18' Bassett Pulling Boat (2019) - FIREFLY

Ken Bassett’s Firefly is a recreational pulling boat with the performance to thrill novice and intermediate sliding-seat rowers and kindly enough manners and adequate freeboard to keep them dry when the sea-state becomes lively. Equally important, she is a delight to look at.

Inspiration to build the Firefly came as I was perusing the many yellowed rolls of boat plans collected over decades by my late uncle, a wooden shipwright who made his living crafting traditional wooden boats in Sidney, British Columbia. Partially hidden between the many pages depicting Whitehalls of different lengths were Ken Bassett’s mimeographed plans for Firefly. I was immediately drawn to her sweeping sheer, needle-like hull design, sliding seat, and low freeboard—markers of a performance-oriented pulling boat. My initial attraction quickly grew into a sound commitment to build the boat to the best of my nascent abilities, a tribute of sorts to my uncle’s life and life’s work.

The Firefly is constructed from 6mm Okoume which is glued to African Mahogany-capped Sitka Spruce chine logs, keelson, and gunwales and laminated frames of spruce. A book-matched cherry breasthook and knees bookend the gently-curving sheer and bring a sense of permanence to the boat’s ephemeral lines. I followed the plans closely, choosing only to alter the design of the sliding seat system and outrigger. For its elegance and efficiency, I chose to use Puuvenepiste’s Poseidon seat system, which I had on-hand for a Savo 650D that I was also building. For the outriggers, I modified Colin Angus’ design to fit the Firefly.

The boat sits delicately on the water, barely disturbing the surface tension and leaving a perfect reflection of her sweet constitution. Feeling more water-strider than 85 pound boat, she is slippery and seemingly hydrophobic. A few strokes on the nine-foot oars propel her to hull speed with the slightest gurgling at her stem and a small rise at her stern. Strapped into the foot stretchers high above the swooping gunwales, one initially feels tender and exposed. And yet, I have come to rely on my time spent rowing the Firefly on the mountain reservoirs and lakes of eastern Utah to re-establish a deep sense of balance and calm in my life. It is in these moments that I feel closest to my departed uncle and understand the passion that drove a deep commitment to his craft.