Sale

Annapolis Wherry Wooden Rowing Kit at Swift Creek Reservoir, Richmond, VA. Built by David K.

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A quiet row on Cayunga Lake in an Annapolis Wherry Tandem built by Tim H

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A family row in an Annapolis Tandem Wherry built by Ray D.

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John Harris rowing an Annapolis Wherry..

Annapolis Wherry Wooden Rowing Kit at Swift Creek Reservoir, Richmond, VA. Built by David K. Thumbnail

A quiet row on Cayunga Lake in an Annapolis Wherry Tandem built by Tim H Thumbnail

A man rowing an Annapolis Wherry Tandem Thumbnail

A family row in an Annapolis Tandem Wherry built by Ray D. Thumbnail

Annapolis Wherry

Builder Testimonials

The Annapolis Wherry combines breathtaking grace with thoroughbred performance, offering you a memorable on-water experience.

Skill Level Beginner
Estimated Build Time 80 Hours

Build this boat if...

You're looking for a fast, comfortable, one-person sliding-seat rowing boat.
You want a rowing boat that is suitable for choppy waters.
Rowing shells are too tippy for your liking, but you enjoy their speedy performance.

Quality Materials

Only the best professional-grade materials
In-Depth Manual

Meticulous, fully-illustrated instructions
Need for Speed

For racers seeking escape velocity

Build Your Kit

Shipping & Returns

Builders also looked at...

Take One of our Boatbuilding Classes

We offer classes for many of the boats we sell. Teaching sites stretch from Maryland to Washington State and from Maine to California. Click here to find out more.

Specifications

Length

17' 9"

Hull Weight

65 lbs.

Beam

38"

Max Payload

350 lbs.

Cockpit Size

Open

Performance

Stability

3 out of 5

Very Tippy

Very Stable

Speed

5 out of 5

Cruiser

Racer

Cockpit Room

3 out of 5

Close Fit

Huge Cockpit

Payload

1 out of 5

Day Tripper

Freight Hauler

Ease of Construction

5 out of 5

Requires Patience

Very Easy

Annapolis Wherry on Swift Creek Reservoir, Richmond, VA. Built by David C. and daughter Natalie

Overview

The Annapolis Wherry offers thoroughbred performance on the water combined with breathtaking grace. The Annapolis Wherry has been turning heads since 1997, with hundreds and hundreds built all over the world.

Solid stability, sea kindly lines, excellent tracking, a buoyant bow, and ample flare make the Wherry a natural choice for rowing in choppy conditions. The open design allows for plenty of sprawling and a picnic basket when beach cruising. Stability is strong for a performance rowing boat: you can step into the boat from a dock and even stand up. However, the narrow waterline means that the Annapolis Wherry is as fast as many “rec” shells, sprinting at 7 knots and cruising at 4-5 knots. At this speed you could cover 30 or 40 miles in a day. We frequently hear about Wherries being used for camping and fishing expeditions.

The Annapolis Wherry is at its best with a sliding seat. From the beginning the interior was designed around a Piantedosi Row Wing, the nicest sliding seat unit on the market. Used with a sliding seat, the Wherry might be unsurpassed as a rowing trainer, exercise boat, long-distance cruiser, or even for open water racing.

Construction uses Chesapeake Light Craft’s exclusive LapStitch™ process. This results in a true lapstrake hull with long, elegant lines that is stiff and light. The doubling of plank thickness where each plank overlaps the next creates a longitudinal “stringer,” which is why CLC’s LapStitch™ boats don’t require as much messy fiberglass work as multi-chine hulls. The Wherry is built of 6mm okoume BS1088 plywood, epoxy encapsulated throughout. Fiberglass cloth is applied to the bottom panels inside and out for extra stiffness and resistance to beach abrasion. 9mm okoume frames, thwarts, and flotation tanks ensure stiffness. The outwales, breasthook, and quarter knees are solid mahogany.

Click here to see what Boat Design Quarterly said when they reviewed the Annapolis Wherry and its LapStitch™ construction method.

