Boat Builder Central

Thank you for confirming Bradley, that layout is how I planned it originally also, but got confused and worried last night reading through the manual. Hard to tell from the photo but is what you are showing location wise where you are going to be mounting the head units (ie: suspended from the t-to...

Thanks for the feedback on the guideboat.

You mention that you had the opportunity to row an Adirondack Guideboat - if you don't mind - what was your opinion of it. I am very much in the same process you are and leaning towards the OT16 but have read favorable things about the Guideboat - particularly for open ocean rowing - Guideboats seem...

I looked at a late 70's Topaz. The boat seemed to be well constructed and in good shape which spoke more to the owner and his maintenance habits for a boat that age. Decks would be a big concern and with any boat that age the gas tanks. The Topaz I looked at was an express/center console with both e...

Mike, Beautiful boat. You mentioned the initial stability is low - how is the stability once it starts to go? I imagine once you start to put more and more of the hullsides in the water that it steadies right up and would be really hard to capsize under normal circumstances. How is the rowing perfor...

Okay - thanks all for the input - are there any completed scilly gigs with pics to see? And can anyone comment on its rowing performance and stability - both intial and secondary? I am planning a trip to Mystic Seaport where I am led to believe they have all manner of pulling boats like St Lawrence ...

Jacques - I have my eye on the otter 16 to be built as a car toppable one person rower. Has anyone completed one that could chime in as to rowing performance? WOuld you be willing to comment on the otter vs a gloucester dory or perhaps redmonds whisp wherry? I'm mostly interested in rowing single in...

That makes sense, the glue part that is. Although I still (respecfully!) don't get it regarding the diagonals, I will defer to the experiance of you and previous posters, and go ahead and flip it and do the inside first. The glue part is the cincher. Ernie Take a tape measure and measure from the b...

I don't claim to be a naval architect or anything but this is how I understand the term "initial stability" to be defined: Initial stability refers to the boats likelihood to roll. Displacement hulls with rounded chines have very low initial stability usually - they are easy to get rocking...

laporter, That looks like a "built down" downeast boat hull. Downeast hulls can also be skeg built. The built down boat has the hull smoothly transition into the keel. The skeg boat has a relatively flatter bottom aft with a skeg bolted on. Skeg boats usually carry more speed as there's le...