Hi Chris,This is it - a sliding seat bicycle:
found my solution to boaty activity without risking the water: http://www.rowinghistory.net/Patents/642,544.pdf. A stumbled find when looking for Barrett rowlocks for the Rangeley! One of those sites you just get sucked into - another hour wasted when I should have been clearing the shed!
Cheers Chris
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Sliding seat madness
Boatbuilder supreme Chris Perkins writes:
This frightening machine was invented by one Louis S Burbank from Worcester, Massachusetts in 1900. Looks as if it could go fast - can't see any brakes, though.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Scottish Coastal Rowing
The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project aims to promote traditional fixed seat rowing north of the Tweed, where apparently it has rather languished in comparison with the huge popularity of such boats as the Cornish Pilot Gig, the Celtic Longboat and the Thames Waterman Cutters and the like.
So the aim is to produce a standard design of pulling boat that will encourage competition, and can be constructed by groups or communities, at reasonable cost and involving achievable woodworking skills.
The design is a corker, a double-ender designed by Iain Oughtred but based on a model of a Fair Isle Skiff in the Scottish Fisheries Museum at Anstruther, one of the backers of the project.
The boat will be called the St Ayles Skiff, after the building in which the museum is housed. It is 23ft long by 5ft 7in beam, which is rather short by Pilot Gig standards but should be very seaworthy. There will be four rowers and a cox.
What makes the project different and interesting is that the boat will be available in kit form from Alec Jordan, and schools, youth clubs, villages, sports clubs and even pubs will be encouraged to build their boats themselves. This should build community spirit like little else. The kit will cost about £1,350 and the total cost including epoxy etc will be about £3,000, a relatively affordable sum.
The first boat will be built at the Fisheries Museum this winter. It is to be hoped that a fleet will come together fairly quickly if the class is to become established.
So the aim is to produce a standard design of pulling boat that will encourage competition, and can be constructed by groups or communities, at reasonable cost and involving achievable woodworking skills.
The boat will be called the St Ayles Skiff, after the building in which the museum is housed. It is 23ft long by 5ft 7in beam, which is rather short by Pilot Gig standards but should be very seaworthy. There will be four rowers and a cox.
The first boat will be built at the Fisheries Museum this winter. It is to be hoped that a fleet will come together fairly quickly if the class is to become established.
Labels: rowing, boating, boatbuilding
alec jordan,
fishing museum anstruther,
iain oughtred,
St ayles skiff
Monday, 6 July 2009
Seine fishing
Seine fishing must have been one of the most arduous of ways to make a living out of rowing. The seine net was a gigantic curtain that was wrapped round a shoal, the net being held up by floats at the top and held down by lead weights at the bottom. When the whole shoal was in the net, it was dragged bodily into shallow water so the fish could be transfered into boats and taken ashore.In the old days, the net would be carried out on a seine boat rowed by six oarsmen and steered with another oar. The boat would row round a shoal directed by a 'huer' on a tall building or cliff ashore, yelling through a megaphone.
Seine fishing for pilchards off the Lizard in Cornwall is vividly described by James Cliff at the brilliant St Keverne Local History site.
It could be another universe. Today, seine fishing boats are huge diesel jobs that can haul the net and catch bodily out of the water and into the fish hold.
Smaller seine fishing boats used in estuaries are still raced with enthusiasm in two places in the world, however - more on that later.
Labels: rowing, boating, boatbuilding
cornwall,
james cliff,
seine fishing,
st keverne
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Onawind Blue heads south
Labels: rowing, boating, boatbuilding
ibiza,
onawind blue,
the invisible workshop
Monday, 29 June 2009
How to Launch a Boat (1)
I've been a big fan of American humourist Dave Barry for years. Today, his blog features this picture:
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Langstone Cutters Regatta
We were supposed to have thunderstorms yesterday, but the weather gods smiled and we had a lovely summer day at Langstone.
Gravesend Rowing Club brought one of their fleet of Clayton Skiffs so we could race three instead of two. All teams rowed against all teams.
Langstone crews were second and third in the final league table, but the clear winners were the incredibly in-synch and strong Gravesend A crew, who are seen taking the trophy at the end of this video.
The video was shot using the new Flip Ultra HD which I have on test. It is incredibly easy to use, but its lack of a proper zoom makes it a bit difficult to catch rowing action which was up to three quarters of a mile away.
Gravesend Rowing Club brought one of their fleet of Clayton Skiffs so we could race three instead of two. All teams rowed against all teams.
Langstone crews were second and third in the final league table, but the clear winners were the incredibly in-synch and strong Gravesend A crew, who are seen taking the trophy at the end of this video.
The video was shot using the new Flip Ultra HD which I have on test. It is incredibly easy to use, but its lack of a proper zoom makes it a bit difficult to catch rowing action which was up to three quarters of a mile away.
Labels: rowing, boating, boatbuilding
Clayton skiff,
gravesend rowing club,
langstone cutters,
Rowing
Friday, 26 June 2009
The Hoff goes rowing
From the Knight Rider to a rowing eight...the Hoff changes pace.
More pics from the Upper Thames Rowing Club at row2k.com.
Labels: rowing, boating, boatbuilding
hasselhoff,
upper thames rowing club
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