes, a very fast method of getting her on the water would be the outriggers+floats that attach to a canoe. I've tried these at a store demo, and they worked well. I don't think that either of these are the particular unit I tried, though. Your local large canoe shop might have a local version.

http://www.sailboatstogo.com/v_page.php?content=Rowing

http://www.castlecraft.com/rowing_canoe.htm
http://www.castlecraft.com/canoe_stabilizer.htm

[graystork]

The only boat I've built and highly recommend. Bolger's June Bug, in Payson's 2nd Instant Boats book. You can't find any easier boat to build, there isn't even any flare to the sides. Weighs in at about 120 lbs so you can move it with a 2x4 with red wagon wheels stuck in each end side. It's 14' x 3-1/2 feet so it will move quickly. Stable? You can stand on the gunwales. I had my son try to flip it. He had to stand on one gunwhale bend over grab the other one and throw himself backwards to do it. Easy to row? I took it on a 50 mile canoe trip with the Boy Scouts and kept up with canoes. In fact, the scouts liked putting 5 scouts in it and paddling it like a big war canoe. It's not the prettiest boat. But with a false sharpie outer stem on the outside it's fine for me. And even though you didn't ask, it sails better than it rows. Good luck.

Dave T

[ken connors]

How about a treadmill until you build sumpin?

[graystork]

David,
Some pics of my June Bug are at geocities.com/junebugnj2003 . Also I built the little double-ended bateau mentioned in Cuyahooga's post. It's a neat boat, but I think it will be a little bit tippy for Ma. The June Bug isn't really that much harder to build.

Dave T

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Mertens' D12=65lb.
Bolger's Junebug=120 lb.
I know which boat my Mama would be rowing.

[skuthorp]

just upstream of you
http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=65251 (good pix from another member)
Like the Merry Wherry, not to difficult a build I'd guess, Selway Fisher do have a good selection and pleasing to the eye as well.

[plyboat]

Here is a rowing dory http://www.devlinboat.com/dcoarling.htm

[ken connors]

How about a treadmill until you build sumpin?

seriously

[DavidF]

A treadmill wouldn't work because it is too much work (mom was a party girl). A row boat just seems like more fun. And, my folks are a bit impetuous. Kind of hard to rein them in. But the price of a nice factory job did it. Mom will row one of the aluminum skiffs until I can build a proper row boat for her. Now to deliberate the wonderful designs proposed here.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[SaltyD from BC]

From my thread here "west coast handliner" : http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=65603

This one is a stitch and glue version from Larry Westlake:

http://westlakeboats.ca/




http://westlakeboats.ca/plans/BrightsidesLoRez.jpg

There's also a traditional version for bead and cove planking..

[Gavin Atkin]

I've been very entertained by a weblog by Ben Crawshaw in Spain, who has bravely built the first boat to my Light Trow design of some years ago.

Naturally I'm delighted. Ben has some nice photos, a very positive report and a jolly piece of YouTube video. See his weblog here: http://theinvisibleworkshop.blogspot.com/ and my short post here www.intheboatshed.net .

Gav