The Whitby Fisherman’s Amateur Rowing Club commissioned this stitch-and-glue rendition of a traditional Cornish pilot gig. Whitby is in North Yorkshire on England’s east coast, and the club will be racing the six-oared boat against traditional gigs.
The design of these fast-rowing boats dates well back to the 19th century. No one has ever tried a stitch-and-glue Cornish pilot gig, and at 32 feet long, it’s undoubtedly among the largest quick-assembly stitch-and-glue projects out there.
We started with the lines of Treffry, built in 1838 and considered the paragon of the type. We adapted CLC’s LapStitch™ system for quick and strong construction by novice builders. Very little in the way of a mold is needed, just a few female cradles during the hull assembly operation. Ten structural bulkheads add great stiffness to the hull and support a variety of fixed rowing seat geometries, depending on the racing ambitions of the crew.
Hull #1 went together very quickly and without drama over the winter of 2015. Starting from a CNC-cut kit, initial hull assembly takes as little as three days. Here’s what the Rowing Club had to say about the prototype:
“The kit was very good, fitted together with no alterations. Stability was very good. The speeds vary depending on [seating] position, in some positions achieving 10 knots.”
There are now quite a few Whitby Pilot Gigs on the water in the US, adopted by rowing clubs for racing and training programs.
Kits for the Whitby Pilot Gig start around $3,500 for the CNC parts, and $7,250 for the complete kit. With every part milled out on Chesapeake Light Craft’s CNC equipment, assembly is quick and precise. Puzzle joints speed the joining of 9mm Okoume hull planking (12mm for the sheer strake) to full length. Pricing is subject to change without notice. Contact [email protected] for complete pricing and options.
The gig is stitched together upright in a simple building cradle for convenience and to ensure accuracy. Then, the hull is flipped, and the LapStitch™ seams are bonded with epoxy. A modest amount of fiberglass fabric reinforcement is added below the waterline, inside and outside, while all surfaces are sealed with epoxy. With the addition of laminated rails, the structure is rigid, light, and durable.
The Whitby Pilot Gig uses 12'6" sweeps set in thole pins or Concept II locks.
