u/bikesboatscode

Seems to work pretty well! What are some other ideas?

I did a trim test to try to place the rowing thwart and an initial oar lock placement today and cannot resist sharing these photos and a video. For this version of the hull I took some inspiration from the shapes of the Yankee Tender as well as the Sharpies in Chapelle's American Small Sailing Craft. The curves are a little wild and the sides are quite low in the middle, but I am really pleased with it! Clearly I am heavier than the ideal crew but it still feels pretty smooth. The small skeg has an outsized effect (the first version tracks horribly--not a bad thing IMO if you can handle oars) but it still turns easily. I found my hands in my lap when rowing but the proper seat will be lower than that plastic stool (I use 7 1/2" below oarlocks following Steward's Boatbuilding Manual) and I can add oarlock risers if needed (probably not). I guess I am a bit thicker than the kid who will soon be surprised by this boat too. Should be fine!

I am thinking of building a "box thwart" into this boat for a rowing seat and flotation for capsizes. Does anyone have thoughts on the resulting arrangement without any buoyancy at the ends? I can envision a real balancing act trying to bail out a lot of water. This boat is so small (7'7" LOA) there isn't room for much at the stern but I could put a tank forward. But at least it would float higher than without the tank. Also, I would not include limber holes (tubes?) through the box. How important are they in a small boat that will be bailed by hand? Seems to me they would tend to make stability worse by allowing all the water to flow to the bow or stern, while a sealed box thwart would tend to improve stability of a swamped boat.