Over the last few months I have been rowing my Acorn 15 regularly because I enjoy it and I need the exercise. My Acorn 15 rowing boat has a fixed rowing position and I decided that it would be a good idea to try rowing with a sliding seat to get a more complete workout. One option would have been to modify the Acorn 15 by fitting a sliding seat. I wasn't keen on doing this because I didn't want to spoil the look of the Acorn 15. It would also have been a compromise solution.

While these ideas were going round in my head I came across the photo below taken by my friend and fellow member of the Wooden Boat Association of Queensland Ian Primrose.

The photo is of a Classic Derwent Skiff designed by Allan Witt of a company called Row and Sail based in Tasmania.

I liked the appearance of this boat which is configured with a sliding seat as shown. The rowing position can be moved forward and an additional seat added for a passenger if desired.

This version of the Derwent Skiff is 5.5 metres (18 feet) long and should weigh around 38 kg. This is less than half the weight of my Acorn 15.




Monday, 23 April 2018

First Coat of Varnish.

In the last post I had sealer on the inside of the hull. Since then I turned the boat over , sanded the outside of the hull and gave it two coats of the Wattyl sealer. Here is what the first coat of sealer with 50% thinners does to the plywood.


I had to wait a couple of days for the sealer to harden up enough to sand. in that time I sanded and sealed the rigger arms and the buoyancy tank. Final sanding this morning and then the first coat of varnish applied.  A couple of photos show the hull and the buoyancy tank and rigger arms.



At them moment it is all looking pretty good. There are blemishes but I'm not going to point them out and other people might not notice them!




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  • Gone to a New Home.
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