Wooden sliding seat

[andylbi]

Im looking at purchasing a wherry that has a wooden sliding seat rig. Are these rigs still being used or should I stay away from it? Its in new condition. Can someone help me. Thank you. Andy

[Thorne]

Welcome to the Forum!

"still being used" for what? Are you planning on competing in races? For recreational rowing I'd guess that it would be fine...

You will find that the more info you give us, the better we can answer your questions.

[andylbi]

Hi. Thank you for responding. Im new to rowing and have been shopping for a wherry for recreational use only. I found a nice custom built Merry Werry 2 but the sliding seats and row wings are made of wood. It looks nice but I wanted to get some opinions from some more knowledgeable people. Thank again, Andy

[Thorne]

You'll get lots of free advice here, my friend.

;0 )

See if you can get more info from the seller, or photos even. When you say "made of wood", that covers a lot of territory...

For instance, the size of the outriggers often depends on the length of the oars, so both dimensions can be important. Was it built to any specific plans?

[andylbi]

Sorry. I meant still being used only because I havn't seen many boats for sale with wooden row wings and wooden sliding seats. I dont have much knowlege in this area and didnt want to invest in something that was obsolete. Andy

[andylbi]

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Andrew/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/NJ_Wherry.jpg

[Thorne]

Images have to be on the web to show up here -- ya can't link to files on your local C drive.

Try creating an account on www.picturetrailcom (http://www.picturetrailcom) then post the URL they give you for the "Forum" format.

[rbgarr]

This is the more modern sliding seat arrangement for the Merry 2. http://www.merrywherry.com/mtwo.html

If the wooden rig works and you like it it shouldn't be a problem.

[JimConlin]

I'd suggest taking a row in the boat. If its seat and riggers function, you'll know it. If not, the Piantedosi rigs in the previous post are a workable alternative.

[Tom Robb]

Disaster, man! Send it on to me; I'll dispose of it for you.

Just curious, but obsolete for what?
A Merry Wherry 2 isn't exactly the set up for the Summer Olympics.
Wherrys are for recreation and exercise. How tricked out does it need to be?
How much $ is it?
I'd think twice before spending more than the kits cost unless the workmanship is superior.

[andylbi]

Let me first apologize. I hope I didnt offend anyone or sound ignorant when I used the word obsolete. Shopping for wooden boats is new to me and I have not seen many wherry's on the market with wooden sliding seats, mostly just kits with piantedosi row wings. The boat Im interested in was made by a experienced boat builder and the price is $2900.00. That includes both wooden drop in units. The boat was only used a few times and is in new condition. I will be using the boat for recreational use/exercise. I was just looking for some input before I made the investment. Thanks again.

[garland reese]

As long as the wooden rowing rigs are well designed and properly proportioned for sculling oars, they should be just fine. Row it and you should be able to tell how well the rigs funtion. They should be smooth and they should feel rigid. If the outrigger portions bounce around, I'd try to get a better deal on the thing and replace the wood rigs with Piantidosi rigs..... those are far and away the very best drop-in units available. Alden makes one as well, though I find it very flimsy compared to the Piantidosi.
Again, row the thing and see how it works. Even a recreational rowing shell deserves a quality rigger. The wooden ones may be just fine, but the only way to know is out on the water....

[py]

Welcome to wooden boats. You'll find here that you don't need the latest, brightest, newest thing. In fact a bit older and quirkier is what gets respect. Seriously, if it functions well, and if you like the aethetics, go for it.