Peapod Rower Sailer

The Spindrift Peapod Rowboat is a custom hand built seven-plank design in lapstrake that sets its lines off nicely. She has good handling characteristics and carrying capacity. The rowboat is fun and fast under oar and has two rowing positions. She handles well in all conditions, being very stable in choppy waters, and is safe for beginners. Her 16′ of keel keeps the boat tracking straight under oar and the mahogany glows brightly on the gunwales and seats adding to her appearance. There is sealed flotation in the bow and stern with removable 8″ hatch covers for inspection and storage. There are floorboards available with adjustable footrests that are removable for cleaning and transport. The boat is roomy enough for two rowers and 3 passengers and gear.

The woodwork is made from mahogany and is very attractive. The gunwale rails are riveted together with copper nails and roves in the traditional style and are sealed with varnish. The dagger board and rudder are made of ¾” oak and the mast and sprit are made of spruce. The floorboards are mahogany and come in two parts joining at the midships and footrests can be added and adjusted for different rowers. The seats are fixed for the rowing stations.

The Peapod Rowboat can be custom ordered in a sailing version with the dagger board box and can also be left closed at the keel for those not yet ready for sailing. The sailing rig is a classic design used in the 1800’s. The sailboat has a freestanding mast that slips through the forward rowing seat and the mast sits in a cup at the keel. The sail is a sprit rig without boom, which prevents the need to avoid it when changing tacks, and takes only minutes to rig. The main sail can be stowed on the mast all the time and is simply rolled around the sprit and mast for storage or can be raised and lowered in the usual way. The sail rig comes with a mainsail, jib and storage bags and is the same rig used on the Whitehall sailboat.

The Peapod rowboat has a long history of sea worthiness being used as lobster boats and for rescue work with the Coast Guard as lifeboats or surfboats in the 1800’s. The double ender was designed to break waves approaching from the stern to avoid swamping. There is a story about two lobstermen riding out a gale in a peapod far from land. Nearby was a schooner, reefed down and pitching hard, which offered to take the men aboard. The men declined, they preferred to ride out the heavy seas in the safety of their “Pod”. No matter how the yarn went, there must be some truth in it because the peapods are wonderfully agile boats. Some say the “Pod” originated about 1870 in the waters of Penopscot Bay in North Haven.