A.L. ROTCH, Pulling Boat Model 109

Rushton's light, sturdy pleasure row­ rowboats were a mainstay of his shop from 1885 until the shop closed. The 109 Model was built from 1885 to 1893.  These boats may have been based on St. Lawrence River skiffs; however, they are lighter and simpler. The 109 has the flat bottom and hard bilge of the similar-­sized Rangeley, but with l/4" planking, a lighter scantling keel, and lighter bent stems, it is in the 70-pound range. To keep things simple, Rushton built these as symmetrical boats. For longer ones, builders simply added some space amidships in the setup. As might be expected, on the water this boat handles much like the Barrett Rangeley.  Based on the success of the Rangeley boat project, the Model 109-which is about the same size but lighter and eas­ier to build became the next project at Mystic Seaport's boat shop. Ten of these boats were built using patterns based on this set of boat lines. Since then, Rushton's manuscript, "Knowledge," in the Adirondack Museum collection, has become better known (see Hallie Bond's article, "J Henry Rushton's Books of Knowledge", The Apprentice 12, Autumn 1990).  It lists dimensions for plank patterns for all models, which have been tested and found to work.  From 87 Boat Designs by Ben Fuller.  Plans drawn in 1984.

WSP.7.115