The Annapolis Wherry’s payload is 350 pounds. A typical load is an adult rower with a small child or pet sitting in back. Many have been rigged as tandem sliding seat boats, but the combined weight of sliding seat units and crew should not exceed 350 pounds. The Annapolis Wherry Tandem is just the thing for larger loads or two rowers!

Many builders do use the Annapolis Wherry for fixed seat rowing, with traditional oars and oarlocks mounted on the rails. Because of the sleek lines and low freeboard, we do not recommend fixed seat rowing for folks taller than 5’4”. Taller rowers desiring a fixed-seat rowing boat should consider the Chester Yawl kit.

Buying Options

Choose Your Boatbuilding Experience

Building an Annapolis Wherry begins with selecting the option that best fits your skill and shop.

Select Your Configuration
Build From a Kit:
Most builders start with the Base Kit. It’s all there.
Build From Scratch:
Build from scratch using our Plans & Manual.
Build From a Wood Parts Only Kit:
For those who have their own supply of epoxy, fiberglass, and hardware.
Order Study Plans or Manuals:
Like to study up a bit first? Download study plans or a copy of the assembly manual.
Choose Options and Add-Ons
Additional Components:
Most performance rowing craft will need a drop-in sliding seat unit and 9’6” sculls. You can also order nonskid decking, storage covers, oar bags, beach dollies, and more.
Get Building!
Computer-cut kits feature all of the latest tweaks to ease assembly, including slot-together frames, pre-drilled holes for stitching-and-gluing, puzzle joints, and precision in the fitting of parts.

Standard Configuration

Sale

$1,785.00 $1,428.00

The Annapolis Wherry kit includes plans and a fully illustrat...

Alternative Configurations

$1,198.00

The Annapolis Wherry "wood parts only" kit includes plans and...

$139.00

The plans-and-manual package for the Annapolis Wherry Single ...

$25.00

CLC instruction manuals walk you through construction step-by...

$20.00

This option comprises the latest version of the illustrated ...

$2.99

You can get printable study plans for most of your favorite ...

Additional Options

$349.00

Spacered inwales are an elegant touch. They are a bit invo...

Beautiful and peaceful place to row an Annapolis Wherry.

What builders are saying

I purchased an Annapolis Wherry at the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Washington, and I love it! It was a GREAT experience to build it myself without hands-on help from my husband. I row the boat up at Dexter Lake, Oregon, which is near our mountain cabin and in Puget Sound.

Christine E | OR

Verified Builder

I just wanted to let you know that I finished my Annapolis Wherry, got it in the water last week and I love it! It was my late Winter/ early Spring project and took about three months from start to finish. Living in Western New York makes for challenging weather conditions for epoxying, painting, or varnishing especially when cold temperatures are followed by rainy, humid weather. But I worked around it and am very happy with the results of what is my first boat build. I was pretty new to just about everything involved and was continually waiting for the first disaster to occur, but it never did! The build manual was very complete and John Staub, of your staff, gave very timely and thorough advice when I emailed in questions.

The boat primarily spends time at our family camp on a small lake in the Adirondacks in New York. We cartopped it there last week and baptized it in the lake. It rows like a dream and is so fast and smooth compared to any other rowboat that I have been in. The only potential problem now with having such a fast boat is that we need a bigger lake! Thanks for such a great kit building experience that allowed me to now own such a beautiful boat.

James R. | NY

Verified Builder

I love rowing my new Annapolis Wherry. The row wing is by Paluski Boats in Peterborough, Ontario, in Canada. I made the oars from basswood and cherry, with triangular, hollow shafts, and leather wraps. The boat is VERY pleasing to row. It inspires confidence. It is quick, beautiful, stable and outperforms my rowing abilities by a nautical mile.
I made a Chesapeake 18 three years ago and paddle it 125 to 150 days a year (when the ice is out). My kayaking buddy bought a recreational rowing shell last fall. We started to learn to row with it then. While his 19-foot shell, with just a 22-inch beam is faster, my wherry is far more pleasurable to row, and almost as fast. The water temperature is approx. 37 deg. F, and he will not take out his shell for fear of going over. (Brrr!). I have no worries with the wherry. Just in case you missed it, I LOVE THIS BOAT.
As with my Chesapeake 18, I found the Annapolis Wherry kit excellent, and the factory support excellent. You folks have really got it together. Kudos to all of you. I recommend your products to anyone who asks about my kayak. Since I live on a lake in cottage country, lots of people see and envy my kayak. Wait until they get a look at my wherry.
Thanks again for two beautiful craft. I am VERY PLEASED. By the way, the name of my yawl is NESSY ( as in Loch Ness) and I named my wherry GRACE because she possesses so much of it.

