Whaleboat

Had a great time coaching these rascals during the world beach sprint finals in Barletta! Well done guys , more to come for sure!

1990. First boat built.  She was ready to conquer the oceans and seas of this world and so were we!

Made it as far as the source of our local river, the Leie, and we had the time of our lives!

Gold! Whaleboat O28 ocean rowing boat won gold at the Henry van de Velde Design Awards earlier this week. The jury was especially impressed by the 'craft pushed to its limits', and as innovation is one of the main criteria we're even more proud to see our efforts rewarded.

Our thanks to the jury, and all partners for the organisation!

Visit the exposition at Bozar until 2 April.

Learn more about the ocean rowing boats on https://whaleboat.be

Watertight compartments are an essential part of our ocean rowing boats. It's easy to say 'watertight' but how is this tested? Filling each compartment with water would be one way, but the faster and more precise - although possibly very confronting! - solution is to check for airflow. Air can be sucked out of the compartment using a vacuum pump or air can be pumped into each compartment. The result is the same: at least 2 ton/square meter of pressure is applied to the structure, and will hold if there are no leaks. Test succeeded.

Heavy machinery, light boat. Thanks for putting our newest in the water. .jacobsen.3

In the picture: the Whaleboat C23 adventure rowboat and O28 ocean rowboat, a perfect pair.
While preparing for your ocean adventure, the C23 is a great choice for training and getting your sea legs It’s a fully seaworthy boat, easily transportable, less dependent on wind directions than an ocean rowing boat and can take 1 to 4 crew, lots of gear and a serious beating. And when you get back home after your ocean crossing and long for the freedom on the water, the C23 is again at hand to take the family (and dog!) camping along the coast of your choice.
Get in touch for our combination plans for the C23 and O28 and we also have rental options available for both.

New boat, new adventures. Ready for shipping to Miami, feeling 🔆🔆! A world’s first, epic trip in the making, details to follow soon.

Thanks The WAVE - The Coastal & Offshore Rowing Magazine for the feature about our C23 adventure rowboat!

The Wave - The Coastal & Offshore Rowing Magazine The Wave - The Coastal and Offshore Rowing Magazine is your free rowing e-magazine. Bringing you news, features, guides, and more from the world of coastal and offshore rowing. With reviews and interviews, The Wave Rowing highlights stories from rowers and coastal communities from the amateur to the...

Workshop update:
The various steps of building a safe ocean rowing boat are intensely laborious, but the only way to create absolutely watertight compartments that guarantee your boat stays afloat in case of puncture.
Precision fit carbon frames (cut with a water jet) are glued in the vacuum infused hull.
All intersections between these frames, the hull and the keelsons (the parts running the length of the boat) have to be sealed to create the watertight compartments. This is called the 'taping' process, often neglected because of the labour intensive process and cost implications. It involves first creating a 'fillet' - a smoother transition of the 90° angle - these are the white lines in the photos. After the fillets, a strip of carbon with epoxy resin is applied. You can see this carbon on the first frame in the first photo.

The Whaleboat O28 contains 120 meter of fillets and carbon tape.