designing a fast rowboat

The trick to make the folding rigger workable will be to eliminate any play. No rattles or squeaks allowed. And that one in the picture is damn ugly -for fiberglass boats only.
the reason boats are made with kevlar is that it is a much lighter material than fiberglass - lower density - not to make them bullet proof. Its not strength in rough water you need to worry about - its that rock on the beach or muscling it up onto the roof of your car.
A perfect morning on San Francisco Bay this morning. Lots of sliding seat boats out from Open Water rowing in Sausalito. And one older gent rowing a Gordie Nash Whitehall along the waterfront with the sliding seat in. About 14 ft by 40 beam (guess) but looking good and clearly enjoying the morning.

 

I completely agree about the rattles and squeaks, and also about the ugliness of the unit shown in the picture. I'm sure it would be posible to come up with a satsifactory solution.

Btw, I didn't have Paul Neil's email address but I've sent an email to the Adirondack Guideboat Co that built his boat, and asked that they forward it to him if they don't mind.

 

My guideboat is 15'8" and weighs about 55# (if I build another it will be lighter). I used the plans from http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/node/52/draw.

I've had it surfing in 3ft waves at 15.6 km/h on the GPS against a 10 km/h current and was only using the oars as rudders not for stability. It comfortably takes waves on the beam and only starts to tilt if the wave would have otherwise broken over the side.

I use 8' oars with about 4" of overlap. I'm no athlete but I find comfortable cruising speed is 8km/h(4.5Kn), race pace around 10km/h(5.4Kn) and max sprint around 11km/h(6Kn).

If you get the opportunity to try one I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Foling riggers

Hi Guy's
I managed to get a few foto's of the local riggers,,, remember the boat is double skin.

 

What stroke rates do you find work best with those oars and what is the tip width?

 

fastest open water rowing

Having raced and rowed in the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate for many years; the fastest boat is the least stable...the Maas Aero. Check out its dimensions at Maas. Plan on getting wet.

In the queen of Northern California open water races, consider the Monterey Bay race from Santa Cruz to Monterey. More competitors race Whitehalls here.

In Southern California, at around 30nm, the Catalina Island race to Los Angeles is won by Maas 24', Maas Dragonfly and the like. GPS equipped, naturally.

Most fun open water rowing is the Dolphin Club's Weyland, built in 1897 and restored (and restored ). http://www.flickr.com/photos/66278318@N00/391605761/in/photostream

 

overlap

look closely at the picture of Paul Neil. His hands are on the rectangular section of the oar loom, not all the way inboard on the actual oar grips. My guess is that he is not rowing but resting either at the start or finish of a race.

 

Mass 24 versus Mass Aero

Glad you chimed in. Does the Mass 24 do better than the Mass Aero in the open water races that are flatter conditions as one might expect; being it has a longer and narrower hull? Both of these boats are seriously skinny at 14" and 20" waterlines respectively, but they have considerable flare which should give them some secondary stability. I am curious of your experience/opinion. I am considering similar hull lines for rowing inland waters. Thank you.

 

Similar to the little river boats:



http://www.littlerivermarine.com/heritage-15-classic/

 

When I emailed the builders yesterday they had another picture attached to their reply. Haven't heard back from Neil himself yet, but the picture shows exactly how the boat is set up.

 

Having rowed Aero's and 24's there is no comparison. the Aero will dig its self a hole that it can not get out of. The 24 will go as fast as you can make it go ! a 24 will beat shells. of course the same person will go even faster in a shell but maybe not in rough water. I have rowed for miles with the 24's foot well continually awash - a head wind against the tide makes for steep waves. For the performance oriented there is not much reason to go back to a Aero once you can row a 24 . But if you are not comfortable in the 24 it will be slow for you and will probably not get rowed much. The guys at Maas have numerous stories of people thinking they should move up to a 24 but not being happy there go back to the Aero. So there might be a general warning here against the temptation to get too extreme. I really love the Maas 24 ! Its a great boat - but its tough to put your lunch in and as a shell in all but name you can not run it up on the beach - you can carry it over your shoulder though.
As far as overlapping hands go - it is just not a big deal. The Guideboat picture is a little more extreme. Usually one hand just rests on top of the other and the pull is slightly one in front of the other. No problem.

 

A couple of pages from Open Water Rowing. Neither of then is actually the one i was looking for!

http://www.owrc.com/waves/waves.html
http://www.owrc.com/technique/roughWaterTech.html

 

Left hand high,the overlap, everything is right by the book for guideboat purists, and there are a few around here...

 

Good information I had not seen and thanks for the response on Maas boats. I am curious why the Aero digs a hole, do you think it is to fine in the ends (low prismatic coefficient) which limits its hull speed or maybe just shorter and relatively fatter than the 24 is enough? I am sure I would have difficulty sitting the 24 so would like a more stable hull that if I have the horsepower will go fast. Can I have my cake now and I will eat it right here

 

Yes, good links, thanks. The pic of Paul Neil makes my butt and knuckles sore, just looking at it. I have no doubt I'd like rowing a guideboat, but I also know I'd like it more with outriggers, a sliding seat, and feathering oars (I'm fine with overlap though).

ps I have another question about asymmetrical oarlock height (for overlapped oars). Earlier in the thread someone suggested that padding one oarlock up higher than the other would help with overlap. I can see it making sense, but on the other hand, I enjoy being able to alternate which hand goes over the other on the draw, and it's useful to be able to adjust to wave conditions as well. Anyone use (or seen) asymmetrical oarlock height to help their overlapped hands, and if so, do they recommend it?