I am interested in purchasing a rowing boat. My goal is 1. get exercise while carrying my 2 kids as passengers 2. having a boat that can cover more miles in less time 3. a boat that I can put ontop of my van’s roof rack by myself ie.light and weildy.
I have ruled out the larger wherrys and guidboats due to size and cost. Am looking at the We-noh-nah Adirondack canoe 16 foot outfitted with a rowing seat and oar rig and also at a Alden 18 foot rowing shell.
Please help me out if you have opinion or experience.
I was looking for the same thing, so
– Last Updated: Feb-02-06 1:11 PM EST –
Matt at JEM Watercraft designed one for me. I have to build it.
Chesapeake Light Craft
Has some really easy to build rowing craft. A good winter project…
http://www.clcboats.com
I have a Disco 160 and plans from Matt
My old town disco 160 is 16 feet long and 40 inches wide. It is a great row boat but it weighs about 90 pounds so it is hard for some folks to load on the car rack.
I have plans from Matt at JEMS watercraft for a small row boat for my son that we’ll likely make this summer.
Unless you are getting a really long and skinny boat I’d go with a fixed seat and no outriggers. It is a lot more practical for carrying a load and dealing with rough water.
Get fixed.
I rowed an Alden 18 for a number of years. It’s going to be difficult to fit two children into the Alden, because the sliding seat/rigger assembly takes up a lot of room. In my opinion, the Alden is not the safest boat in rough water. Because of the low freeboard, waves climb in easily. Once the large open cockpit is full of water, it becomes exremely difficult, if not impossible, to row the Alden 18 in any kind of seaway.
As others have said, try to find a fixed-seat cruiser with at least a 38" beam. You might have to give up the idea of cartopping with a wider and heavier boat. But your requirement for two passengers put cartopping into question anyway.
A rowing canoe is a good compromise, in my opinion. And if you’re set on getting a sliding seat, look over this web site.
http://rowingrigs.com/
Inflatable rower
I saw an inflatable row scull(sp?) on Jacks plastic welding website, he seemed willing to make a custom boat for me when I called. I was calling to get an ultralight inflatable kayak and he suggested he could make it for me rather than the stock boat, very reasonable prices.
During the conversation, he told me the frame could be set up to add rowing easily.
the pack cat, fat cat, or ultralong virus all were for that type of thing.
Liam