S is for Shells

Once upon a time, the waters of the Clyde were alive with boats and rowing was the primary means of transporting goods and people along the river for millennia. Over 30 ancient 'logboats' have been discovered along the Clyde; a crude but effective transport from the Neolithic into the early Medieval period. Two of the best surviving examples come from Hutchesontown, on the river's south bank, found in 1880 and at Rutherglen Bridge, discovered in 1880. Both are on display in the Riverside Museum.

Historic views of the river at Glasgow Green show a wide array of craft bustling up and down and crisscrossing the river. You can often pick out the narrow, slender hulls of racing 'shells' among the small sailing boats, ferries, skiffs, barges, and steam dredgers. These competitive rowing boats were direct descendants of naval boats - the gigs and jollyboats (a misnomer according to anyone who rowed them), once used to ferry personnel to and from ships. Carbon fibre and plastic have replaced wood as the dominant construction materials today, but the basic form of the racing shell has changed little from the mid-1800s.

Glasgow may be more commonly associated with shipbuilding, but there were plenty of small boatbuilders dotted around the city. Those specialising in racing boats included James Banks McNeill, based at the Clutha Boathouse and George Geddes at the Glasgow Humane Society. The two were fierce rivals, though Geddes appears to have had the edge - in 1851, the Glasgow Chronicle noted that the majority of regatta-winning boats were built at the Humane Society yard. In the 1890s, McGruer's Shipyard, based on Adelphi Street, built and attended to many 'racing boats' before expanding into yacht construction and relocating downriver to Clynder.

The first racing shells in the early 1800s were known as 'lapstrake', or clinker boats, and had hulls made from thin, overlapping wooden planks (typically cedar). As the century progressed and rowing became more competitive, boatbuilders began experimenting with new materials and designs to create faster and more efficient shells. This included hulls constructed of papier-mache coated with waterproof varnish in the 1880s (an early form of 'moulded' hull construction), aluminium in the 1920s, and fibreglass from the 1930s onwards.

Tyneside-based professional rower and boatbuilder Harry Clasper was instrumental in many of these technical advances - including inboard keels (to reduce drag) and refining the design and construction of outriggers (1840s). Outriggers provided greater stability and allowed for longer oars and more length to the strokes. This meant hulls could be built even narrower and longer to reduce resistance on the water and increase speed. Clasper was a regular visitor to the Clyde, competing in the 1840s and 50s. 

Another major innovation was the introduction of sliding seats, first seen in the aptly named 'Experiment' shell, built in Chicago in 1857. The seat is mounted on a frame which runs along a set of tracks at the bottom of the boat, allowing it to move back and forth. This movement helps to increase the power and efficiency of the rowing stroke, as the rower is able to use their legs more effectively. Changes in technology also had a knock-on effect on form and technique, as well as influencing the 'ideal physiology' of the rower - as a result of the longer, narrower boats, 'tall and lean' became the norm.

In the 1970s, the introduction of carbon fibre shells revolutionised the sport of rowing, providing significant advantages over traditional wood and fibreglass shells. Carbon fibre shells are much lighter and more durable than their counterparts, allowing rowers to achieve faster speeds and better performance.

The hulls of modern racing boats are typically constructed by layering sheets of carbon fibre, fibreglass, and Kevlar over a mould, bonded together using epoxy resin. The layers are applied in specific patterns and orientations to create a strong, lightweight, and streamlined hull. The boat is then placed in a temperature and humidity-controlled curing room for the resin to set. The process is highly specialised and technologically advanced, from design to materials to construction. Despite this, wood has remained a staple of boatbuilding - handbuilt craft are still available, much sought after, and admired (if considerably pricier!).