Touring Rowboats

Touring rowboats are boats that are intended for comfortable long distance pleasure rowing. 

There are five broad categories of rowing boats: racing shells, recreational shells, traditional rowboats, dinghies, and touring rowboats.

Some recreational shells and traditional rowing boats might be considered touring rowboats because they are more comfortable to row than racing shells or dinghies.  But the rear facing position required by most of these boats detracts so significantly from the pleasure and practicality of long distance rowing that these boats are hardly ever used for this purpose.

The best touring rowboats have a forward facing position.  The best forward facing system for comfortable long distance rowing is the FrontRower™.  The best touring rowboats are boats that work well with this system.

There are a few other considerations that make for a good touring rowboat.  It should have enough stability to stay upright without effort.  It should have enough carrying capacity to bring some gear and supplies (and maybe a passenger) along, and should have convenient access to this gear.  It should be efficient enough to move easily through the water at speeds sustainable for long periods of time.  A final consideration is the appearance of the boat.  Everyone loves a pretty boat, and if you feel good about the way it looks, this will add to the pleasure of using it.

Most canoes make excellent touring rowboats.  Some traditional rowboat make good touring boats if they can be fitted out with the FrontRower system.  Some recreational shells can be fitted out with the FrontRower, but most do not have the capacity to bring much gear along.  The Odyssey 165™ and Odyssey 180™ rowing boats were designed specifically for the FrontRower with touring in mind.  They have all of the qualities of good touring rowboats.

Please see our recommended canoes page for listing of recommended canoes.

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