A year ago I reviewed the Fine, a fast sliding-seat rower from Oyster Bay Boats, a shop in Madeira Park, British Columbia, run by Rick Crook, designer and boatbuilder. I was impressed by the boat and pleasantly surprised that I could row it even after I’d intentionally swamped it. In the past year Rick developed another fast rower, the Salish, a coastal rowboat that can’t be swamped. Rick described the Fine in his website as a “full-body workout machine…wider than a rowing scull, thus more stable, and suitable for ocean rowing, in reasonable conditions.” About the Salish he wrote: “Salish is built for enjoying and exploring coastal waters. She is self-bailing, and by virtue of this, will handle conditions that open boats like Fine may not.” A gasketed hatch in the foredeck provides access to the voluminous forward compartment, which is one of four watertight flotation chambers.
Christopher Cunningham
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Very interesting boat! The self rescuing and possible storage make it extra interesting for adventure racing maybe too. I could not heave it around myself but there are little wheeled dollies maybe for one end to get it on a car rack. For portages, starts to get a lot of junk to pack.
Very good review! I got caught up in the boat as the review brought me there.
Hi Chris,
I move Salish around with a kayak dolly. If I need to manhandle it around for short distances, it balances pretty well at the hatch under the seat. I can take the hatch cover off, and pad the edge of the opening with a rag and carry it on one hip. That is not suitable for a portage, but fine to carry it down a ramp or over the seawall.
Best Regards,
Rick
Interesting minimalist seat/rigger setup.
The vertical rearview mirror is intriguing but did you find the field of vision wide enough?
Are the seat tracks adjustable fore and aft?
As for seaworthiness, what qualifies as reasonable conditions?
The device clipped to the middle of eh outrigger is a smartphone with a GPS app for speed data.
The tracks are fixed. Only the stretchers are adjustable.
Rick mentioned “reasonable” in reference to the Fine rather than the Salish. I think it makes good sense to leave it to the rower to determine what is reasonable, as the rower’s skill, strength, and judgement are as important as the boat’s potential.
Very pretty boat, I would love to see a comparison between this, the CLC Expedition Wherry, and the Angus Expedition Rowboat. I think it would make for quite a test to see how all three stack up against one another.