Designs

What's special about Aeneas Originals designs?

Innovation:

Starting fresh, completely unbound by traditional methods, left plenty of room for the invention of new ideas.

Things like:

Quick mount outriggers, which fold back on impact to help prevent serious damage or personal injury.

A mahogany coaming and cockpit framework and a ¾” thick midline, reinforced at the ends, all integrated into one super-strong whole.

Oarlock-gates, which will not open accidentally.

Practical sliding seat & outrigger systems, which can be fabricated in the home shop, yet weigh less than “drop-in” rowing units.

Versatility:

Aeneas Originals shells are high-performance wood-strip boats, which may be built as dedicated singles, or convertible “double/singles”, in short, medium or extended lengths. There’s also a high-volume “Expedition” model, which incorporates these ideas in a double/single more suited to open-water rowing. Either width double/single may be converted from one mode to the other, without tools, in less than two minutes. Removing seats and outriggers or reinstalling them, is just as easy. With the newest design improvements, it’s even possible to switch individual outriggers between port & starboard sides.

Strength:

Every Aeneas Originals rowing-shell incorporates a solid cedar, ¾” (19mm) thick keel-section, reinforced hardwood stems, and a cockpit framework made from mahogany lumber and plywood. Each part is designed to create the maximum strength for the least possible weight – The curved panels and wide, sculpted gunwales are not just for looks – Curved panels are far stronger than flat ones, and the distance between connected surfaces is proportional to the ultimate stiffness of the assembly. Imagine a flat eggshell or a house-wall if their are no studs between the sheathing. Imagine the peace-of-mind, knowing that you can run over a rock, or step in the bottom, without fear of splitting the hull;

Iand all of this strength & rigidity is achievable without a lot of added weight.

Beauty:

If they’re well designed, and nicely finished, plywood shells, kayaks and canoes are undeniably beautiful, but ther'e no way they can compare to the smooth rounded contours of bent-hardwood and cedar-strips. To make sure this doesn’t go unnoticed, I’ve designed special "sheer-panel" inlays, which will get attention from anyone who appreciates fine woodwork.

Making the fancy panels requires a few special tools, and it uses up a fair quantity of wood but, if you really want to turn some heads, they’re well worth the trouble.

Complete instructions, and sources for the special bits and cutters are included in the manual. Inlaid-border instructions may also be purchased separately, in case you’d like to use these designs for other projects.