: Has anyone had experience in building rowing shells?. I saw one once that was
: of cedar strip construction and it looked great. Information on where to
: get plans or where to buy the sliding seat hardware would be greatly
: appreciated.
: Thanks
: Jim

Hey Jim,
I asked Vaclav a month or so ago, if he would consider doing some rowing shell plans. He said that he was thinking of doing some, but that he had some other projects to finsh first.
The shell you saw was probably one of Ben Louden's from Aeneous Originals. He advertises in Woodenboat Magazine. I purchased his plans recently. They are for a recreational single of 19 plus feet by 22". It can also be built 22' 10" and used as a convertible single/double. Everything is included with the plans.......instructions for riggers, oarlocks, seats, rails even sculls. His boat is a bit different from most strip built boats. It has a lot of solid wood bits, like bentwood comings and a plank keel.......this boat is a tank! It is not a light boat, but it is nicely designed....lots of unconventional thinking regarding seats and such.
Mac Mcarthy of Featherweight canoes has some patterns for a recreational shell of 16 or 18'. Also, Bluegrouse boats has patterns available for his design, which is simlar to Mac's, but 19' in length and lots of rocker. These guys both have web sites. www.bluegrouseboats.com I don't know offhand what Mac's is but he does not have any pics of the shell. There is a picture in his Featherweight Boatbuilding book though. Both of these shells use a drop-in rigger like a Piantidosi or Alden. I think it would be better to set them up with a conventional rigger and sliding seat arrangement.....the drop-in units just don't have the same fit and feel of built in rigging, and the drop in units are waaaay too expensive for what you get.
CLC's Oxford shell is a nice S&G design, but again, it uses a drop in unit (it could be set up with a built in seat and riggers)

Lastly, Woodenboat Magazine publishes three catalogs. One of them has some roing shell plans from the likes of Grahamme King, Uffa Fox and Joel White. The Uffa Fox design is every bit a racing shell. It is designed for cold molding, which should make it easy to do in strip/sheathed construction. The books are called "Thirty", "Forty" and "Ffity" Wooden Boats. Check with a local bookseller like Borders or Banes and Noble.....they might have them on the shelf.
David Cartwright is a UK boatabuilder. He has some good information on his web site regarding sliding seat set up. It might be helpful if you decided to modify one of the above shells. David does not have plans, but he has done some shells..........one sectional shell he did is on his web site...very interesting.
good luck
Garland