Russ P. | ONT

Verified Builder

My husband and I have built two CLC watercraft--a 16-foot kayak and an Annapolis Wherry. Both get exclamations of admiration every time we have them on the road traveling from home to our point of destination. We will NEVER buy a craft from any other company other than CLC. GREAT company...GREAT projects!!

Kathe B. | OR

Verified Builder

Overall, I love my Annapolis Wherry. It handles nicely, has a nice turn of speed, and is quite stable, which is a factor at my advanced age of 72, and the primary reason I decided to build it. The construction was easy, with no surprises, although I always find varnishing to be a humbling experience.

Wayne D. | WA

Verified Builder

I was so excited to get my Annapolis Wherry on the water last year and share some pictures with CLC that you have used on your social media feeds, all fresh and spit-spot. I felt pretty good.
I pulled the boat out of the water for the year recently and got it up into the garage storage sling that I set up for it, another season over. But before I did, I gave the boat a look over and took a picture. Someone looked at the image and said how sad I must feel that the boat is not all perfect anymore. There are lots of scrapes and abrasions that have made their way aboard – all signs it been used!
I will freshen her up next spring, but I have enjoyed rowing her and sharing her with others, which after all, is what she was built for, just as it should be. I love the boat and truly appreciate your company as you genuinely want to get everyone interested in being out on the water.
Keep up the great work!

Tim M. | ME

Verified Builder

This week gave me a perfectly calm summer evening to launch my Annapolis Wherry for the first time. I loved building this beauty and I am so excited to enjoy some time on the water. I wanted to thank all of you at Chesapeake Light Craft for designing such a fun boat, and for always being available for questions and advice. I will reach out again when I am ready to build my next boat.

Elena R. | MA

Verified Builder

I started my Annapolis Wherry in the April 2017 CLC/Wooden Boat School workshop, and completed the boat 14 months later in June 2018. I had never rowed a sliding-seat boat, so I took a four-day sculling course at the Florida Rowing Center last winter. My intent was to learn some basic skills and rowing technique in order to more enjoy my time on the water rowing the Wherry. But, I got hooked... and I am now rowing shells as well as the Wherry. I have spent well over 50 hours on Chesapeake Bay, in a variety of conditions, and my Annapolis Wherry has performed tremendously. Its responsiveness and performance characteristics have far exceeded my expectations.

Scott J. | MD.

Verified Builder

I row this [Annapolis] wherry several days each week in Little Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan; I enjoy the boat and its performance, and building it was easy and fun.

Thanks for such a nice product and for your advice and help with my questions.

John B. | MI

Verified Builder

Main Gallery

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry in the Pacific Northwest

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry on a wooded lake

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry on a scenic lake

View of the drop-in rowing rig and oars in their sockets on an Annapolis Wherry.

A yellow Annapolis Wherry on a Trailex SUT 250 SCLC on a beach in Maryland

An Annapolis Wherry built by Peter T. in Annapolis, Maryland

A man rowing an Annapolis Wherry with sailboats in the background

An Annapolis Wherry built by Jeff K. on a trailer

Man rowing an Annapolis Wherry in St. Michaels, Maryland.

An Annapolis Wherry built by Ellen S. on the water at Fairfield Beach, Connecticut.

An overhead view of Angus C's Annapolis Wherry on its trailer

An Annapolis Wherry floating among reeds and reflections

An Annapolis Wherry on the beach, awaiting launch.

