Whaleboat O28 ocean rowing boat side

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 We build high-end ocean rowboats for adventurers

Whaleboat O28 ocean rowboat front view
Whaleboat O28 ocean rowing boat side

Ocean rowing boat O28

The Whaleboat O28 is a fully equipped, high-tech ocean rowing boat, with cabins, ready to take on any ocean. We are incredibly proud of her lines, and even more of the top quality build and engineering.
Life on board an O28 is easier, as she is filled to the rim with new solutions for common ocean rowing challenges.

Learn more about the Whaleboat O28

Open water rowboat C23

Whaleboat started developing rowboats in 2005. Our first builds were one-off ‘open’ rowboats, without cabins. Rowing these one-off boats ourselves for thousands of miles at sea armed us with deep knowledge about what makes a rowboat work well in all possible conditions, geographical and meteorological. This knowledge and experience resulted in the award-winning C23, the most versatile adventure rowboat in the world.
Our customers have rowed C23s from the North Sea to as far as the Banda sea,  have surfed them down the waves of iconic European surf spots and camped on some of the most remote beaches in the world.
With the C23 you are assured to live adventure at its purest.

Learn more about the Whaleboat C23

C23

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whaleboat_boatbuilding

Whaleboat

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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Jul 27

Open
Congrats to Team Migaloo! These guys just finished a 6-day training session on The North Sea with the O28 ‘Jan Martens’. No cutting corners here! No training on lakes, rivers or protected waters. They went out, full frontal, and experienced the harshness of the open sea. Fierce (spring) tidal currents, pouring rain, and frequent thunderstorms. A typical Belgian summer… Apart from the actual rowing, they exercised with the para anchor, cleaned the bottom of the hull at sea, they navigated at night, through busy shipping lanes, and they learned to use the autopilot. They even practiced a MOB at night with a +2 knot spring tide! Keep up the good work guys! @teammigaloo #Oceanrowing #northsea #whaleboatO28 #thunderstorm #taliskeratlanticchallenge #atlanticcampaigns #training #nature #raw

Congrats to Team Migaloo! These guys just finished a 6-day training session on The North Sea with the O28 ‘Jan Martens’. No cutting corners here! No training on lakes, rivers or protected waters. They went out, full frontal, and experienced the harshness of the open sea. Fierce (spring) tidal currents, pouring rain, and frequent thunderstorms. A typical Belgian summer…
Apart from the actual rowing, they exercised with the para anchor, cleaned the bottom of the hull at sea, they navigated at night, through busy shipping lanes, and they learned to use the autopilot. They even practiced a MOB at night with a +2 knot spring tide! Keep up the good work guys!

@teammigaloo
#Oceanrowing
#northsea
#whaleboatO28
#thunderstorm
#taliskeratlanticchallenge
#atlanticcampaigns
#training
#nature
#raw ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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Jun 21

Open
The fantastic ladies of @blueatlantics on their maiden trip! Lots of laughter and hard work brought them to @royalnorthseayachtclub . Well done ladies! @libecohome #ovinto @grafitypselfadhesiveproducts @igepabelux @mother.life.official @andre_and_leon @one2seven_algarve @scurion @viveshogeschool @sevenstaryachttransport @weareelements.eu @rab.equipment #bracasport @antwerpmaritimeacademy Waeterloos Accountants #girlpower #TWAC #madebythesea #twac2023 #taliskerwiskeyatlanticchallenge #oceanrowing #northsea #oceanrowing #ocean #4womeninaboat #whaleboatO28 @jachthavenvvwblankenberge

The fantastic ladies of @blueatlantics on their maiden trip! Lots of laughter and hard work brought them to @royalnorthseayachtclub .
Well done ladies!

@libecohome
#ovinto
@grafitypselfadhesiveproducts
@igepabelux
@mother.life.official
@andre_and_leon
@one2seven_algarve
@scurion
@viveshogeschool
@sevenstaryachttransport
@weareelements.eu
@rab.equipment
#bracasport
@antwerpmaritimeacademy
Waeterloos Accountants

#girlpower
#TWAC
#madebythesea
#twac2023
#taliskerwiskeyatlanticchallenge
#oceanrowing
#northsea
#oceanrowing
#ocean
#4womeninaboat
#whaleboatO28
@jachthavenvvwblankenberge ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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Jun 3

Open
The Whale’s back home. Roaming the North Sea. @libecohome @grafitypselfadhesiveproducts #ovinto @igepabelux @mother.life.official @andre_and_leon @one2seven_algarve @scurion @viveshogeschool @sevenstaryachttransport @weareelements.eu @rab.equipment #bracasport @antwerpmaritimeacademy #oceanrowing #whaleboatO28 #jointhefrontrow #northsea @w.w.s.v @de.kust

The Whale’s back home. Roaming the North Sea.

