oars for rowing an enterprise

dunedin said:
But AFAIK the centreboard still came up above the thwart - and if down the handle at the top of the board would end any family life if ran aground. Hence why said fine for two rowing, one each side, but not one person other than a (current or future) eunuch.
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You are not wrong, but a blunt knife lifting you up is sl better than an axe blade pinning you down...
 
It has been many years, but I do remember the centreboard problem with rowing a wooden Enterprise, I think I remember blowing up and using my inflated Mae West lifejacket as a cushion. Very cheap in the 1960s from army surplus stores, and my favourite dinghy buoyancy aid ever: you could just have a tiny bit of air in it so it didn't obstruct movement and still look as though you were complying with club rules.
 
I can't remember the detail of an Ent centreboard case but could you just cut a plywood seat a couple of feet wide and screw two wooden blocks onto the underside, located the right distance apart to sit snugly each side of the CB case? Then it could just sit there for rowing but would be easily removable. Maybe held in place with a bit of cord somehow?
Edit - actually, thinking it through, could the board be removed if it's purely for rowing use? In which case the temporary rowing seat could have a piece poking out of the bottom that slotted into the CB case to keep it in place.
 
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Enterprise hull is wide and flat by rowing standards, I would think you would want to keep all the directional stability you can , so my guess would be 1/2 plate and centralised rudder also, it's easy enough to remove the plate but doing it on the water would get very wet once the bolt is removed. Certainly on the Caledonian you would want to sail whenever possible
 
Surely fairly simple to cut the CB to shorter chord that did not extend above top of case. Or fabricate a new CB for rowing. OP has not said he wants to be able to sail the boat but we would presume a useful option. If with a cut down rig. ol'will
 
William_H said:
Surely fairly simple to cut the CB to shorter chord that did not extend above top of case. Or fabricate a new CB for rowing. OP has not said he wants to be able to sail the boat but we would presume a useful option. If with a cut down rig. ol'will
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The Caledonian canal (which he said he wants to do) is about 50NM long. That would be a heck of a row in a boat that is non ideal - I think given about 2/3rds of it is open loch, the OP is a sailor and there’s no suggestion to the contrary, I think we can assume he intends to sail it too.
 
If the OP is going to row when he can't sail he will be facing the wrong way for enjoying the scenery, and he'll have to keep looking over his shoulder to avoid collisions.

If he prefers to use oars rather than my suggestion of sculling or using a yuloh, he could emulate the Venetian gondoliers and use a single oar on an outrigger (while serenading his crew and passers-by), or use two crossed oars like the Maltese dghajsa men. :D
 
Poignard said:
If the OP is going to row when he can't sail he will be facing the wrong way for enjoying the scenery,
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Surely the scenery is all around and there is no right or wrong way to be faciing?
Poignard said:
and he'll have to keep looking over his shoulder to avoid collisions.
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That is more of an issue especially in the canalised sections - perhaps a mirror would help, or since an enterprise is commonly sailed with crew, perhaps he has an attentive crew?
Poignard said:
If he prefers to use oars rather than my suggestion of sculling or using a yuloh, he could emulate the Venetian gondoliers and use a single oar on an outrigger (while serenading his crew and passers-by), or use two crossed oars like the Maltese dghajsa men. :D
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I've noticed people rowing dinghies backwards around moorings to see where they are going. Not sure how much less efficient it is...
 
You need to be set up for all the options to change when you get tired. I would agree fit a rowlock on the transom for one oared sculling and more than one set of rowlock plates on the sides so you have the option to row pushing forward - and a seat firmly fixed over the centreboard although you will need the centreboard down a bit to run straight. Good seating position and foot rest very important. Needs to be forwardish such that the transom sits out of the water when fully loaded otherwise it will drag.

Do some trials and see what works. Presumably you are going to sail whenever you can.

Open to the forum for someone else doing the same - is there another budget sailing dinghy that would be capable of doing the trip that would be better for rowing? GP14 probably too heavy.
 
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Years ago a friend rowed Loch Ness in a racing 8. They were setting the record for the row. He said it was really depressing as the banks are so far away that it was hard to see any progress. Took several hours in a (fairly good) racing crew.
 
Egret said:
Open to the forum for someone else doing the same - is there another budget sailing dinghy that would be capable of doing the trip that would be better for rowing? GP14 probably too heavy.
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I inferred from the OP that he already owned the enterprise. Switching boat for better rowing probably makes no sense, as something else will be compromised instead. All boats are a compromise.

As Dunedin posted there’s a fairly regular traditional dinghy gathering on the canal every few years - perhaps slightly less “racey” styled boats - Sail Caledonia Raid. I’ve considered doing it in the past (when I was daft enough to maintain a wooden dinghy). I don’t think a GP14 would be too heavy. Unless someone has a “support crew” meeting them on land each night the difference between an enterprise and a GP14 is less than the difference between packing really light and making sure you are comfortable! Most of the boats on the raid will be heavier than a GP14. If you find rowing isn’t as good as you hoped - you can always add a small outboard.
 
thanks for your consideration, I think i might have a go at making a sort of booster seat to go on the center thwart and sit over the centerboard as has been suggested.
 
SebLeney said:
thanks for your consideration, I think i might have a go at making a sort of booster seat to go on the center thwart and sit over the centerboard as has been suggested.
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Probably a good idea. As I said, and Ent with proper oars and rowlocks rows adequately for the few times you really need to row. The rest of the time it's a pretty good sailing boat, far faster than any good rowing boat with a tiny rig. Though the dory in the link earlier is pretty, but esentially a rowing boat with a sail that will do well downwind or on a reach.
 
oldbloke said:
I'm sure that will row better but would that make up for the much poorer sailing?
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I don't know - to be honest I don't know the detail of the route, the balance of sailing and rowing to be expected.
But I do know that for good rowing over any distance, you want the mast down, a reasonably narrow waterline, and no underwater protruberances, or no rudder, no CB.
 
SebLeney said:
thanks for your consideration, I think i might have a go at making a sort of booster seat to go on the center thwart and sit over the centerboard as has been suggested.
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Sounds a plan. For doing the Caledonian Canal, worth working out how to also carry and fit a small two-stroke outboard - eg Mariner etc 2.5hp.
And choose your weather very very carefully before venturing into Loch Ness - can get very bumpy in a brisk wind. Wait and choose a gentle day.
 
I have rowed three classes of sailing dinghy and by far the worst was the Enterprise. My GP 14 was heavy to row but with the rudder in place and the till lashed midships it went fairly straight. Provided that there was zero wind. My YW Dayboat was even heavier but during a trip from Largs to Carradale single handed I lost the wind going round the north end of Arran and had to row several miles until it picked up again in the Kilbrannan Sound. It can't have been too bad for rowing. The University sailing club had Enterprises and I propelled them by muscle power only once. No oars were provided, only two paddles which two of us used to little effect but with lots of effort. Mainly going in circles or sideways. I took care after that to avoid taking them out in calm conditions. They did sail well and were very handy in narrow channels, tacking easily and making good progress to windward even in light airs.
By the way, suitable oars would be the type found in a Mirror dinghy. There must be lots of them in garages and lofts left over from when the owner of the boat got fed up repairing the holes in the floor and burned the hull. All you need to do is devise a comfortable seat to bridge the centre board and arrange for decent footrests
 
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