Stunning professional photography with just enough text to anchor the images without distracting from the visual feast:  Simon Griffiths is a well published photographer who has turned his lens from food and gardens to boats!  He has a boating family history which was a bit of a prompt.

Simon’s latest book is simply titled BOAT and is published by Penguin Lantern.  It is due for release October 21 (2015).

Why am I telling you all this?  Well, it includes the Derwent Skiff and Simon took great shots off the beach at Bellerive.  He kindly posted a signed copy that arrived today.

Thanks Simon, a great job well done.

The Australasian Amateur Boat Builder magazine (Issue # 91) hit the magazine racks in October 2015.  It contains an article on Australia’s New Recreational Rowing Movement.

It features Derwent Skiffs and Derwent Raiders.  They are creating the opportunity for you to get back into rowing for the exercise and pleasure, but doing it in a boat that will sit you up safely.

Interested?  I recommend getting a copy.  Mine was $8.80 at the local newsagency.

Good reading.

1. Some people want a kit. (Your own personal build experience)
2. Some want a finished wooden boat. “No plastic please!”   (Plastic being a gently derogatory term for composites in general)
3. Others want a finished composite boat. “No wood please!”  (Fearing a maintenance burden – whether right or wrong)
4. Some people may value a finished composite hull to which they add a kit wooden deck. (Add the merits and time saving of a composite off-mould hull with the pleasure of building and personalising your deck and cockpit)

We have been doing 1 and 2, but now we are preparing to do 3 and 4!  If these developments interest you, please give me call (0408 331 510) or email me allan@wittdesign.com.au  There are plenty of options to customise kits or finished boats to suit your particular needs.

Options

Boat types:  Derwent Skiffs, Derwent Raiders and Derwent ‘need-a-name’ coastal rowing boats.  (Optimised for speed in competition – fractionally longer and narrower)

Crew sizes:  Singles and doubles.  When we are ready, coastal boats can include quads.

Materials:  Wood or composites or combinations of both.

Build: Kits, partial kits, and finished boats

Which options come first:  That is a bit up to you.  If more of you want to get on the water in doubles, it makes sense to prioritise doubles over singles.  There has been much enthusiasm over the design/performance success of Derwent Raiders.  Their capability for recreational rowing, plus their very competent sailing performance, has created a whole new genre of boating.  But there is a fair bit of work/time in building a 7-plank clinker hull, even when using a kit.  A composite moulded hull reduces that work/time dramatically.  That opens up many opportunities ranging from kit completion at home to group or club fleets.

Getting you on the water:  You have probably recognised that our design work, and the options we are creating, are all about making it easy for you to get on the water  – to row, sail, exercise, get in a Zen-like groove, compete, or …

So, please get in touch with your feedback, questions or requests.  Ring me on 0408 331 510 or email me allan@wittdesign.com.au   It is not just boats that we can help with.  Getting people on the water in events and building community and conversations is part of our brief too.

One Important Design Element

One thing that has exercised my brain a fair bit is how to retain the elegance of the Derwent Skiff’s laminated rigger across the range.   This rigger is one of the things that so many people comment on favourably.  Practically, it is stiff, strong and reliable too.

But the design task has been tricky because I have wanted to use the quick release and adjustability of the rigger that I developed for the Derwent Raider.  That is all about being able to stow or remove and put the riggers in the boot of your car quickly and easily.  Also, I wanted I wanted a side deck that preserved the run of the foredeck back through the boat.  That’s about aesthetics, water shedding ability as well as practical building.  Then, I wanted to use the same basic design but without needing lots of rigger moulds!

Check out the section drawing and see if I have got the aesthetics right.  I have worked out the structure, the release mechanism and only need two moulds.

The next thing to notice is the neat roof rack. Hew used a bit of old mast to extend the rack out to the back of his car so that he can get his Derwent Skiff on and off easily by himself.

Now take a look at his launching trolley. He adapted a kayak trolley. It stows easily in the boot of the car and works a treat.

Then, on the water! Note the fully decked bow for shedding water but the well decked stern for that open boat aesthetic.

The only thing missing is the parasol!
Fantastic job Hew!!!

Time is up this Sunday 9 Aug. Contact Allan ( allan@wittdesign.com.au mob. 0408 331 510 )

But there is more:

1. Keep in mind we have 5.5 m boats for people plus or minus from 90kg and shorter 4.5m boats for people plus or minus from 60kg.
2. As in the plan below, the same fun can be had in the classic clinker form and in a contemporary chined hull-form.
3. We are preparing to add in a wet aft deck option too. You will lose some expedition stowage space but speed up the self- draining.  Let us know if this is your preference.

Don’t despair if you are not the lucky first person to grab the $1000 discount.  There are three opportunities for $500 off.  But again, the offer ends this Sunday 9 Aug.

Join us on the water!

The Royal Hobart Regatta Association, under the leadership of Geoff Lucas, has cleaned out a secure waterfront space. They are using part of the area to restore an old Fazackerley dinghy in much need of repair. That will be quite a project in itself. However, there is space enough to build a couple of long and thin boats like recreational rowing boats or kayaks at the same time. It would suit a couple of Derwent Skiffs, enabling the builders to join the growing group of recreational rowers who venture out on Saturday mornings for exercise and a coffee together.

The building is a bit like a concrete bunker, but the doors open out to the northerly sun and it is right beside the water. How good is that!

If you live in the Hobart area and are challenged for building space or would, simply, prefer to be building in company rather than by yourself, please contact Allan by mobile ( 0408 331 510 ) or by email (allan@wittdesign.com.au ).