Delicate Work

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 543, 21 December 1928, Page 11

Delicate Work

Building an EightOared Rowing Shell ACCURACY REQUIRED New Zealand's victory in the Australian rowing world has considerably revived interest in a sport that was in danger of slipping badly in the Dominion. Public attention should be attracted particularly in Auckland this season, in view of the local association’s decision to hold the Auckland championships on the Whan, a course that The Sun’s sports writers have urged for some time past. One of the most pleasant scenes on

the Whau this season will be a race between two picked, crews in the best-and-best eights. Even to a layman’s eyes the boats are particularly well constructed, and the delicacy of treatment and scientific bracing is the more remarkable when one considers that a boat 63ft long, carrying eight heavy men, and acting as a medium for the transmission of their strength, is only two feet across at its greatest width. Considering this we may form a faint conception of the care and consummate skill required in their building. A few figures will show the care necessary on the part of the builders. The weight of the boat is about 2751 b, working out at 4ilb a foot, and this shell (while floating perfectly upright in the water) has to carry a,n average load of 1,4001 b, made up of the weights of the eight members of the crew, the coxswain, and the oars. Should the centre of gravity of the boat be in any way removed from the dimensional centre, one member of the crew would

have to incline his body from the vertical to keep the boat balanced. Since that would obviously have a disastrous effect on his rowing, we see the necessity for exact symmetry in the planning of the boat. In building the craft the framework is first laid down. The timber used for this is American pine, a species of wood almost impervious io water. The most delicate operation is the shaping of the 120 ribs, of which no two are exactly alike. These are cut from blocks of sycamore with a fine bandsaw and planed down to the nearest 25th of an inch. Fitting the ribs to the framework is probably the easiest of all the builder’s many tasks, providing the beds for the ribs have been perfectly cut into the frame. The ribs being fitted, the work is again tested for accuracy. The framework completed, the next step is no cover the boat with what is called the “skin.” This is made from cedar, the the pliability and mildness of flat timber are essential. The particular cedar used is imported from Mexico,

■where about one tree in 50 is suitable for the builder’s requirements. The timber is sawn into long strips, 26in in width and 3-16th of an inch in thickness, so the difficulty of the operation may be fully appreciated. The moulding of these sheets is a matter of great difficulty: they have to be carved into the exact shape for covering the whole exterior of the frame. The method employed is to moisten the wood on one side, at the same time heating it with gas on the other. By these two opposed process the timber stretches on one side and contracts on the other until the shape desired is attained. This, of course, has to be done very slowly, otherwise the cedar will crack and become useless. The next step is to attach the skin to the framework with small copper nails. As the extreme frailty both of the frame and the skin has been pointed out, it is needness to remark that this nailing must be attended with the greatest care. It takes about 2,000 copper nails to fasten the skin:

but since it is done to the builder's satisfaction the work is nearing completion, though mounting the outriggers is a matter requiring attention. It is obvious that the riggers must be attached to a more solid foundation than the skin: for each rigger is the mediuam for the transmission of a man’s strength and is subjected to very hard treatment. To support the riggers a piece of timber known as the washboards is fitted round the top of the boat. This is made of the same material as the skin, but is three times the thickness. It remains to cover the bow and stem with prepared linen, and to varnish the whole. Five coats of varnish are used. Each must be thoroughly dry before the next is applied, and the process takes considerable time. The boat is then complete except for the fitting of stretchers, slides and accessories; but it is unnecessary to dwell on these. They may be seen in process of manufacture at our local sheds.