rigging a sliding seat rowing skiff

[Paul Schut]

I recently built a 6 m by 60 cm proa to sail and padle about with my kids. It is fast and radical but now I am considering converting it into a sliding seat rowing skiff. (kids want their own boat now, so :mission accomplished)The main hull is 8 mm ceder/ epoxy with 3mm plywood jigs left in every 900 mm. The gunwhale hight is 45 cm and cockpit deck is at about 15 cm down from the gunwhale, ie 15 to20 cm above the waterline. It is a fully round hull so inherently unstable.
I am thinking of adding oarlocks with a small stabiliser (outboard hull) under them in case I mess up (I am not an experienced oarsman). Dynamic stability must come from the oars themselves as with any rowing skiff.
Can anyone advise me on the feasibility (especially re stability!)of this and where I would find the right dimensions for oars, oarlock placement and details for a sliding seat? If so I have another busy winter ahead of me. Thanks,
Paul

[garland reese]

have you considered a drop in rig? You can purchase these, though they are not cheap. Glen-L marine has some plans for a drop-in type sliding seat rig. Have a look.....you might be able to use their plans, or modify them slightly to get something that would work. www.glen-l.com

garland

[redjim777]

Paul, The drop in unit my father and I installed on his boat was $350 US. If you want to go that way e-mail me and I get the info to you. I know that you can build then for less, but then how much is your time worth? Can you find someone to weld stainless steel for the outriggers (if you need them) for a reasonable price? The seat , runners, stretchers etc can be easily assembled from locally purchased parts (sailtrack, poly skateboard or other wheels).

A skeg will help with stablility & tracking and the biggest problem you'll face is making sure the skeg AND the seat track are perfectly aligned along the centerline of the boat.

Forgive me but I'm one of the last hold-outs on usinfg the metric system, so I only have the most basic grasp of the dimensions of your boat.
I irrationally decided in first grade that it was "too hard" to do all the conversion and I'd move to the woods before I'd be "converted", so I'm now here in Texas !

Jim

[Paul Schut]

Thanks for the tips, I hope to make the system myself- I actually have at least as much fun building as rowing/sailing these contraptions. I just dont know enough about the dimensions required. As for the metrics Redjim, I commiscerate. Being a Dutch engineer, working in Holland, I have had to come to grips with metrics early on in life; my problem is the imperials. If the solution was to move to Texas, it must be a hell of an interesting place!

[Paul Schut]

I forgot to mention: The proa hull is 6 metres by 60 cm is about 20ft by 2 foot at its widest, 1 foot radius bottom, it weighs about 40 kg= 80 lbs.

[Eric Hado]

Paul,
I've got what you want but not in one place. I'll try to get them together and sketch and scan them to you. I got some info from web sites selling crew boats and equipment, and bought plans for a rig that turned out to be 1940's vintage also some numbers from how-to books on rowing. Do you have any rowing clubs nearby?. It is likely that they will have a recreational rower or a single that you can look at/measure. You will need to know how deep your boat sits in the water when loaded. The height of the oarlocks above the water is key, then the seat height is referenced to that. Are you planing on making a pair of sculls? I have pair underconstruction now. If you have the money I recommend buying a pair. They have more curves than a bellydancer and take a long time to make. (at least it is taking me along time) There is a web site out west that sells used wooden sliding seat boats and oars called www.rowableclassics.com that will sell you a pair of sculls for about $200+. There is also a guy in Phila Penn. called Latanzo who sells hardware at more reasonable prices than the racing boat places (215)334-3508. He also sells through Adirondack Rowing who you can find on the web. Glen-L sells a hardware kit for about $100 which is also reasonable. I'll get bact to you with the sketch.
Regards

[Paul Schut]

Thanks Eric, for the advice. The physical adresses are a bit problematic as I live in Holland, but I will probably take your advice and measure up a boat at the local rowing club. The oars sound a challenge and should keep me out of mischief for the winter! There was a classic single wherry offered in the paper recently: very nice, however I seem to like the building as much as the driving. Whenever in need of a fast ride , I take out my Finn.