Aluminum rowing shells?

Ken

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Nov 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/30/97

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Anyone ever make a rowing shell out of aluminum (like Grumman canoes)?
They would be indestructible and not too heavy.

Ken

Howard Runyon

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Nov 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/30/97

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The Grumman canoes are made of stock too thick to make a light racing
boat, I think. They're pretty heavy. Some good and light bicycle frames
are made of aluminum, but thin-gauge aluminum has a property not too
troubling in bikes that would play hell with the speed of a racing
shell: It dents very easily. Shallow dents in a bike frame don't matter,
so long as the overall alignment stays on the mark.

Howard Runyon
Chicago

john

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Nov 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/30/97

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In article <65roum$7...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net>, Ken
<cprs...@worldnet.att.net> writes

>Anyone ever make a rowing shell out of aluminum (like Grumman canoes)?
>They would be indestructible and not too heavy.
>
>Ken
>

Yes Ken
Don Ellis of Rereados in the UK (now retired) made them for a number of
years in the 70s they then moved to Ally struts and plastic shell.

I still have one with a plastic shell all the struts are a Ally foam
sandwich to keep it light with strength.

The problems with the Ally shell is that to get it light enough it is so
thin that anything hitting it leaves a dent (it is not elastic enough to
spring back) I seem to remember several of the all ally boats still
being used by juniors at Bedford in UK up to about 1990. He also
experimented with ally looms for both rowing and sculling blades but
they were never very successful in the winter the water keeps freezing
on the loom even when water is above freezing and I think the all ally
boats may have had the same problem.

Gniwor only way to go
john

jer...@magicnet.nospam.net

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Dec 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/1/97

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On Sun, 30 Nov 1997 13:17:07 GMT, cprs...@worldnet.att.net (Ken)
wrote:

>Anyone ever make a rowing shell out of aluminum (like Grumman canoes)?
>They would be indestructible and not too heavy.
>
>Ken
>

We had an Aylings aluminum single in our boathouse some years back. A
nice boat, as I recall; a bit heavier than some, lighter than some.
----
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John/Lyn Wylder

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Dec 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/2/97

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The Atlanta rowing club still has a rereados that is used as a lightweight
club shell. It holds up fairly well but it appears that other materials
are superior for racing shells (either that , or like many things in life
people follow the crowd rather than innovate).

Ronald Joe

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Dec 3, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/3/97

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On Sun, 30 Nov 1997, Howard Runyon wrote:

> The Grumman canoes are made of stock too thick to make a light racing
> boat, I think. They're pretty heavy.

* at one time there was a light weight version of the 17 foot
standard that came in at about 45 lbs v. 70 ish.

Some good and light bicycle frames
> are made of aluminum, but thin-gauge aluminum has a property not too
> troubling in bikes that would play hell with the speed of a racing
> shell: It dents very easily.

* these thin walled aluminum bikes are indeed very thin aluminum
and by design derive their strength from their tubular form and construction.

Shallow dents in a bike frame don't matter,
> so long as the overall alignment stays on the mark.
>
> Howard Runyon
> Chicago

* I think it's an interesting proposal, aluminum shell. I
suspect the problem would not be weight or strength but fabrication
cost. Rivets wouldn't do. Shaping and forming aluminum would then
require expensive presses and forms; or lots of hammering!!!