The majority of rowing boats that currently compete in the Atlantic Rowing Race are based on a design by Phil Morrison from 1996. The boats were designed to be relatively cheap and easy to construct, with inherent self-righting capability; hydrodynamic efficiency and speed were rightly not the primary concerns. For us, our design criteria are a little different. We have to make the most of the fact that we’re not operating in a set class…so we can design a boat that suits us.
Ocean rower Roz Savage battles the waves in her solo ocean rowing boat, designed by Phil Morrison
For our project, Mark is designing the boat himself as the final year project for his Engineering degree, which he’s been studying for while working at Bentley. The only small snag with this arrangement is that Mark’s degree is technically in Mechatronics, which is about as useful to hydrodynamic analysis as a camel on rollerskates – which is why we’ve cunningly recruited a team of experts in the fields of boat design, carbon fibre usage, ergonomics and hydrodynamics. Their input will augment Mark’s undoubted and proven design skills to ensure that we produce a boat that’s strong, fast, comfortable (relatively speaking!) and safe.
By designing the boat ourselves, we can focus on making the boat efficient and fast, whilst remaining stable and keeping the all-important ability to self-right in the event of capsize (which is unnervingly likely – 4o foot waves with 8 foot breakers tend to win over little boats).
The boat has to not only be our method of transportation across 3000 miles of dangerous ocean; it also has to be our home for at least 6 weeks and carry everything that two people need to survive for that long. You can check out all of the equipment we need by clicking on the “Kit List” link above.
Rough specifications of the boat are as follows:
Boat Configuration
Closed-cockpit self-righting monohull with open forward deck area and
sleeping compartment to rear. Full self-righting capability without external intervention. Ability to self-right when fully loaded, empty or any intermediate state
Approximate Dimensions
Bow-to-stern: 8.0 metres
Beam: 1.5 metres
Height: 1.5 metres (excluding keel and propeller)
Construction
Two-skin carbon fibre hull with foam core and carbon ribs
Sprayed copper-metallic coating beneath waterline
Carbon fibre superstructure
Environmentally-friendly epoxy resin derived from soya oil
Powertrain
Single one-gear pedal crankset
Forward leg-operated hobie Mirage drive
Custom twin-blade low speed propeller
Switchable dynamo for emergency electricity generation
Electrical System
Electricity generation by ~250W installed capacity of solar panels
Onboard water desalination system (via reverse osmosis) with 30 litres/
hour installed capacity.
2x 85Ah Gel batteries
GPS navigation system and tracker
VHF radio
Satellite phone
AIS transponder
Bilge pump
Cabin and exterior lighting
Built-in video recording system
Target Performance
Comfortable average cruise: 3 knots
High speed cruise: 4 knots
Maximum self-propelled speed: 7 knots
Maximum design boat speed: 15 knots
Duration Capability
Food storage capacity: enough for 90 days
Water supply through onboard desalination
Safety Equipment
Self-deploying ocean life raft
Emergency tracking, location and homing beacon
Separate emergency radio
Manual water desalinater
Full flares kit
Fire suppression equipment
