‘Raindrop’ has been built by boatbuilder Heike Löwenstein and fellow students during the long course at the Boatbuilding Academy in Lyme Regis. It is a touring rowing boat with wing riggers and sliding seat, modified from the design for the ‘Expedition Wherry’ from Chesapeake.
Wherries were traditionally used on the Thames to transport goods and people before motorised boats were available. The boat is chine construction from marine plywood, glassed with epoxy in and outside, making it very rugged for coastal rowing and touring on any waters. It features ample space for gear accessible through
The main aesthetic feature on the boat is the addition of raindrops on the Sapele plywood deck. Their design was inspired by Heike’s childhood and youth growing up and rowing in Cologne. The raindrops were created by routing grooves into the 4mm ply deck panels and inlaying these with steamed and bent strips of timber – ash, ebony, wedge and burled maple.The boatbuilder also added aspects to strengthen the design for the use of wing riggers which are attached to the boat and were custom made by Neaves R