A Norwegian style boat from the US

Paul Butler of Port Angeles in Washington State has a wide range of rowing boat designs including a Montana Guide Boat (which looks rather like a duck punt) and the Maxi Mac drift boat, which looks great for river fishing.
His latest design, the Norwegian Gunning Dory, is a stitch'n'glue restatement of the Norwegian faering. Bow and stern are flared upward in a very confident way. I asked Paul if the prominent ends catch the wind, and he replied:

"I have two prototypes in the water, and I will still make a few changes in the building plans but only very small adjustments. The ends of the bow will undoubtedly catch a bit of wind, but possibly because both ends are almost identical they seem a bit more balanced than previous versions. I think most of the people who have rowed the boats just like the look of that sweeping sheer, and quite possibly they are willing to sacrifice a bit of windage for style. I'm not really sure, but I've no particular problem with the boat in moderate open water wind chop. I'm an advocate for skegs in open water rowing boats rather than longer keel structures, as I feel they are safer in preventing the boat "tripping" if caught sideways on a wave. My second prototype also has a different interior layout with port and starboard compartments to support adjustable seating for one or two people."

David Payne

Owen Sinclair, who always has something interesting to say, writes from NZ:

Hi Chris,
I have always liked the look of this, although it is on the short side. David Payne: Payneyachts.com. Might suit your Aussie correspondents. He has other interesting rowing boat designs too.
Regards, Owen

I like the look of the Pittwater Scull too. With its full decks and coaming, it should be able to take some choppy seas without that horrid damp feeling that you know is going to transfer to your car seat and be with you for days to come unless you change undies in public on the foreshore.
A sliding rigger rather than the sliding seat would avoid the hobby-horsing that boats as short as that are prone to.
But I am even more attracted to another boat in David Payne's range, the Greenwich Gig, which presses most of my buttons.It should be very fast for a fixed seat boat - she is 18ft long by 4ft wide. She has a lovely wineglass transom which should mean the added weight of a cox will not slow her down too much. She also has a small sail for downwind work, and is very simple (no centreboard) and stable.

David has not had much feedback on how the Greenwich Gig performs at sea, which is a pity. He writes:

The Pittwater scull is a great boat, it can handle some waves and choppy conditions so lets people get out rowing when there are powerboats around or the weather's a bit rough, when a normal scull is awkward to use.
The Greenwich Gig is a good boat but I 've not had much feedback, more on the smaller version, the Rocks River Skiff. There is no centreboard, the sail is there for downwind conditions. I do not know how well it steers as I have had no comments back, but I do know the RR Skiff tracks well having rowed one, so I would anticipate the Gig to go well too.
Regards,
David