A Good Rowboat

A man can easily become attached to a really good rowing skiff, because a really good rowing skiff is difficult to find. Ration is the kind of boat you will become attached to, not the kind you will wish to sell. She is a long boat with plenty of room for three; two to pull, one to give directions and idle the time away. Or two to pull, and duffel bags stowed in the stern sheets for a camping trip down the shore a spell.

This latest of the family has a length of 16 feet; she is 15 feet on the water line, and has a breadth of 4 feet. The draft of the hull is 3 3/4 inches, under the skeg an inch or so more. The freeboard at the bow is 1 foot 7 inches; at the stern, 1 foot 2 1/2 inches; and at the lowest place, 11 inches. I had a boat like her built some years ago which, while shorter, was of the same proportions. She proved to be a fine little hooker, and this one will be as good.

The lines show a hull having very generous flare in the topsides; an easy sweep to the bottom, with bottom of stem well below the water line, and good sheer. If she is built exactly like these lines and plans Ration will be an exceptional boat for the purpose designed.

And so we have Ration, a little boat that will go without gasoline. And a little boat that can be used for many purposes in peaceful pursuits, or in occupations that have connection with the winning of the war. It is hoped that Ration will epitomize wholesomeness and simplicity in our notions of what a boat should be to obtain the greatest pleasure in existing times and for the least effort and use of few materials. There is a lot to be said for this kind of thing.

PHOTOS OF RATION