Thread: "Part of the Story"...

I have completed a new rowboat and Michael thought it was part of the story...I am building up a small armada of wooden boat for myself to be used as my weekly escapes before or after work and for adventures on weekends and vacations. Part of that picture is the Goat Island Skiff and I have add a mizzen to the picture to suit my sail-and-oar style of being on the water. My rowboat is a fast to get it in, very fun to row, able to sail downwind design that is my first self-designed boat -- a sleef-ified Norwegian Faering. I am a builder by training but took a Wooden Boat course with Paul Gartside and that set me on my way (I highly recommend this course). I have designed several boats, and one 19' daysailor is underway, but this is the first I have built and launched:

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/show...t=75517&page=2

I'll refer to the WBF for simplicity. If you are interested in the project check in there periodically. I have rowed it twice now and really love it. My main concern was developing a boat that can really "get me out there" -- fast enough to cover some territory, safe and seaworthy, and able to be rowed for many hours with the sail as auxilliary when the wind is fair and I am tired of rowing. If you are interested in a grea discussion on fast rowboats, I have been involved with one with a few folks at:

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boa...oat-14250.html

While my design criteria have largely been met, I am a picky rower and am doing some mods to the keel...building up the skeg area and shaving the keel down forward of the skeg. I've been messing already with the foot cleats, getting those just so. The oars are perfect and the boat looks good. So just some tweaking for now. If anyone is at the WoodenBoat Show next June, we'll be there.

So, what I envision is driving to the family place and other weekend locals with a GIS on the roof and trailering my boat. I think I'd have a heck of a little fleet right there!

Thanks.

Cheers,
Clint