(If you have no use for or interest in the double or the rack, you
may wish to ignore this message.)
THE DOUBLE
Craig and I have moved the double to the outdoor rack. It is stored at
a height that should be easily accessible by everyone. The boat has a
cover; but since the boat is rigged, the cover cannot be zipped tightly
over the entire hull. Instead, a zipper from the bow and one from the
stern will cover the hull but not the washbox. Use the straps with snap
clasps that are attached to the cover to hold the cover in place
everywhere; we don't want wind to get under the cover and lift the boat.
If you take the double out, you will probably want to carry two heavy-duty
slings from the boathouse to the rack, where you can get the double ready,
remove the cover, adjust stretchers, etc. After your row, please
return the slings to the boathouse.
When lifting the boat, do NOT put all your pressure on the middle of
the deck; like all boat decks, it is thin, flexible, and not designed
to bear much load. Instead, curl your arm, and place the boat inside
the curl. Whether the boat is upright or upside-down, this spreads
the load to structural elements in the boat that can bear the weight
(the stem and the gunwale (joint between deck and hull)).
Two good places to lift are about 3 feet from the stern, and 3 feet
from the bow.
The boat is a "midweight", suitable for rowers in the range 140-180 lbs,
but as with any boat, rowers over or under by 10 lbs will do fine.
So rowers from 130 to 190 should be able to enjoy the boat.
There is an adjustment that you may need to make to match the rowers'
weights: the height of the oarlock. With lighter rowers, the boat will
sit higher in the water, and the rigger will be higher off the water.
So you'll want to adjust the oarlock to be lower on its pin to compensate.
This is easily accomplished with the yellow "snap spacers" you'll find
on each pin. If the spacers are below the oarlock, the oarlock is raised;
if the spacers are above, the oarlock is lowered. And since there are
four spacers, you can raise or lower the oarlock by 1, 2, 3, or 4 spacers.
If the weights of the bow and stroke rowers are quite different, you may
find that the oarlock height adjustments for the two rowers will differ.
You may need to experiment to determine the spacer settings best for you
and your partner. The key thing to observe is the height of the oar handle
in the middle of the drive and recovery. Craig or I would be happy to
counsel and assist.
THE OUTDOOR RACK
To accommodate the double, Craig and I had to move a boat on the outdoor
rack; apologies. We also had to change the spacing between the two rack
frames in order to accommodate the double's two riggers. Gary Pellisier,
the marina owner, has asked us to move the rack to a slightly different
spot, which we will do when the new spot is ready (it will be close to
the current spot). This will entail removing all the boats from the rack,
moving it, and then returning the boats to the rack. We will, of course,
be very careful, but you will doubtless see subtle changes, e.g., how we
have strapped your boat down. If you have any comments or complaints,
please apply to Craig or Bob.
