This is the boat I’ve always wished that I had. It’s a hair bigger, a hair sportier, and a hair hairier than the 15’8″. It keeps the 48″ wide bottom panel, but with a more pronounced rocker (12″ bow, 10″ stern), a bit more bow flair, it’s a bit wider at the gunnel (80″), and it clearly has the pointy back end. It still has the same flat section in the middle as the 15’8″ and very similar load carrying capacity, but is a markedly bigger boat. You sit in it and just want to row through big waves.
This boat is also optimized for CNC fabrication and designed to US Coast Guard flotation and stability standards. It has a double bottom to the bow locker, which means that you aren’t always reaching down to the bottom to get your sunscreen (and it provides flotation). Just like the 15’8″, it has a forward facing kid or small adult seat in the stern, but is most comfortable with a rower and 2 passengers. Everything but the bow footwell is self bailing.
We are mid-way through building a final prototype of this boat in my shop and will have photos soon. In the meantime, here are some renderings.
