Pulling boat for the Missus

[Jonas]

My wife discovered rowing this summer, and now wants her own boat. Imagine having your wife ask you to build her a boat! Now, I'm in he middle of building Welsford's "Penguin," but how can I turn down such a request? I've seen the plans offered by WoodenBoat, and also the kit offered by CLC, and ask if any of you forumites have any recommendations for a recreational (but sporty) boat with a sliding seat and all. Cheers!

[Nicholas Carey]

Two Words: Merry Wherry (http://www.merrywherry.com/). Stitch-and-Tape plywood kit boats. They look nice.

This is the Verry Merry:

http://www.merrywherry.com/images/vmbig.jpg

And this is the Merry Two:

http://www.merrywherry.com/images/m2big1.jpg

The Merry Two has the advantage that its Piantedosi rowing units are track mounted: you can reconfigure the boat as needed. Row it as a double with 2 RowWings. Take one out (4 wing nuts basically), move the other and row it as a single. Add a seat that mounts on the track and take a non-rowing passenger with you.

They also make a Merry Shell, which is pretty special-purpose:

http://www.merrywherry.com/images/mshell.jpg

[JimConlin]

Depends on just how sporty and how fancy.
Of the sliding seat boat plans available from WoodenBoat:
Graeme King's Kingfisher is just one step removed from a racing single. Not for an unskilled rower or open water.

Ken Bassett's "Liz" is a thing of beauty and a delight to row. A fussy boat to build in the original design or glued lapstrake. Building in strip composite would be quicker, more rugged, and no heavier but less drop-dead pretty.

Ken Bassett's "Firefly" is the same size as Liz and should row similarly. A much quicker build.

The search thingy should get you pix of my Liz and Doug Culhane's firefly.

There's a ready supply of used boats (of other materials), too. See the classifieds at www.row2k.com (http://www.row2k.com)

I strongly recommend the Piantedosi drop-in rowing rig.

[Jon Etheredge]

The Kingfisher (designed by Graeme King, plans sold by WoodenBoat) is a good rec shell. I built one 5 or 6 years ago and I wish I still owned the boat.

It's very possible that your wife learned sculling in a Maas Aero (probably the most common f'glass rec shell), as a point of comparison, the Kingfisher is faster and feels at least as stable as the Aero. The two boats are very comparable with regard to weight, etc. so if she can handle getting an Aero into and out of the water then she can handle the Kingfisher. Of course the Kingfisher has the potential to be a much prettier boat.

If she rows out of a club, she may encounter some snobbishness on the part of "serious" scullers because of the vee-bottom design of the Kingfisher. These folks seem to feel that a vee-bottom boat can't possibly be as good or better than a round bottom rec boat. But what do they know? smile.gif

[Jonas]

Thanks for good ideas. I especially like the looks of the Merry Shell. I'd appreciate any "user feedback" on this one. I'm also keeping my options open on the Kingfisher. Nice boat.