Whitehall Rowboat
Encyclopedia
Captain's Gig
The captain's gig is a boat used on naval ships as the captain's private taxi. It is a catchall phrase for this type of craft and over the years it has gradually increased in size, changed with the advent of new technologies for locomotion, and been crafted from increasingly more durable...
or a Thames river wherry used by watermen as a taxi service. They were first made in the U.S. at the foot of Whitehall Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to be used to ferry goods, services, and sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s on and off the boats coming into New York Harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
. The boats range from 14 to 22 ft in length, the larger requiring two people to row them. A Whitehall Gig, which is the slightly longer version is 25 ft in length, requiring four rowers and a Coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
for a crew of 5.
They were the first boats to incorporate an inverted-hull frame set up to speed up the manufacturing process.
The hull shape is characterized by a nearly straight stem, and slight flare to the bow, rounded sides, with a keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
running the entire length of the bottom and a distinctive wine glass transom
Transom (nautical)
In naval architecture, a transom is the surface that forms the stern of a vessel. Transoms may be flat or curved and they may be vertical, raked forward, also known as a retroussé or reverse transom, angling forward from the waterline to the deck, or raked aft, often simply called "raked", angling...
with a full skeg
Skeg
A skeg is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard...
. Considered one of the most beautiful row-boats, they are designed to handle the harbor chop
Chop
Chop, CHOP, Chops, or CHOPS may refer to:-Music:*Embouchure, in music, a synonym for chops*CHOPS, Asian-American hip-hop producer, rapper and member of rap group Mountain Brothers*Chops , 2006...
and yet track straight. Speed was the issue with these boats, as the first to the ship with the goods generally received the lion's share of the sales. Later the shore patrol used these boats for customs, police issues, water taxi
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
, and newspaper reporting.
Whitehalls in the early 20th century were a popular recreational boat and were known as the "Bicycle of the sea". A beginning rower finds it easier to row this design in a straight line because of the tracking type keel. Turning requires stronger strokes on one side, and by braking with one oar and pulling with the other the boat can be turned in its own length.
Whitehall designs are currently being built in wood, and also manufactured fiberglass usually with wood trims, and more recently thermoformed in co-polymer plastic. These boats are either traditional fixed seat row boats or slide seat rowing boats. Some models or also including sailing rigs. Many designs are mistakenly being called Whitehalls when they are not actually true to the design criteria. The Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum has a comprehensive collection of authentic Whitehall Lines. Also see volume one of John Gardener's book "Building Classic Small Craft" for a great description of this extraordinary boat.
External links
Modern Boat Builders:- http://www.whitehallspirit.com
- http://www.villagecommunityboathouse.org
- http://www.whitehallrow.com
- http://www.ghboats.com
- http://www.floatingtheapple.org/
- http://www.spindriftrowboats.com/whitehall.php
Classic Wood Boat Builders:
- http://www.clcboats.com/boats/chesteryawl.php
- http://www.greatwoodboats.com
- http://www.rockingtheboat.org
Youth and Community Education Programs using Whitehalls and Whitehall Gigs:
- http://www.whitehallrowclub.com
- http://www.rockingtheboat.org
- http://www.lcmm.org
- http://www.villagecommunityboathouse.org
- http://www.floatingtheapple.org
- http://www.buildingbridgesbuildingboats.org