Tuesday, May 15, 2018

MSD Rowing Skiff

As promised, here's the latest on the rowing skiff from Michael Storer. I like this little flash rowing design very much. She is sleek and light, undoubtedly fast.






The first coat of primer goes on the hull.














Turn upright and the true shape starts to show.













Very simple design, graceful lines. The bulkheads installed will become sealed floatation.










We must always have a shot of clamps. The spacers set the inwale off the hull, a useful detail allowing for tying on fenders.

The flotation seats will provide almost 600 pounds of safety.















Same shot, different view.








To be continued...........

4 comments:

Brandon Ford said...

Nice! I'm looking for a tow-behind larger dinghy that's fun to row.

doryman said...

This one is sixteen feet. Should easily carry three adults. Not sure until it's launched how much capacity it has, but plenty.
Do you have a place to work? Storer doesn't give any estimates, but I'd say about 100 hours for the basic boat with more for fine detailing.

Bryan said...

Hi there Dory man. How about a reveiw on the finished article. Your build looks great .I am contemplating building a row ing skifrf of some kind so would appreciate your comments, including how she handles 2 up. much obliged, Bryan Cox

doryman said...

Bryan, sorry for the delay, but I asked Randy to tell us what he thinks of his MSD rowing skiff. Here's his response:
"Performance is very interesting.
1. She is narrower and more fine-ended than other row boats I've owned but still very stable and moves really well with one person. Rows a little like the Gloucester light dory. Tracks completely straight and isn't blown off course easily. Secondary stability is good and she is stable enough to climb in and out of from a larger boat.
2. The fine bow and stern makes her fast but took significant buoyancy out of the ends. The tradeoff is that balancing the waterline is a little tricky with the oarsman in the middle and the passenger at either end.
3. I never intended to put a motor on her so the big surprise is 3.4 knots with the EP Carry while loaded with two people and crab pots. I think I'm going to get a larger battery with long cables so I can get 5 hours of run time and have the ability to trim the boat by moving the battery forward.
4. Looks good and has held up well. Use has been limited this last year due to hand and shoulder troubles.
5. I've towed her just once and it worked really well. 15 foot dinghy behind a 19 foot boat did seem a little odd.
Would
Randy