Scilly Gig 15

Boatplans.cc lists a number of plans for rowboats, sailboats and power boats. One of those designs is the Scilly Gig 15. She could be converted into another nice oar cruiser.

Lines of the Scilly Gig 15

Description from the Designer

The Scilly Gig is named after a type of very fast row boats that originated in the Scilly Islands, UK and despite what the name sounds like, is designed for the serious oarsman. She is fast: a top speed of 4 mph (6.4 kph) can be achieved at 25 strokes per minute and at a quieter pace, she will cover more than 3 miles per hour (4.8 kph). There is a standard and a light version. The light version uses 4 mm marine ply and the standard version is made with 6 mm marine ply. No compromise has been made to rowing performance for a single crew but if needed, she can carry a passenger and gear without any problem: the pounds per inch (25 mm) immersion is 115 lbs (52 kg). A second rowing position is provided by the forward seat. Seats can be rearranged to suit.

Specifications:

•         Length: 15' 6" (4.7 m)
•         Beam: 44" (1116 mm)
•        Weight: 80 pounds (45 kg)
•         Pounds per 1" (25 mm) immersion: 115 (52 kg)
•        Water Line Length: 13' 6" (4.1 m)
•        Water Line Width: 35" (891 mm)
•         WLL/WLW Ratio: 4.6:1
•        Hull Speed: 4.9 knots, 9.1 kph, 5.6 mph

Scilly Gig 15...

...Interior

Conversion to an Oar Cruiser

Similar to other conversions posted, we would suggest the following:

• Replace the forward and aft frames with full bulkheads containing large waterproof hatches. This would result in a cockpit approximately 7' (2.1 m) long below the decks.
• Eliminate the center two frames (and seat).
• Triple the fiberglass taping on the interior of the two chines to provide additional strength.
• Install fore and aft decks leaving a cockpit opening approximately 4.5' (1.4 m) long. The decks could be made Skin-On-Frame to save weight.
• Add floorboards to provide an anchor for the portable foot brace and rowing seat as well a dry platform for sleeping. . 
• Add a temporary shelter.

Origins of the Scilly Gig

The following is from Wikipedia: 

The Cornish pilot gig is a six-oared rowing boat, built of Cornish narrow leaf elm, 32 feet (9.8 m) long with a beam of four feet ten inches. It is recognized as one of the first shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress, with recorded rescues going back as far as the late 17th century. The original purpose of the Cornish pilot gig was as a general work boat, and the craft is used for taking pilots out to incoming vessels off the Atlantic. At the time, the gigs would race to get their pilot on board a vessel first (often those about to run aground on rocks) in order to get the job and hence the payment. 

Today, pilot gigs are used primarily for sport, with around 100 clubs across the globe. The main concentration is within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, however clubs exist in Sussex, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Wales and London. Internationally, there are pilot gig clubs in France, the Netherlands, the Faroe Islands, Australia, Bermuda, and the United States. 

All modern racing gigs are based on the "Treffry", built in 1838 by William Peters of St. Mawes, and still owned and raced by the Newquay Rowing Club. However non-racing gigs have been built which do not conform to the exact specification of the Treffry and are disallowed from racing in competitive races.

Cornish Pilot Gigs Racing

The Scilly Isles

Aerial View of Scilly Isles that are Located....

...40 Miles (65km) West of "The Lizard" (Southern most point in England)

Summary-Pros:

•         Light enough to car-top.
•         Sufficient storage space for supplies and equipment.
•         Easy to row at cruising speed.
•        She will be seaworthy with the addition of decks and coamings.

Summary-Cons:

•         'Sprint' speed is limited due to short WLL.
•        Total displacement is low which limits the total weight that can be carried.

Anchoring an Oar Cruiser:

She was ready to anchor for the night. Before she launched her Oar Cruiser, she had threaded the bitter end of the anchor line through the fairlead bolted to the front of the fore-deck and then tied it to the heavy-duty deck cleat just forward of the cockpit.

