...is a 15' sliding-seat recreational sculling boat. Ah ha, you say... but how can you scull in such a short boat? Just fine, thank you very much! A short boat will get you out on the water, into the sun, and will give you a great workout just like any long singles sculling boat. It may not beat them in a race, but what you get instead is a simple and affordable cartopper that you can build yourself. The long, thin, racing shells are nice if you have suitable storage on the water, but very few people have it. So, what's needed to get into recreational rowing is a nice sliding-seat boat that one person can put on top of the car, and at day's end store in the back yard or under the deck. That was the design objective for P. J. Roar. She is 15' long, and weighs 59 pounds, dripping wet. With a roller on the end of a wooden roof rack, she slides easliy on top of the car. Her removable rigging, consisting of the sliding seat, frame and track assembly; foot-stretchers (meaning foot rests); and the wing riggers, all together adds up to 17 pounds. These I carry in the luggage area of the car. Assembly is easy - a matter of two bolts to secure the seat frame to the hull and six more to secure both wing riggers. For launching, wIth a set of canoe wheels on one end, it's easy for one person to move her to the dock or the shore. She is a beamier than the long racing sculls, which usually have 18" to 22" on the waterline This gives her more stability, with less risk of capsize. It also helps to reduce the pitching moment exhibited by some narrow singles as the seat slides fore and aft. In addition, two floatation compartments provide increased safety.

P. J. Roar is a simple boat to build. She's constructed primarily from three sheets of 5/32" marine plywood plus lumber from Home Depot/Lowes or your local home center. See this page for more on construction.