designing a fast rowboat

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by nordvindcrew, Oct 13, 2006.

  1. DickT
    Joined: Apr 2008
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    Location: middlebury, vt

    DickT Junior Member

    We could put you up the night of the 9th if that would help.
     
  2. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    Location: Marshfield massachusetts usa

    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    conflict

    Doick, thank you for the invite to stay at your house. Last minute announcement from my daughter, she's visiting this weekend.
     
  3. DickT
    Joined: Apr 2008
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    DickT Junior Member

    Seeing your daughter is more important anyday. Will let you know how the race went.
     
  4. DickT
    Joined: Apr 2008
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    DickT Junior Member

    Lake Champlain Race

    Beautiful day for the race but not a big turnout. Triangular course was something over 3 miles. There were 4 six oared and 3 four oared gigs, a smattering of recreational kayaks, a 21' x 18" kayak(fastest at 30 minutes), a fast tandem kevlar canoe(31 56), and one each sliding seat single and tandem fixed seat guideboats. I was the only fixed seat single and was fourth in(34 21) after the kayak, canoe, and Harvest Moon, a six oared gig(33 56).

    I rigged up an old car side view mirror and I think that helped a lot. The tandem 17' guideboat team and I were neck and neck most of the race, but I only beat them because I rowed a straighter line.
     
  5. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    race results

    Good time. To beat some gigs is going some. 34 and change is a good time. what were the weather and water conditions? It's amazing how fast those kevlar canoes go. I compete against a double canoe that's paddled by a 70 and a 65 year old crew. they kick my *** in every race unless it is quite rough and then they are slowed down to the point where I can beat them. The Nordfiord is just about ready for the water. I need to lower the thwarts about 2-1/2" and do a cosmetic re-work of the sheer strake line at the bow. I used Pettit Easypoxy white on the outside and on the inside, their off white which really is a buff color. I painted the bilge panel and up the garboard panel 2" with Rustoleum leather brown with non-skid added so I won't fall on my head moving around in the boat. The hull isn't nearly as fair as I would like it, but the effect from 30 feet away is pretty good. It's a pretty boat in my opinion. Got to get some time in rowing, the Great River Race is July 30th. 6 miles up the North River; should be about 60 boats, mostly kayaks with only a dozen rowing boats if it is the same this year as the last few. In the last 12 years we've won 10 times, sat out one race to do another, and, damn it, got plain beaten last year by a crew that's been after us all 12 years. They earned the win, but I don't have to like it.
     
  6. DickT
    Joined: Apr 2008
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    DickT Junior Member

    Conditions were pretty calm, maybe 5mph ssw wind. In other years with stronger winds there would be some interesting reflected waves off the Palisades, a sheer rock face on the west side of the lake. I've been working on "choking up", as I learned in Little League, on the oars when going downwind. Shortening the inner loom while applying the same effort and tempo ups the blade tip velocity. I think it helps.
    Glad to hear Nordfiord's getting done. I'm with you on the 30' rule and leather brown Rustoleum. I painted my truck with it because it takes longer to notice the rust when it comes back.
     
  7. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    re-work

    next spring, I'll get back to work smothing out the humps and bumps. Right now, I'm burnt out totally. Working 60 hours a week, building a screen porch, the veggie garden and general house and yard work. way too much busyness and I need some time to row the boat, ride the motorcycle and just sit on the screen porch with a cool drink and enjoy a quiet summer evening. That all being said, I'm very pleased with the way Nordfiord looks. I think she's a very pretty boat. The thing that surprises me the most is that considering that the boat is built from two pieces from the bow of my Nordvind mold, It is a very different boat front to rear. You would never know the pieces were identical at the start. From a distance, it kind of reminds me of a whale boat.
     
  8. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    finally

    Even though we've rowed the Nordfiord once, the official launch is this Sunday. With the GPS and corrected rowing stations we'll finally be able to start to analyze her performance. If we can do close to 5 knots in cruise mode then we've got a winner. all we have to do is get good enough to row to the boats potential. She'll be a bit tiddly feeling at first, but I'm sure that the confidence level will go up and it will feel right after a few hours at the oars. The Great River Race is the 30th and we will tryour best to get back in the win column. There's two different crews and one new boat so the dynamics will be a bit different even if no new boats show up.
     
