The other day I watched an older couple sail gently upriver in a daysailer, maybe 20’ or so. It had a little outboard hanging off the back, the “in case” mode. It looked lovely, but rife with drawbacks.
Not to be negative, but as much as my sentiment was “Wow, that looks really fun, quiet, lovely…” my brain went to work (as it does, without prompting) something like this –
Can’t carry it, needs a trailer…
Can’t row it, it’s THAT big, but still so small…
A gas outboard, one more engine, carbon emitter…
That lil’ puffer can’t be less than $10K…
I need a (couple) pfd(s)…
What my brain hadn’t gotten itself around, is that I could have a sailboat and a rowboat, all in one. I’d not really even entertained the former, as I searched for rowboats and small sailboats came up, they were priced way out of my interest.
So discovering Gentry boat designs was a eureka, my brain did some serious wrapping. THEN, as I dug deeper into the site, design options, did another bit of brain wrapping, “Well goodness, thar she blows” when I realized I could have my cake and sail it too, after building it!!
So if there’s such a thing a “double eureka” then here it is!! It’s smaller and lighter than the Whitehall (which was quickly taking the lead of the dory) and rows about as well. The sail for it is WAY less than a motor, and just more in line with my direction, path.
Now the Melonseed sailboat looks incredible, but doesn’t row. It’s also a more complicated build. Maybe that’s what Deedles and I will build next summer, if not a Whitehall for pure rowing goodness (the wooden versions are somewhat sailable with their weight, but that possibility is eliminated with the SOF being TOO light in ratio with sail, lack of centerboard etc)
To be fair, the boat that caught my eye was Ruth, maybe build that the summer after next? It would be a floating rocket with a sliding seat up (that cost about a grand…)