See had a 'retrieval' line consisting of a snap-hook tied securely to the end of a 15' (4.6 m) length of light line, which, in turn, was tied to a light-weight cleat bolted to the outside of the starboard coaming near the front.

She clipped the snap-hook over the anchor line between the fairlead and the anchor, checking to make sure the light retrieval line was cleated to the coaming, the end of the anchor line was firmly attached to the deck cleat and that the anchor was firmly attached to the anchor line. She was now ready to anchor the Oar Cruiser.

She had selected an anchorage which was protected from the prevailing wind and that would clear any other anchored boats (and the shore) as the boat swung back and forth due to wind and tide. She slowly dropped the anchor over the side of the boat, carefully letting out the anchor line while the boat drifted back until she had about 8 times as much line in the water as the distance down from the fairlead to the depth of the water. She then re-cleated the anchor line to the deck cleat, coiling the remaining line and stowing it in the cockpit.

In the morning, all she had to do was pull on the light retrieval line until she could grab the anchor line and pull on that to get the boat over the anchor. She never had to crawl out on the fore-deck to anchor, thanks to the fairlead and retrieval line.

Devlin's Duckling...

Sam Devlin’s Duckling is a beautiful, light weight and fast boat that can be rowed with either sliding seat and/or fixed seat.

Sam Devlin's Duckling (S. Devlin)

Specifications:

• Length: 17′ 3.6″ (5.3 m)
• Beam: 3′ 5.75″ (1061 mm)
• WLL: 15' 6" (4.7 m)
• WLW: 33" (838 mm)
• WLL/WLW Ratio: 5.6:1
• Draft: 5.25″ (133 mm)
• Displacement: 346 lbs (157 kg)
• Hull weight: 95 lbs (43 kg)
• Hull Speed: 5.3 knots, 9.8 kph, 6.1 mph

Plans:

Sam Devlin's Duckling Profile... (DevlinBoat.com)

...Layout...(DevlinBoat.com)

...and From Dead Ahead (DevlinBoat.com)

Description:

(Quotes from Dale McKinnon’s article in April 2016 issue of Small Boats Monthly) 

“…The Duckling 17 is very stable…” 

“…Generally, faster boats sacrifice stability for speed, but in six hard pulls I had reached a GPS-measured 5.7 knots. With a waterline length of 15′ 7-1/8″, the Duckling 17’s theoretical hull speed is 5.3 knots. I settled down to a little over 5 knots at about 22 strokes per minute…” 

“…Although Devlin envisioned the Duckling 17 as a performance rowing craft, not as a load-carrying boat, I’d consider adding battens on the sides during construction to provide a place to attach plastic or metal pad-eyes. With bungee cords and dry bags you’d have secure load-carrying capacity for fast touring coastal waters…” 

“…I’d add a venturi style auto-bailer to take care of any water that might get shipped in rough seas…”  

“…The thought of arriving comfortably at a destination 20 miles away half an hour sooner is quite appealing. I have no hesitation in recommending the Duckling 17 as a boat for fast and light touring, as well as recreational and open-water rowing.”

(From the Duckling Site Description) 

“Sleek lines and a beautiful sheer make the Duckling a delight to row and own. She is light and responsive and easily handled, providing great exercise for the single oarsman. As a three-panel per side design, she’ll glide through the water nearly effortlessly.
At 95 lbs. the Duckling 17 is a very car-toppable boat, easy for one person to handle. Folding pattern oarlocks and eight foot spoon blade oars give her a lot of power.”

Converting to an Oar Cruiser:

For oar cruising, including sleeping onboard, the following would need to be done:

• Provide floorboards that span the V-bottom.
• Provide shelter for sleeping, cooking, etc.
• Provide fore and aft, and possibly side decks which could be skin-on-frame to minimize weight.