  9. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    Good luck to you and the boat!
     
  10. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    trials

    Another weeks delay. Dave had family obligations last sunday. I took the time to re-work the chine line up at the bow. the hard line I had built in looked good with the boat upside down on the saw horses, but terrible right side up. A bit of grinding and filling resulted in a chine that continues what existed but petered out as it got within 3' of the bow. The fixed line looks much better. A little finish sanding and painting will have it looking good. HAVE to get on the water this sunday to see if the rowing stations are OK. Not too much time to fix them before next Saturday. The thwarts were lowered by 2-1/4" which should help stability and still leave us with seating that doesn't cramp us up too much by having our legs at too much of a 90 degree bend to our torsos. I probably will lower my oarlocks down the 2-1/4" because they felt right on our one row last spring, and now feel high. seems like a safe bet. Daves station is very close to our normal set-up and should be good enough to start with. I've got to get this thing up on a scale some time. It isn't a light weight for sure, but for a big 20' row boat it isn't overly heavy either. For our conditions, light doesn't work out very well in most races. my skin on frame gets stopped by every wave and is a challange to row on a choppy day. A fast almost humming bird cadence is required and that kills me.
     
  11. Uncle Boats
    Joined: Jan 2011
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    Location: Oregon

    Uncle Boats Junior Member

    Need some help, I just finished epoxy taping the chines and am about to glass the entire bottom of my stretched dory and I want to know if the weave in the tape needs to be filled before the bottom glass goes over it. Thanks
     
  12. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    Trial row was very good. easy pace results in 4.8 knots in calm conditions:very slight current and light breezes. We didn't try for any sustained speed. More bad lick for Dave: a slippery gangwaya week ago resulted in a real hard fall, lots of bruising and pain. We should be in OK shape for next Saturday. RE filling tape, I'm not very knowledgable, buy i think the weave should be full before the next layer is applied. Check on the boat building threads to get good info. Enjoy the stretched ( Gloucester Gull ? ) they're a good boat. very fast with a good crew and seaworthy.
     
  13. DickT
    Joined: Apr 2008
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    Location: middlebury, vt

    DickT Junior Member

    Glad to hear the boat feels good. You'll probably find ways to dial it in even more. I'm more convinced than ever that matching oar length and blade area to what feels right for effort and stroke rate is really critical. Moving my hands out and thereby shortening the loom length allows for a higher tip speed downwind with the same effort and stroke rate. That said, I've had so much going on I haven't had a chance to row since the July 10 race.
     
  14. nordvindcrew
    Joined: Sep 2006
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    Location: Marshfield massachusetts usa

    nordvindcrew Senior Member

    dialing in

    Due to the extremely narrrow bottom and bilge panel, the boat is expectedly tender. This results in lean steering much like a kayak. Tracking due to wind conditions might also be a bit of a problem too. A couple of small ballast bags will deal with that as well as add stability. It was so great, cooking along at 5.9 knots with almost no stern wave at all. That does wonders for positive mental attitude to know that we're no longer dragging half of the Atlantic Ocean along with us. We use buttons on the oars. We have a tough time keeping the oars in the right place in th oarlock otherwise. To us, it seems like something else to concentrate on rather than just pulling as hard as we can while trying to navigate through the course and the other boats. Most of the boats around here use the buttons too. Some of the boats are going to a set up using hardware from shells: carbon fiber shafts and blades and the pin type oarlockand movable button
     

  15. Uncle Boats
    Joined: Jan 2011
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    Location: Oregon

    Uncle Boats Junior Member

    oar length

    I'm trying to figure out what I want to use for oar length, I am making some hollow oars with the birdsmouth joint out of yew wood that I packed out of the woods 35 yrs. ago. I have seen the formula most use as a starting point and I'm wondering what is the beam of your boat and what oar length you are using.
     
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