Oar Making Course

We have now finished the two week Oar Making Course - and have some oar shaped pieces to prove it!

Six great students, Hazel, Jes, Jack, Charles, Ben and Craig started off on the 19th March with some practice with basic woodworking - sharpening and preparing timber. We then got on to some simple joints and also started to glue together the basic part of each of the six 'macon' style gig oars. This was a complex job - 11 individual pieces for each oar had to be glued together in the right order and kept straight in the process. As you can see from the pictures a lot of time was needed just setting up and checking alignment before any glue could be applied. We worked 'full on' each day and did a fair bit of overtime as well!!

New Gig is nearly finished!

Our splendid new pilot gig is almost complete.  All the principal woodwork is complete, and she is being given several coats of varnish. The suggestion is that the inside will remain varnished rather than white to show the workmanship. It is hoped that she will be paraded through Swanage over the weekend of the 14th / 15th April before being blessed and launched, probably from the beach near the Mowlem. A crew will give her an inaugural row into the Bay before she is prepared for her trip to the Scillies for her real baptism. She will have a busy first year with plenty of rowing to be done in her.

The naming will take place soon as the schools have returned the  children's entries; they will be displayed in Swanage Library for the month of May - so go ijn and have a look at the quality of the artwork.

The new gig is well underway and taking shape in Fowey. The pictures help to give some real understanding of the skills required to build a boat which can be rowed hard and yet last years... The naming competition becomes real when we can see the gig being constructed...

Maurice says the the blue gig in the background is Sidmouth's new gig...

5 planks up and riveted

Louis marking out the top plank - you can see the curve before fitting.

First batch of ribs steamed and temporarily in place, with a coat of  clear wood sealer applied.

Some details of the oar making Course

The outline details of the oar making course at Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy have been released. The aim of the course is to provide Bursaries for 6 young people to learn to make full set of Douglas fir and Ash oars at the same time gaining valuable woodworking skills and oar-making training. Those selected will achieve a  Level 1 City and Guilds Award (8 credits) in Construction Skills and a Boat Building Academy Oar Making certificate. Accommodation in Lyme Monday - Thursday will be provided, too, making this a fantastic opportunity for anyone who lives in the local area who feel they would benefit from such learning new skills. To qualify you should be disadvantaged through unemployment, disability of other factors, and available to attend a two week course. Further details will be made available shortly.

The benefits of gig rowing

In case you were wondering, Gig Rowing is one of the most inclusive sports known to man. At the top of the scale there are teams of super-fit world class rowers who regularly bring home silverware for the trophy cabinet.  This weekend we went out across the bay with a crew with ages ranging from early twenties to a first time lady who, discretion being all in these matters, has been enjoying her free bus pass for a number of years and who put it a very creditable performance.
From a personal view, I joined last May having spent a lot of time unwell, inactive and putting on weight. Since then I have gained my sea legs, lost nearly four stones in weight and  learned how to breath again. There are very few people who couldn't benefit from a session at sea in a gig and help is always on hand for those who need it.
Clubs activities range from rowing in regattas to leisurely voyages to local beaches for picnics and swimming. There is a great sense of social community in the club as well. There are sections for juniors, adults, veterans and super veterans so nobody is left out. Rowing is particularly suitable for young people as it teaches teamwork, self reliance and brings a great feeling of well being. The club runs open rowing sessions where any member of the public can come along and try a trip around Swanage bay as well as training sessions for intermediate and advanced rowers.  come along to the stone quay in Swanage at 9.30 on a Saturday morning with some waterproof shoes, some drinking water and we will show you the basics.

Boat Building Academy (BBA)

The BBA is a not for profit private training organisation based on Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis. We have a small team of instructors who primarily teach boatbuilding and fine woodworking to students of all ages. We run a range of short courses as well as our flagship 38 week course in boatbuilding and maintenance. Although we are known for building traditional wooden boats we also build composite (wood/plastic and pure grp/ frp boats) and cover repairs for modern craft. Oar making is one of the core elements of our existing courses and we are looking forward to setting up and running the gig oar making course for Swanage Sea Rowing Club! Have a look at our web site www.boatbuildingacademy.com for more information

Welcome to SSRC's blog about our new Pilot Gig!

After some hard work by the Club, we have secured the funds towards purchasing the first new wooden gig for SSRC for 8 years from Canford Environmental Ltd and Entrust, the Regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund. A proportion has had to be raised by the Club with the familiar commitment by members to undergo all sorts of activities to achieve our goal but we are now able to go ahead with the project.

Maurice Hunkin

We are pleased to announce that Maurice Hunkin of Fowey in Cornwall has been commissioned to build our new gig.


In order to fulfil the conditions attached to the grant the club is looking for 6 young people aged 16 – 25 who live in Dorset (preferably Swanage) and who are unemployed to take part in a 10 day oar making course at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis to provide them with fresh skills and opportunity. An advert will be placed in the Swanage and Wareham Advertiser to that effect. The club has also made a commitment to increase the numbers of 16-25 year old who take up rowing; it was thought that accreditation to British Rowing’s ‘Explore Rowing’ scheme would be the best way to achieve this. In addition the club needs to provide 200 hours of youth volunteering for 16 – 25 year olds. A youth volunteering coordinator is needed to identify roles suitable within the club and to liaise with local volunteers.