SHAVINGS Newsletter of The Center for Wooden Boats - Vol. 5, No. 2 - March-April 1983 - $0.25 Builder's Notebook
T H E RIGHTS O ' M A N GIG By Carl Brownstein I n 1977 I w a s a s k e d t o d e s i g n a b o a t s u i t a b l e f o r s t u d e n t s t o r o w a n d sail o n Puget S o u n d a s p a r t o f a M a r i n e S t u d i e s p r o g r a m a t E v e r g r e e n State College, O l y m p i a . Students w e r e to pay for materials and build the boats under my supervision. I h a d r e c e n t l y r e a d a b o u t t h e p i l o t gigs o f E n g l a n d a n d w a s f a s c i n a t e d b y t h e i r e x p l o i t s i n s a v i n g lives a n d c a r g o f r o m w r e c k e d s h i p s , o r smuggling g o o d s across the English C h a n n e l . Built to race, these boats w e r e d e f i n i t e l y d e s i g n e d t o get f r o m h e r e t o t h e r e t h e fastest p o s s i b l e w a y . F e w s a i l i n g b o a t s , e v e n t o d a y , a r e c a p a b l e o f c a t c h i n g a gig r o w i n g dead to windward. My preliminary designs e x p l o r e d load-carrying capacities versus c o s t s . T h e final d e s i g n w a s a 2 1 - f o o t b o a t that s h o w e d t h e i n s p i r a t i o n o f t h e N o r t h S e a Pilot G i g s , c a p a b l e o f c a r r y i n g five c r e w m e m b e r s a n d g e a r f o r c a m p i n g t r i p s a l o n g t h e s h o r e s o f Puget S o u n d . T h e b o a t s have a f o u r - f o o t b e a m , w e i g h 3 5 0 p o u n d s a n d h a v e a d i s p l a c e m e n t to 1,500 pounds. A class o f 4 0 s t u d e n t s built f o u r gigs i n t w o a c a d e m i c q u a r t e r s a t Evergreen College. Launched on a blustery April day with winds g u s t i n g t o 4 0 m i l e s per h o u r , t h e b o a t s q u i c k l y p r o v e d that t h e y c o u l d b e r o w e d easily a n d h a n d l e d w e l l . . . e v e n b y n o v i c e c r e w s i n a h e a v y b l o w . I n t h e i r first full d a y o n t h e w a t e r , l o a d e d w i t h c a m p i n g g e a r , t h e students put 25 miles behind t h e m . S i n c e that d a y t h e gigs h a v e b e e n r o w e d a n d sailed o v e r a t h o u s a n d miles b e t w e e n O l y m p i a a n d t h e n o r t h e n d o f V a n c o u v e r I s l a n d , a n d t h e y ' v e e x p l o r e d m o s t o f t h e inlets o f Puget S o u n d . T h e b o a t s h a v e e x p e r i e n c e d w i n d s u p t o 5 0 m i l e s p e r h o u r a n d s t e e p c h o p u p t o five feet h i g h . U n d e r sail t h e b o a t s h a v e c o v e r e d 4 0 m i l e s i n 5 1 / 2 h o u r s (better than a 7 knot average). Under oars, crews consistently clock 5 k n o t s in long-distance races. B e c a u s e t h e gigs a r e l o n g a n d n a r r o w t h e y a r e easy t o r o w a n d c a p a b l e o f g e t t i n g o u t o f tight s i t u a t i o n s b y r o w i n g against w i n d o r c u r r e n t s . S t i l l , t h e small b e a m - t o - l e n g t h r a t i o d o e s n o t m a k e t h e m t i p p y . A m a n c a n s t a n d o n the g u n w a l e a n d b o u n c e w i t h t h e b o a t e m p t y a n d n o t s h i p w a t e r . T h e t w o - m a s t e d sprit rig i s m o d e r a t e e n o u g h t o b e safe. R e e f i n g i s d o n e w h e n w i n d s r e a c h 2 5 m i l e s per h o u r . S e v e r a l c a p s i z i n g s have o c c u r r e d , b u t o n l y b e c a u s e t h e rigs w e r e f u r l e d o n t h e
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m a s t a n d left s t a n d i n g w h e n a t a n c h o r i n a s t o r m , o r w h e n t o w e d b y a fishing boat. C o m p e t i t i v e rowing for four-oared boats is slowly c a t c h i n g o n . In the O l y m p i a a r e a t h e field has e x p a n d e d t o t h r e e m e n ' s t e a m s a n d o n e women's team and combinations of men's and women's teams, making f o r a n i n t e r e s t i n g set o f h e a t s u s i n g j u s t t w o b o a t s . T h e c r e w s p r a c t i c e on different evenings a n d so even o n e boat c o u l d serve 20 or 30 r o w e r s . I n p a s t y e a r s A n a c o r t e s has u s e d o n e o f t h e R i g h t s O ' M a n gigs a n d fielded s o m e f o r m i d a b l e c o m p e t i t i o n . T h i s year t h e y a r e e x p e c t i n g t o have t h e i r o w n b o a t a n d s h o u l d m a k e f o r s o m e e x c i t i n g r a c e s . H a v i n g built s e v e r a l W h i t e h a l l t y p e d e s i g n s , i n c l u d i n g t h e gigs, I h a v e f o u n d t h e l o n g , d e e p s k e g w o r t h l e s s . A k i c k - u p r u d d e r w o u l d also h o l d a true course without being subject to damage. T h e long, deep skeg makes c o m i n g about or rounding a racing buoy an impossible chore. Off with the skeg! W h e n I b u i l d a n o t h e r gig I'll raise t h e s h e e r t h r e e i n c h e s a t t h e s t e m , m o s t l y for l o o k s b u t a l s o t o h e l p k e e p d r y w h e n d r i v i n g t o w i n d w a r d . I w o u l d s h o r t e n the c e n t e r b o a r d case a n d m a k e i t a d a g g e r b o a r d , a n d m o v e the s e c o n d and t h i r d t h w a r t s closer together to give b o w and stroke oar more r o o m to move. T h e gigs h a v e p r o v i d e d a d v e n t u r e , e x e r c i s e a n d r o m a n c e t o a v a r i e t y of students a n d c o m m u n i t y groups. These boats have proven to be highly versatile a n d successful cruising craft lor N o r t h w e s t w a t e r s just a s t h e y w e r e d u r i n g t h e d a y s o f e a r l y e x p l o r e r s i n t h e r e g i o n .