Man rowing an Annapolis Wherry on a mountain lake

An Annapolis Wherry built by Dave G. floating at a beach

A young girl rowing a passenger in an Annapolis Wherry

Nancy W. and her dog with her class-built Annapolis Wherry at home

Transom view of ATARI, an Annapolis Wherry built by Jeff S, as she awaits launch.

An Annapolis Wherry built by Bill P. pulled up on shore

Woman rowing an Annapolis Wherry at the 2012 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

A view of the white-and-bright interior of an Annapolis Wherry built by Rick B.

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry with a white interior and dark hull

A class-built Annapolis Wherry built by Jerry and Evan O., Port Angeles, WA

A man rowing a passenger with a parasol in an Annapolis Wherry built by Ronald L.

Rowing a white Annapolis Wherry built by Ron S.

Kwei U. rowing his Annapolis Wherry on San Francisco Bay

An Annapolis Wherry built by Davd E. on a lawn

An Annapolis Wherry built by Robert T., on a beach at sunset

Stern view of an Annapolis Wherry built by Jan H., on a trailer

Don and Maddie C. rowing their Annapolis Wherry, built by his grandfather/

Rowing on Lake Tahoe in an Annapolis Wherry built by Michael B.

A freshly launched Annapolis Wherry built by Miguel C. in Switzerland

An Annapolis Wherry with inwales and a decoratively inlaid breasthook built by David G.

An Annapolis Wherry built by Kent Z. floating near the shore of Rat Island, Washington

An Annapolis Wherry built by Allen D. on the beach at Joe's Island, Brooklin, Maine

An Annapolis Wherry built by Angus F. floating on Lake Washington, Seattle

Gregory G built this Annapolis Wherry that he is rowing on a river in Matakana, New Zealand

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry built by James R. in Rochester, NY

A beautifully patterned breasthook on an Annapolis Wherry build by David G.

View of the transom art on an Annapolis Wherry built by David G.

Testing out an Annapolis Wherry at a CLC demo event in Newport Beach, Cal

A yellow Annapolis Wherry on a Trailex trailer at the beach

An Annapolis Wherry built by Angus F. on Lake Washington in Seattle

Aerial view of an Annapolis Wherry built by Caleb N.

An Annapolis Wherry built by Chris M. floating on the water at Long Beach, Cal.

An Annapolis Wherry built by Chris W. floating on a scenic lake

Annapolis Wherry built by David K., photographed on Swift Creek Reservoir in Richmond, Virginia.

The transom with flower details of an Annapolis Wherry built by Don C.

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry built by Doojae L. in Seoul, South Korea

A blue Annapolis Wherry built by Elijah D., Knight's Pond, Northport, Maine

Annapolis Wherry named Hadley built by Jim R. surrounded by water lilies on an Adirondack lake

A dark blue Annapolis Wherry with white interior built by John R., on a trailer in Richmond, VA

An Annapolis Wherry built by Rick J. floating at a dock on a lake in Colorado

Two views of an Annapolis built by Scott J. in a WoodenBoat School class

An Annapolis Wherry built by Steve J. floating on the Rio Chama, New Mexico

Rowing an Annapolis Wherry at the Small Craft Festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD

An Annapolis Wherry built by Manuel C. with a flock of geese swimming in the background

A floating Annapolis Wherry built by Arthur B,. Duxbury, MA

An Annapolis Wherry built by Greg A., Fair Play, SC

A blue and white Annapolis Wherry built by Ronald G., resting on the shore

Construction Gallery

Sanding the Transom of an Annapolis Wherry

Line Drawings

Preview of the Study Plans for the Annapolis Wherry rowboat.

If you are building the Annapolis Wherry indoors, make sure you have a window of this much room to get it outside when the hull is complete (measurements in inches).

Videos

Geoff Kerr and the Annapolis Wherry Class

Building Annapolis Wherries at Chesapeake Light Craft: Stitch and Glue Boatbuilding

At Chesapeake Light Craft, students built a fleet of Annapolis Wherries in a week.

Building a CLC Annapolis Wherry Kit - HD 1080P

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LapStitch Construction?

