19' van Veelen Savo 575 S Rowboat (2017) - VACILANDO

From the website: www.puuvenepiste.fi
“The Savo 575 S is the shortened version of the successful Savo 650S and it has inherited many of its good properties from it.

Due to its shorter length the manoeuvrability of the Savo 575 S is excellent while it still tracks well in all conditions and on top of this it could just fit into your garage! Thanks to its light weight, handling the boat ashore is easy and when you want to escape your home waters, just put the boat on top of your car and you are ready to explore new waters.

The top speed of the Savo 575 S is just a little under 15 km/h (8- knots) Cruising at 8-10 km/h (4.3 -5.4 knots) means that day trips of 40 to 50 km can be easily achieved.”

I chose the Savo as my first boat to build for many reasons. I cannot row far in a fixed seat boat because it is too hard on my back. Kayaking is also too painful. I was familiar with the sliding seat arrangement. Because the rower does not bend back and forth with every stroke, it is much easier on the back. I also did not want outriggers that support the oars. Outriggers prevent you from coming along close to a float or another boat. One of my favorite trips was on the Rideau Canal in Canada. In a canal lock you must hold on to a cable on the wall to stabilize your boat while the lock is filling or emptying. An outrigger prevents you from hugging the wall causing some turmoil while the water rushes past you. I also wanted a light weight wooden boat from a kit. At that time there was no printed manual but a rough draft was available online. Ruud van Veelen, the designer, welcomed me to have several phone consultations which filled in the great gaps in my knowledge of boat building.

Another significant advantage was purchasing the kit from Hughes and Company (https://hewesandcompanyinc.com/marine/) in nearby Blue Hill, Maine. With valuable advice from some boat building friends (“Brooklin, the Boatbuilding Capital of the World”) I managed to complete her in just one winter. My goals for this boat were to join the Small Reach Regatta in Brooklin, Maine, and then to cruise the coastal waters of Down East Maine.
The Savo, as designed, has no flotation nor tie-downs for gear. Therefore, I added an interior structure of cedar boards surrounding the sliding seat. This accommodates inflated beach rollers from Duckworks (https://duckworks.com/), on either side of the rower. Gear can also be lashed to the boards. Tide and strong currents are a major factor on the Maine coast. For this reason, I decided to add a 10mm thick outer keel the full length with a half round brass to provide added protection from ever present rocks and barnacles.

The Sarana oarlocks are a great innovation and eliminate the need for the outriggers.(https://puuvenepiste.fi/en/parts_oarlocks.htmlare) . Again, from the website:
“The Sarana oarlock was designed to fulfill the rules of the Finnish Rowing Association for wooden boat racing. Rules stipulate a pin type oarlock is used and feathering of the blade is not allowed. This oarlock consists of a hinged pin. Over this pin the oar, which is fitted with a nylon bushing, is fitted and locked with a hairpin style locking pin.”
You cannot lose the oars. If you need a rest, you simply let go the oars and drift. And, you do not feather, easing the fatigue on hands and wrists on long trips. The oars were purchased from Shaw and Tenney in Orono, Maine (https://www.shawandtenney.com/). Again from the website: https://puuvenepiste.fi/en/parts_oars.html

“The ‘Loiske’ oar is a lightweight ‘all wood’ racing oar. The shaft is laminated from many thin layers of unidirectional spruce. The result is a strong, dimensionally stable oar that does not twist or bend over time. The blade is plywood with a laminated pine rib to give it shape and strength. The oar is well balanced and weighs approximately 1,3 kg for the scull (length 2,55 m and a standard blade) and 3,2 kg for the sweep (length 3,30 m and a standard blade).
On the rowers’ request the oars are available with different lengths and blade sizes.”

The Poseidon sliding seat is a perfect fit for the Savo.
(https://puuvenepiste.fi/en/parts_poseidon_sliding_seat.html) “The Poseidon sliding seat system was developed as an alternative for the racing shell type sliding seat system. The result is a more rugged, comfortable and low maintenance sliding seat system for rowing boats in general. It consists of a seat with grooved rollers sliding on round stainless steel guide rails. The footrest is attached to the same rails the seat slides on. The guide rails are fixed to support beams that are mounted to the frames. No parts of the sliding seat system are mounted on the keel or floor of the boat.”

It is substantially more rugged than others I examined. The seat is not fixed to the rails allowing guest rowers to use a seat of their own if they like, as is the custom in Finland. I found this problematic as occasionally, the seat would jump the track if I turned around or fumbled aboard. To remedy this, I added aluminum cheeks either side of the rollers and bolted a dolly wheel beneath. So, although the seat cannot come off, or float away if the boat is swamped, the seat never jumps the tracks.

Finally, I commissioned a sailmaker to fashion a canvass cover in three sections, one for the bow section, one for the stern, and one amidships. This arrangement prevents spray and rain from entering the boat while rowing and it shelters the supplies from sunshine. When not voyaging, Vacilando lives on our small lake. The midsection cover is added for overnight mooring preventing rain and cormorant poop from accumulating.

As you might assume, I love my Savo. It holds lots of camping gear and is a dream to row. I often welcome a passenger aboard who sits in a stadium seat facing forward. And when she is empty of gear and passenger, when the wind is calm and the sun is setting, I skim effortlessly, silently round and round our small lake dreaming of adventures to come.
I have no plans to build another Savo so the plywood forms, around which the boat is built, are stored and free for the taking. Please contact me if you are interested.