Aluminum row boat for kids

[V ger]

At the age of 9 I found my uncles heavy 14 foot wooden rowboat very instructive. While going for a row with my 14 year old brother an a friend of his I quietly slipped the anchor overboard. Covering the anchor rode with a hand on the gunnel I quietly watched my brother and his friend take turns rowing to exhaustion trying to make headway against a perceived extra strong ebb tide. Failing to make headway as single rowers they then put all their strength into rowing the boat with each pulling on a single oar. Once they got their timing right I could no longer keep the rode from slipping aft and exposing my trickery. Thankfully my brother thought that throwing me overboard might generate parental disapproval. As I recall some time after reaching shore my brother taught me that there are limits to tricks you should play on your older brother.

The point is that a rowboat is a great boat for kids to learn with. A row boat is roomy enough to accommodate a few friends, stable enough to allow trading places and makes a great fishing platform. Swimming from a rowboat is much more doable as re-boarding is much simpler. What better reason to go for a row than find a favorite fishing spot or swimming locale. A few sandwiches something to drink and the kids can enjoy the freedom of a mini adventure without being able to go so far as to panic their parents.

One note regarding canoes is that the beam to length ratio means that no section of the hull has enough buoyancy to support the hull on a steep wake and prevent swamping.