Strip Rowing Boat Kits

The Newfound Wherry is a design we have resurrected from the past. The Wherry owes its classic and graceful lines to the working boats used extensively by New England fishermen. It has a wide inner keelson that provides a flat bottom for dragging the boat on and off the beach, with a moderately deep skeg below a handsomely shaped transom. The hull shape is somewhat of a cross between the Whitehall and the Rangeley’s. The external skeg is like the Whitehall but the hull shape has the distinctive hollow at the keel line similar to the Rangeley.

The Lawton Tender came about in response to a customer looking for a small yacht tender he could build with strips. The lines were taken directly from John Gardner’s Building Classic Small Craft and modified for cedar-strip construction. Originally designed by Charles Lawton, renowned for his fine tenders and superlative craftsmanship, the tenders had to “row and tow well, be moderately good seaboats, carry heavy loads, yet shine like a piece of fine furniture.” The Lawton Tender will complement the finest yacht or serve as classy little fishing boat.

“The Rangeley Boat is a distinctive American sporting boat that has been in use on the Rangeley Lakes of Maine for something like 100 years, and was well known to past generations of fishermen for its numerous excellent characteristics. It was not limited to the Rangeleys, for by 1900 it was in common use by fishermen on the Belgrade Lakes, on Sebago Lake, and on other lakes in western and southern Maine.” from Building Classic Small Craft, Vol. 1 by John Gardner.

Adirondack Guideboats were developed by several different builders in the Adirondack region of upper New York state during the late 1800’s when the area was a popular summer retreat for affluent residents of New York and Philadelphia. The vacationers would hire a guide to take them out fishing and hunting. The guide needed a fast, lightweight boat that would transport him and his customer quickly across lakes and could be easily carried over land so they could get to the prime fishing spots and back in time for a fine dinner at the hotel. These Guideboats were built on spruce ribs cut from the natural crooks of spruce roots. Strip-built construction is a logical modern alternative choice to the planked and ribbed original construction.

“The Rangeley Boat is a distinctive American sporting boat that has been in use on the Rangeley Lakes of Maine for something like 100 years, and was well known to past generations of fishermen for its numerous excellent characteristics. It was not limited to the Rangeleys, for by 1900 it was in common use by fishermen on the Belgrade Lakes, on Sebago Lake, and on other lakes in western and southern Maine.” from Building Classic Small Craft, Vol. 1 by John Gardner.

“The Rangeley Boat is a distinctive American sporting boat that has been in use on the Rangeley Lakes of Maine for something like 100 years, and was well known to past generations of fishermen for its numerous excellent characteristics. It was not limited to the Rangeleys, for by 1900 it was in common use by fishermen on the Belgrade Lakes, on Sebago Lake, and on other lakes in western and southern Maine.” from Building Classic Small Craft, Vol. 1 by John Gardner.

“The Rangeley Boat is a distinctive American sporting boat that has been in use on the Rangeley Lakes of Maine for something like 100 years, and was well known to past generations of fishermen for its numerous excellent characteristics. It was not limited to the Rangeleys, for by 1900 it was in common use by fishermen on the Belgrade Lakes, on Sebago Lake, and on other lakes in western and southern Maine.” from Building Classic Small Craft, Vol. 1 by John Gardner.

The Liz is an elegant pulling boat designed by Ken Bassett of Onion River Boatworks. Coupled with a Piantedosi Row Wing, this design will provide you with all the exercise you want while including a great deal of stability, much more than a typical rowing shell. Under Ken’s direction, we lofted his lapstrake plans to a marine CAD program and developed cross sections every 12″ for strip building. The great benefit of the strip built version is that we can shed about 30 lbs of weight compared to lapstrake. Note that you can carry a passenger in this pulling boat, something you wouldn’t be able to do in a rowing shell.

The Whitehall Pulling Boat is a classic rowing craft based on an old New England design. This boat is slightly narrower than the Rangeley Lake Boat with a traditional skeg and elegant “wine glass” transom. Noted for being fast, seaworthy, and capable of carrying a large load, Whitehalls were the workhorse of commercial ports in the 19th century. The Whitehall is fitted with double oarlocks and when rowed in tandem is a quick straight-tracking bullet. The classic smooth lines of the craft coupled with the fluid rowing motion of the oarsman are guaranteed to turn heads.