‘We’re digging a lake, and building a boat house, and now we need a boat.’ That was the brief from a couple from West Sussex who wanted a 15ft rowing boat for their family. The delivery date was two weeks hence, May 2007, in time for a father’s birthday, which was too tall an order, so the boat was delivered a year later, in time for his next birthday.

The boat is essentially a scaled down version of my standard 18ft sjekte, with correspondingly more beam. At 5ft 6in it’s a little skinny at that length, but at 15ft it’s fine, making for a wider, more stable boat that proved easy to row and safe.

The form is almost symmetrical fore and aft, with a bold sheer forward which sweeps up slightly at the stern. The price was around £4,500, finished clear varnished inside and outside, with a white bottom to set things off nicely. I have to say that the planking was a joy, the strakes almost made themselves, so sweet were the curves. They conformed almost effortlessly to the moulds, and there’s little or no tension anywhere, which promises longevity.

The boat was launched in June 2008.

Adrian Morgan, Burnside, 80 Strathkanaird, Ullapool, Wester Ross. IV26 2TP Tel: +44(0)1854 666383 Mobile: 07774 843 844 adrianmorgan@viking-boats.com Featured in Classic Boat and Water Craft magazines. www.watercraft.co.uk www.classicboat.co.uk www.sail-the-net.com www.intheboatshed.net