CLC'S LapStitch™ Construction

Patent No. 6,142,093

Our system combines the unquestioned grace of lapstrake hulls with the proven ease of stitch-and-glue construction. The strength of the LapStitch™ joint is such that the designs require comparatively little fiberglass or fillet work, making them especially easy to build.

Lapstrake hull shapes evolved over millennia. Many would suggest that the type reached a high-water mark with the Viking longboats, but the actual building method was little changed right up into the 20th century. Planks were riveted together, and the technique required prodigious skill on the part of boatbuilders.

Over the last few decades, the advent of modern adhesives and high-quality marine plywood brought about the first major innovation in lapstrake building methods: "glued plywood" lapstrake hulls. This method of planking produces very strong, stiff, and beautiful hulls that never leak. This is progress, to be sure, but glued lapstrake boats still require molds and arcane joinery skills. It isn't a process suited to amateurs.

In 1997, Chesapeake Light Craft developed a way to build lapstrake boats without molds or complex "rolling bevels" on the lapstrake planking. Using sophisticated computer design software, we are now able to devise hull shapes that will assume a round-bottomed shape without a jig or "torturing" of the wood. A special "rabbet," or groove, is machined into each strake so that they are self-aligning. They are wired together just like a stitch-and-glue kayak. When these joints are filled with epoxy, the result is a remarkably stiff and strong hull that is visually indistinguishable from traditional lapstrake planking.

LapStitch™ construction is featured in these CLC boats:

After more than 15 years of development, the evolution of LapStitch™ has reached the stage where we can render complex lapstrake hull shapes in complete confidence without "strongback" molds. Chesapeake Light Craft can design and build for you LapStitch™ hulls of any shape or size.

How do I order this kit?

Click on the Buying Options tab the top left of this page and follow the directions.

If I buy one of your boat kits, what else will I need?

Chesapeake Light Craft kits contain all the parts and materials you need to build the boat. The kit includes pre-cut parts, hardware, epoxy, fiberglass, plans and instructions. Our standard kayak kits also have the seats, hatches, bulkheads, footbraces, and the deck-rigging. About the only thing kits don't include is the final finish: paint or varnish. Your boat's color scheme is entirely up to you.

You'll need a few ordinary tools, like a cordless drill, a decent 5-inch sander, and for most boats a wood plane. You'll need disposables such as sandpaper and paint brushes and mixing cups.

You need a workspace a couple of feet bigger all the way around than the boat you want to build, and you'll need to be able to maintain temperatures between about 55 degrees F and 95 degrees F during steps when epoxy is being applied or curing. Since a lot of boatbuilding gets done during winter, we've written up some tips on how to heat a cold space cheaply, easily, and safely.

How much does this boat weigh and how much can it carry?

The weight and payload of this boat, along with other statistics such length and beam, can be found under Specs in the Specifications section, which is just below the lead image seen at the top of this page.

Can you send me the plans digitally?

Sorry, but until digital rights management technology for marine architectural work catches up to that used for books and music, we are unable to transmit digital plans. Currently, only study plans and manuals can be sent digitally.

Graceful, Flexible, and Swift

Eva H's Annapolis Wherry floating above its reflection on Isabella Lake, Cal.

Grace Under Oars

So many of our customers who have built an Annapolis Wherry write to tell us how graceful she moves through the water. They are also delighted by the many compliments they get when underway--whether on the water, on the launch ramp, or even when they stop at a gas station.

A green Annapolis Wherry built by Tim M, floating on Thompson Lake, Portland, Maine

Row from Fixed Seat or Sliding Seat

The Annapolis Wherry is built with fixed seats for rowing, but we know that our customers who enjoy rowing as a sport are often drawn to sliding-seat rowing. The Annapolis Wherry was designed so that one or two Drop-in Rowing Units will fit neatly around the two fixed thwarts. The units can be removed and reinstalled as desired.

Are You Strictly a Sliding-Seat Rower?

The Annapolis Wherry moves through the water with such serene speed and finesse that many of our builders choose to forego the fixed seats and just install a drop-in rowing unit, as this builder did. This saves time moving between seat configurations and gets you on the water and moving quickly.

Adding fiberglass to the interior of an Annapolis Wherry

Extras