Summary-Pros:

•         Long WLL (15.5'), narrow WLW (33"), V-bottom enables high cruising speed.
•        Adding decking and bulkheads gives her plenty of dry storage for supplies and emergency flotation.
•         Flaring sides similar to dories helps to make her seaworthy.
•         She has low profile to reduce windage.
•         Light and long enough to make car-topping possible.
•         Can be rowed with fixed seat or sliding seat/rigger.

Summary-Cons:

•         Low freeboard (7.5", 191 mm) midships increases possibility of waves/spray coming aboard

This would make a beautiful and fast oar cruiser that would take you through most any inland waters.

Peapods

Christine DeMerchant:

“(Peapods) were used by fishermen first as fishing boats, then as lobster boats. They had to be reliable and trustworthy in big waves and had to be easy to row. They also had to resist capsizing as the heavy weight of the lobster traps was hauled over the edge. The fishermen would sometimes row their peapods standing up, using longer oarlocks, looking forward to steer around obstacles and islands. They would also sit facing backwards and row.”

John Gardner, in his book Building Classic Small Craft, tells us that peapods were developed on the coast of Maine in the mid-1800s…

“Long familiarity with the canoe and its good qualities had stamped the image in minds of the fishermen so that later on when the special needs of the lobster fishery called for husky, easy-rowing boats, some of these would naturally turn out to resemble the canoe… the typical Pod was…15’ (4.6m) in average length; both ends exactly alike.” 

Construction of Peapod (MaineBoats.com)

Peapod at Work (MaineBoats.com)

Examples of Currently Available Peapods

Grapeview Point Boatworks offers both a 13’ (4.0m) and 15’ (4.6m) Peapod that can be sailed and rowed.

Grapeview Point Boatworks' Peapod

Specifications:
Length                  13 ft.                     15 ft.
Beam                    52in.                     52in.
Draft
   C/B Up:            3 in.                       3 in.
   C/B Down:       18 in.                     18 in.
Approx. Weight  125 lbs. (56.7 kg)  140 lbs. (63.5 kg)
Sail Area             54 sq ft. (5 sq. m)  58 sq ft. (5.4 sq. m)

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Arch Davis offers plans and kits for a glued plywood lapstrake peapod.

Arch Davis's 12' Peapod

Specifications:
Length over all:  12′ 3″ (3.7m)
Length waterline:  10′ 7 1/2″ (3.3m)
Beam:  4′ 5″ (1.3)
Draft, board up:  0′ 6″ (0.15m)
Draft, board down:  2′ 3″ (0.7m)
Sail area:  61 sq. ft.  (5.7 sq. m)
Weight:  85 pounds.

==========

Charlie Hussey of Marine Carpentry offers  a beautifully finished carvel planked Peapod.

Charley Hussey's Peapod; Construction Detail...

...and Overview...

...and Sailing

Specifications:
Length: 14.8’ (4.5 m)
Beam: 5’ 3” (1.6 m)
Draft: 3’ (0.9 m) (centreplate down)
Displacement: 330 lb. (150 kg)
Sail area: 80.7 sq. ft. (7.5 sq. m) (sloop rigged standing lug)

Peapod Plans

John Gardner, on pages 132 and 138 of Building Classic Small Craft, shows plans for two Peapods.

A 14' Rowing Peapod

A 15' Sailing Peapod

Note the differences between the two designs:

• The sailing version has a 6" (152mm) deep keel to provide lateral resistance while sailing -- no center board. The rowing version has a keel only for construction purposes.
• The sailing version has a flat bottom leading to 'hard' bilges to provide more stability for sailing. The rowing version has a slight "V" bottom leading to relatively slack bilges to reduce wetted surface and provide some directional stability.

The plans for the rowing version (page 138) include a full table of offsets.

Rowing the Everglades Challenge

Steve Price, in his blog describes, in detail, his experience rowing a RowCruiser in the 2017 Everglades Challenge... a narrative that describes the trials, tribulations and excitement of a very demanding 'cruise'.