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.




Wednesday, 16 May 2018

Launched!

Here is that last photo of the build process. The boat is sitting on the trailer that was built for my Acorn 15. The boat is supported by the rollers along the keel and the cradle towards the bow. The cradle will stop the boat rocking but is mainly there because the winch post support isn't a good fit. The buoyancy tank and outrigger arms assembly will travel in the back of the car with the oars. It's ready to head for the water!


Sitting on the bank at Wivenhoe Dam. All I have to do now is learn a new style of rowing and I'm finding this to be quite difficult.


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Gone to a New Home.

 Sadly I have parted with my Derwent Skiff. I loved the feeling of flying over the water that came with the long oars and sliding seat but t...