Ted Shoulberg, John Collins and Jim Buckley have a Triple! Ted and John went to Victoria to row the boat and negotiated to buy it – then went back last week with Jim’s trailer to pick it up.* The “triple” was built as a bow-coxed Sampfli pair/double, we’re guessing in the late 1970′s or early 80′s. Looking it over (we are not familiar with Stampfli shells) the original workmanship is exquisite. It’s built like a musical instrument with all the framing under the deck trimmed and shaved to save weight. The half-round deck trim is even tapered.
The new work to make it into a triple involved extending the cockpit forward to allow a third sliding seat to be installed where the coxswain sat in a semi prone position with most of his body under the bow deck. The new frames and splash board extensions are well done but not up to the original Stampfli standard. The splash guard is plexiglass which looks oddly modern on the wooden shell but probably was original and clear so the coxswain could see through it like a windshield.
The condition of the triple as we acquired it was good with the following exceptions: Both under deck ridge beams were broken and flopped over under damaged decks as if the shell had been set on a rack upside down on the decks. An odd and unfair bulge exists at forward the bulkhead that seems to be original. The bow stem is broken. There is some darkening (rot) under the deck trim.
photo by Michael Lampi
Rat Island Rowing was represented by three crews at the Seattle Head of the Lake Regatta November 14, 2004. The Nails acquitted themselves well despite some equipment problems in a borrowed shell. Steve Chapin did very well in the Masters Singles category. He would have done even better had he entered the Open Lightweight category, but who knew? John Collins, Ted Shoulberg and Jim Buckley didn’t come in last in the only Triples race in the country. All of us had a great time.