Thursday 15 April 2010

Whaleboats


American whaleboats were not the same as British whalers. British whalers were pulling boats carried by Royal Navy warships for training and general use, whereas American whaleboats were actually designed for hunting whales. Both are practically legendary these days, but if the truth be told they are a bit too beamy for club rowing. Too much like hard work.
But they are very stylish and their history has a tremendous allure. So it's great that they are being revived in the US. The video describes the construction of the Nantucket whaleboat, and Craig Hohm is building another for use in the Finger Lakes of New York State.
Inspired by the St Ayles skiff project in Scotland, he hopes that other whaleboats will be built and aims to pass on the moulds to the next builder. His description of the boat is on Duckworks Magazine.

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