Hopefull someone can suggest what 1x boats are best suited for larger people? I'm a 6 ft, 230 lb. novice sculler. I train and will race on flat water, but I'd like to be able to go out on tidal estuaries and in the Puget Sound as well. Would the Peinert Dolphin carry my weight gracefully? Perhaps an Alden Star?

-- Larry Hill (larry.k.hill@ci.eugene.or.us), March 24, 2003

Answers

Larry

I'm 6'4", 220 lbs. I row in a Pocock Sculling Wherry. Seems to work for me ,but it's the only craft i know.

John Mayfield

-- John Mayfield (nicefields@hotmail.com), March 24, 2003.

Hi Larry, Many athletes your size row Maas Aeros and 24s. I know of several who weigh 250. They are perfect boats for rowing on Puget Sound. See the many photos at www.soundrowers.org. The vast majority of shells used in our races are built by Maas. I confess my prejudices! I'm the Maas dealer for the Pacific Northwest. I hope this helps. -- Steve

-- Steve Wells (steve@evergreenrowing.com), March 27, 2003.

Larry, Like mentioned above, I've been rowing a Pocock Wherry for several years and it's perfect. Tough enough to take some knocks, stable enough to handle large boat wakes, yet fast enough to keep up with the guys who paid to much. Moreover, it's open deck allows me to bring my lil' dog. I weigh 205 and the dog another 18...it's your best bet.

-- Tony Clark (tcclark@comcast.net), May 28, 2003.

Larry, You might want to consider a Merry Wherry from Wayland Marine, in Bellingham, WA. Ron Mueller has designed a very light, strong, wood/epoxy boat that rows beautifully with a sliding seat RowWing installed. The boat is 15' long, weighs 35 lbs plus the 20lb RowWing, and has a capacity of 300 lbs. There is a 17' model as well, the Merry Wherry 2, that can be rowed by one or two rowers, with a capacity of 500 lbs, sufficient to accommodate two plus a dog or two. The boats are available as kits from Wayland, and if you are interested in one as a completed boat, I am building them to order. My company is TaliesinWorks! Canada Ltd., and would be happy to discuss the Merry Wherrys with you. Go to the the Wayland Marine website to see the boats: www.merrywherry.com, then email me with your impressions. Malcolm Chaddock malcolm@taliesinworks.com

-- Malcolm Chaddock (malcolm@taliesinworks.com), April 09, 2004.