Fife

A 12' rowing boat--easy to row & transport

A day on the lake is transformed into an event ...

Most small boats designed for serious rowing tend to feel "tippy". The wide bottom on the FIFE makes her remarkably stable. People who normally feel unconfortable in small boats will find FIFE comforting. The skeg allows her to row true even with an inexperienced oarsman. Her ample watertight storage under the fore and aft seats provide room for extra clothing or picnic supplies.

The design criteria for the 12' FIFE was that it could be carried, easily rowed, carry three people, and be stable. FIFE is lightweight (the test model weighed only 98 lbs. including fiberglass), with a wide bottom for stability and to maximize bouyancy. The hull depth was kept to 13" to minimize windage. The rounded sides and tumblehome make this a very stiff boat even using light weight 4mm material on the sides.

The waterline is at 3" with a 130 lb. load; 3 1/2" with 190 lbs., 5" with 395 lbs., 6" with 540 lbs. Plenty of capacity for you, a friend, and a hefty picnic basket.

With two sets of movable oar lock sockets, the rower's seat allows the oarsman to change position with different passenger weights or when a passenger sits in the comfortable stern seat. Viewed from aft, she has a traditional "wine glass" stern. The lines guarantee that anywhere FIFE goes, she will get many more than a second glance.

Performance report: An inexperienced oarsman rowed one passenger around the harbor for over 2 1/2 hours without fatigue. There seemed to be little additional effort required with two passengers. With two passengers, the oarsman used the aft oar locks, allowing the forward passenter to sit on the front of the rower's seat and face forward.