Woodvale Fours - Boat Design Factfile
The design brief for the Woodvale Fours boat was as follows - “To design a rowing boat capable of undertaking an Atlantic crossing, to accommodate four people and their stores, with a quick production time and competitive purchase price”.
After considering various options, we decided to stick with a similar layout to the tried and tested Woodvale Pairs boat. As with the original two-handed boat, much of the consideration has gone into sea keeping qualities in bad weather. The aim has been to produce a boat that will be capable of safely sitting out inclement weather, be by and large self-righting and as comfortable as possible in such circumstances. The intention of this being to deploy ropes or drogues from the stern and attempt to lie stern-on to the seas. This technique reportedly, worked well with the two-handed boat in all three previous Atlantic Rowing Race events.
The “accommodation” has been designed to be “very snug” for all four crew members and has been shaped to reduce the parasitic windage to a minimum. The space provided will hopefully prove reasonably comfortable for sheltering one or two crew at a time.
The central rowing area has been designed to hold two rowing positions and generally we would expect best progress to be made by two pairs of rowers alternating. The pair on a non rowing shift can rest, eat and make necessary repairs/maintenance to the boat.
The accommodation and rowing space considerations have meant that the length of the boat has increased to 29ft. This is also desirable in order to carry the extra weight of crew and stores, which will be required for an Atlantic crossing. The extra length will of course allow a greater maximum speed for short periods.
As with the shorter Woodvale Pairs boat, we have tried to balance the areas of keel and skeg with the profile windage to help promote good directional stability. However particular attention should be paid to fore and aft trim as a means of adjustment for optimum setting for various wind directions and sea states. Geometry may also prove beneficial in achieving the best compromise.
The Woodvale Fours boat is 29ft long with a 6ft beam and is made from a biaxial core cell sandwich. Woodvale Fours boats are produced from a mould and will be supplied to teams as a completed hull with both fore and aft cabins fitted (but minus all fixtures and fitting, and unpainted).
This is a technical boat that has been designed to be fast and competitive, whilst strong enough to withstand the most extreme conditions.
Woodvale Fours Boat Specification
Boat Designer: Woodvale Challenge
Length: 8.8 meters (29 ft)
Beam: 1.8 meters (6 ft)
Weight: 380Kg
Build information: Hulls produced from a mould and made from a biaxial core cell sandwich.
Number of crew: 4
Click for a schematics diagram (PDF)
(Last Updated: 12-11-2007)