I'm Rowing Backwards for Christmas

Here's a bit of an odd one, for sale on eBay. The hull is long and thin and looks fast. It is the way the rowlocks are fixed onto straight planks hung outside the gunwales that looks so very peculiar. One would expect that the reason for this would be to mount the rowlocks with the same span, so the blades would be interchangeable. But it looks as though the spans at bow and stroke are different.

The clever mounting of the seats and stretchers so they all come out as a unit is interesting too. Unfortunately the owners have put the thing in the wrong way round so the rowers will be facing forwards.

And then there is that very strange rounded bow, like a nose. Probably doesn't affect performance but might attract comments at the slipway.

The starting bid is £240. If it was closer to the south coast than Warwick I think I would buy it just out of curiosity but it is a bit far to go on a whim. If any reader succeeds in bagging her, please let me know how she does on the water!