Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Adam Newton of the Boatyard at Beer tells me that elegant new rowing boat he’s been working on is now complete and has been sold to a happy customer from Plymouth.
I gather the new owner plans to take her to the Beale Park Boat Show next year to demonstrate some adjustable rowlocks he’s designing. Now that sounds interesting…
Adam Newton of The Boatyard at Beer has written to say that although he hasn’t yet quite finished his glued clinker 14 ft rowing boat, it has already won the rowing race at the Devon village of Beer’s famous Regatta.
A stretched version of the 12ft Shaldon Regatta, the Boat Building Academy alumnus reports that in winning the race he beat a Fox 14, a rowing skiff designed by BBA instructor Justin Adkin and built by another BBA student, Jim Little.
Adam seems particularly pleased with that achievement, as he says it shows the boat goes well. Congratulations Adam!
New intheboatshed.net reader Adam Newton of the Boatyard at Beer has written to tell us about a clinker built rowing boat he has constructed. As usual, click on the images for a much bigger photo.
Here’s what Adam says about the boat:
‘I have just stumbled across your website and found it very interesting. I’ve just launched my 12ft glued clinker rowing boat Morning Glory which I built over the winter months. She is based on a Shaldon Regatta rowing boat used at local regattas, the design of which Phil Morrison, a designer of Salcombe yawls, Merlin Rockets and many more dinghies, altered to my requirements. (There’s a great article about the Shaldon Regatta here.)
I had a Shaldon Regatta and they are a very good all round boat, easy to row, stable and light enough to pull up and down the beach. There’s an article about the regatta on www.swmaritime.org.uk website.
I had been thinking about building a wooden rowing boat for a few years and finaly got round to doing it. The regatta is 11ft with a 4.6ft beam and a 3ft transom but i fancied something a bit racier hence the 12ft-4ft-2ft measurments of Morning Glory which I’m calling a Beer 12 design, as I live in Beer, East Devon.
‘The planks are spruce with oak ribs and mahogany seats and gunwales. I just intend to row it around the bay at Beer, but it’s also light enough (51kg) to put on the roof of my car and to go for a jolly elsewhere. You can’t beat an early morning row with the sun on your back, and she is a pleasure to row.’
I don’t doubt it! Thanks for the story Adam – any time you and your pals in Devon have something to share with intheboatshed.net readers, please let me know at gmatkin@gmail.com.
PS – Adam has kindly sent me these photos of Morning Glory’s build. Thanks again Adam!
