want an open boat that can be rowed, and sailed?

[Drascombedabber]

want an open boat that can be rowed, and sailed, what alternatives are there to the drascombe dabber?

Are there any modern equivalent designs?

I like the dabber for the two man rowing positions, she sails really well.

I'm lookin to put an electric outboard so she has to be small and light and easily driven.

 

[E39mad]

Swallow Yachts Bay Raider 20 fits the bill

 

[Tranona]

Suggest you get a copy of Watercraft which specialises in that type of boat. most of the builders and designers advertise there. However, many of the boats are home built or come as kits because it is difficult to build them commercially at a profit.

Always a good display of such boats at the Southampton Boat Show.

 

[DownWest]

Second Tranona's advice;
Have a look here: https://classicmarine.co.uk/boatlists/boatpages/tirrik.htm
I have the smaller version Whilly Tern, easily out sails a Dabber
Very able sailer and rows well. For two rowers the Tirrik would be better. But, you need to build it or get some one else to. They do come up for sale though, used.

 

[Neil]

The whammel (not the Coastal) is rowed and sailed

 

[Pye_End]

Falmouth Bass Boat? No idea how easy it is to row, but is of that ilk.

 

[Walther]

What specifically don't you like about the Dabber? There are many alternatives available, but it's difficult to provide a useful recommendation until we know what features you want.

 

[IJL]

A Bayraider 20 would do the job if 20 foot is small enough, They were designed for the sail and oar raid events. Water ballasted and very easy to tow and launch. I has one for a while but sold it a few months ago as the rest of the family were not into sailing.

 

[JumbleDuck]

want an open boat that can be rowed, and sailed, what alternatives are there to the drascombe dabber?

Drascombe Longboat? Just off to play in mine now.

 

[Sybarite]

want an open boat that can be rowed, and sailed, what alternatives are there to the drascombe dabber?

Are there any modern equivalent designs?

I like the dabber for the two man rowing positions, she sails really well.

I'm lookin to put an electric outboard so she has to be small and light and easily driven.

http://www.norseboat.com/Brokerage.html

Norseboat 17.5. Two marines did a good part of the Northwest passage in one.

 

[NealB]

Always a good display of such boats at the Southampton Boat Show.

You're too late for this year, but this is also well worth a visit :

http://www.bealeparkboatandoutdoorshow.co.uk/

It's a lovely day out, in a beautiful setting, with some of the most interesting small boats you'll find anywhere.

 

[langstonelayabout]

The whammel (not the Coastal) is rowed and sailed

A Lune Whammel?

I still have vivid memories of a sailing club day out when a friend that'd borrowed his parents Whammel surprised us all by turning downwind and setting a spinnaker, accompanied by much groaning and squeaking of the rig.

It made us all smile but still the flipping thing plane... Lol

 

[Romeo]

The first thing to accept is that the hull properties for a really good rowing boat are different from those for a good sailing boat. To be able to enjoy rowing a distance you need a narrow waterline beam and as long a waterline as possible, with a fine entry, and indeed a fine "exit". The freeboard should be fairly low at the rowing point(s). It is best if the boat is fairly light. Fore and aft trim is also very important and difficult to achieve because of those fine ends (and you might want different rowing positions depending on whether you have one two or three people on board). Oars the correct length for the boat are usually annoyingly long to store when sailing.

So every row/ sail boat is a compromise. You will not get a boat which is perfect for rowing and for sailing, and your decision will come down to where on that spectrum you want to be. The Lune Whammel, the Bay Raider 20 and probably the Drascombe Dabber fall into the category of sailing boats that can be rowed. Of the three I think I would prefer to be rowing the Dabber, as the other two are just too big and beamy for long distance rowing. The Bay Raider is the best sailing boat there,and has the advantage of water ballast, so that you could reduce weight a bit when rowing. The whammel is a lovley looking boat with lots of space inside and is a good stable platform when taking the family out for small adventures.

At the other extreme you have rowing boats that can be sailed. I am thinking here of boats such as Paul Gartside's flashboat and the sailing version of the Hanningfield skiff. These are generally not easy boats to get hold of...... there is not a big market at the moment, and it is a difficult market to service economically. These boats will be tippy. When it gets blowy however just lower the rig. A rowing boat is more stable that a sailing boat when you are seated and using the boat, because its spars are parallel to the water, and act like a tightrope walkers pole. Rowing to windward is faster than tacking to windward.

Boats that lie between probably include many of Iain Oughtred's designs. The Ness Yole is maybe best fitted for the job, and could be optimised for rowing by thinking carefully about seat and rowlock positioning (and is long enough to store long oars). Also look at John Welsford designs such as the Walkabout: see a friend's blog https://forthsailoar.osbert.org/ .

You need to spend at least as long thinking about the rowing geometry as whoever has been thinking about the sailing rig. Seat height, distance aft from seat to rowlocks, rowlock height, gearing (the ratio of inboard to outboard of the oar), inboard length of oar (degree of overlap) and pitch (angle at which oar blade goes into the water) are all important variables.

Most folk are not ready to ditch the engine and go all out oar and sail. If that is you, you will not go far wrong with a dabber, although make sure the oars are long enough and the rowing seat is in the right place and comfortable, with a footrest to brace your feet against.

Good luck.