The Camper Rowboat

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Carl Cramer

Once upon a time… this would have had a great deal of appeal for me:

(All photos courtesy angusrowboats.com)

What a great idea:  a camping rowboat.

From the website:

“The Cruising Rowboat offers comfortable sleeping accommodation for one person without sacrificing performance. This boat moves at about the same speed as a sea kayak, and will travel comfortably in rougher waters.

This boat makes multi-day excursions extremely simple; drop the anchor and retire into the comfortable cabin when you’re tired. The watertight design protects the occupant from the heaviest of wind and rain, while an over-sized hatch vent provides plenty of ventilation and keeps condensation at bay.”

Here are her specs:

  • Length Overall: 5.7 m (19′)
  • Weight: 67.2 kg (148 lbs)
  • Waterline Length: 560 cm (18′ 7 “)
  • Width: 112 cm (44″)
  • Watertight compartments: 5
  • Sprint speed: 9-11 km/hr (6 knots)
  • Cruise Speed: 5-7 km/hr (4 knots)
  • Maximum recommended touring load: 400 kg (880 lbs)

Here’s info about the design and build team:

“Angus Rowboats Ltd. is founded by husband and wife team Julie and Colin Angus. Collectively the duo has rowed more than 40,000 km in a variety of oar-powered craft on oceans, rivers and lakes. Recently Julie Angus made history by becoming the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland. Colin is the first to row across the Bering Sea from Alaska to Siberia, and he has also voyaged by oar down the length of the Amazon and Yenisey Rivers.

Rowing craft have always been the vessels of choice for Julie and Colin because of their efficiency and versatility. Due to the limited availability of touring rowboats on the market, it has been necessary for Julie and Colin to design and build many of the boats used on their expeditions. Julie and Colin Angus have drawn on their decades of experience to design the ideal rowing sculls for exercise and touring. Angus Rowboats provides these vessels in kit form so everyone can get into the sport of rowing at a modest price. To learn more about Julie and Colin’s expeditions or their bestselling books, please visit www.angusadventures.com.”

Very nice credentials.  Sadly, the plans are not yet available.  Once finished, they’ll be for sale at a price of $159-$189.  Check their website for availability:

http://angusrowboats.com/Cruisingrowboat.html

I think this is a fascinating approach to rowing/camping.  If I was younger…

If you can’t wait, maybe you’ll be happy with this:

This is Angus’ Expedition rowboat, here:  angusrowboats.com/expedition.html

So — What do you think?  Please comment below.

Thanks, Carl

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3 Responses to The Camper Rowboat

  1. Scott says:
    May 29, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I think this would be a winner in kit form (CLC or similar) – I hope they’ve considered it.

  2. Christopher Cunningham says:
    May 31, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    The camper rowboat is a great concept. In the winter of 1874-5 Nathaniel Holmes Bishop rowed a Barnegat Bay sneak box from Pittsburgh to Cedar Key, Florida and spent many nights sleeping aboard. After reading his book “Four Months in a Sneak Box,” I cold-molded a sneak box to Chapelle’s plans and during the winter of 1983-4 followed Bishop’s 2400-mile route. It took me a while to get used to sleeping in the boat’s tight quarters—it was clear why the earliest sneak box was referred to as “the devil’s coffin”—but when the weather was cold the boat was a much warmer place to sleep. Relying on a tent limits the number of places you can bed down for the night and takes up a lot of time making and breaking camp, so having accommodations for sleeping aboard is the best way to go for long cruises. The Angus Camper is a step up from the sneak box in cabin space and rowing speed. A couple of small windows would provide some light in the cabin, make it feel less confining and allow you to check on things that go bump in the night without getting out of bed.

  3. Maria Simpson says:
    June 1, 2012 at 8:27 am

    This camper rower is really appealing to me–the perfect, simple escape.

    My brother has been building some long distance rowing kayaks; he is currently on his maiden voyage down the mighty Kennebec River. These are 21′ sliding seat rowers, built from a modified Chesapeake Light Craft two person kayak kit. He and his wife plan to use them for long distance, ocean traveling.

    You can see a picture of HOOT and HOLLER here: http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/384145_10150388424187924_512747923_8090974_1679028874_n.jpg

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