@libecohome
@grafitypselfadhesiveproducts
#ovinto
@igepabelux
@mother.life.official
@andre_and_leon
@one2seven_algarve
@scurion
@viveshogeschool
@sevenstaryachttransport
@weareelements.eu
@rab.equipment
#bracasport
@antwerpmaritimeacademy

#oceanrowing #whaleboatO28 #jointhefrontrow
#northsea
@w.w.s.v @de.kust ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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May 31

Open
Preparing for their ocean crossing later this year, pairs Team Migaloo spent last weekend at the Belgian coast for a first training in a Whaleboat 028. 30 NM on the North Sea are now done and dusted! Tristan and Aidan enjoyed surfing on a 2-knots spring-tide North Sea current. Not so much rowing against it though... nor beating against a 5bft Northeaster, full frontal on the bow. But they made it, smiling, after 10 hours of ocean rowing. Congratulations, and see you soon for more training! #whaleboatO28 #TWAC2021 #teammigaloo #northsea #oceanrowing #taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge #jachthavenvvwblankenberge @team_migaloo

Preparing for their ocean crossing later this year, pairs Team Migaloo spent last weekend at the Belgian coast for a first training in a Whaleboat 028. 30 NM on the North Sea are now done and dusted! Tristan and Aidan enjoyed surfing on a 2-knots spring-tide North Sea current. Not so much rowing against it though... nor beating against a 5bft Northeaster, full frontal on the bow. But they made it, smiling, after 10 hours of ocean rowing. Congratulations, and see you soon for more training!

#whaleboatO28 #TWAC2021 #teammigaloo #northsea #oceanrowing #taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge #jachthavenvvwblankenberge
@team_migaloo ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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May 2

Open
Future ocean rowers! We will have a Whaleboat O28 ocean rowing boat on the water for viewing and try outs. Teams are welcome to test the boat on the North Sea in Blankenberge, Belgium, under the professional guidance of boatbuilder and licensed skipper Koen. Please send a PM for info on prices and availability. Book your weekend on the water now! #whaleboatO28 #northsea #oceanrowing #rowing #adventure @w.w.s.v @de.kust @visitblankenberge #expedition #explore #adventurerowing #rowtripping

Future ocean rowers! We will have a Whaleboat O28 ocean rowing boat on the water for viewing and try outs. Teams are welcome to test the boat on the North Sea in Blankenberge, Belgium, under the professional guidance of boatbuilder and licensed skipper Koen. Please send a PM for info on prices and availability. Book your weekend on the water now!

#whaleboatO28 #northsea #oceanrowing #rowing #adventure
@w.w.s.v @de.kust @visitblankenberge #expedition #explore #adventurerowing #rowtripping ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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Apr 22

Open
That unique moment when a giant wave crashes on deck and blows you out of your shoes, or when the boat hits 15 knots, surfing down a wall of water, is always the moment someone forgot to turn on the camera, or the battery died just moments before the grand spectacle. And often, conditions were simply too rough and we were holding on for dear life, not thinking about the bloody camera. So we have to do with less spectacular images from the ocean. Nevertheless they present a good view of the daily conditions we faced on the Atlantic during our row. Portuguese seamen had told us about this very strange year, with a lot of rain, cold and miserable. Frequent low pressure systems, creating winds from directions, abnormal for the time of year. And right they were! We experienced it all from the front row! 😏 #jointhefrontrow #whaleboatO28 #oceanrowing #atlantic #wave #heavyweather #atlanticocean #ocean #gopro #Portugal #oceanrowboat #rowing #surfing #surf @jelleveyt @libecohome @andre_and_leon @grafitypselfadhesiveproducts @one2seven_algarve @weareelements.eu @scurion @4gold.official @igepabelux @mother.life.official @viveshogeschool @sevenstaryachttransport @antwerpmaritimeacademy @taubevideo

That unique moment when a giant wave crashes on deck and blows you out of your shoes, or when the boat hits 15 knots, surfing down a wall of water, is always the moment someone forgot to turn on the camera, or the battery died just moments before the grand spectacle. And often, conditions were simply too rough and we were holding on for dear life, not thinking about the bloody camera.
So we have to do with less spectacular images from the ocean. Nevertheless they present a good view of the daily conditions we faced on the Atlantic during our row. Portuguese seamen had told us about this very strange year, with a lot of rain, cold and miserable. Frequent low pressure systems, creating winds from directions, abnormal for the time of year. And right they were! We experienced it all from the front row! 😏

#jointhefrontrow #whaleboatO28 #oceanrowing #atlantic #wave #heavyweather #atlanticocean #ocean #gopro #Portugal #oceanrowboat #rowing #surfing #surf
@jelleveyt

@libecohome
@andre_and_leon
@grafitypselfadhesiveproducts
@one2seven_algarve
@weareelements.eu
@scurion
@4gold.official
@igepabelux
@mother.life.official
@viveshogeschool
@sevenstaryachttransport
@antwerpmaritimeacademy
@taubevideo ...

whaleboat_boatbuilding

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Apr 7

Open
*** Front Row *** Captain’s log excerpts *** We set off from Portimaõ, Portugal on the 25th of February at 10.15 am, after careful deliberation with our weather router Fritz. Weather conditions were far from perfect to start, 4m waves from the WNW - remains of a mid-Atlantic storm - and wind from the WNW. Quite a rough start, but not to worry, things should improve the following days. The goal was to head out as far west as possible, then go south, pushed by the prevailing north winds. Once south of Madeira we would start the crossing west, even as high as the 28th latitude! A cunning plan this was, the standard route is to start the crossing between the Canaries and Cabo Verde, latitude 19th and lower, the easier option because of the more constant trade winds pushing the boat across. But going this far south would make the trip to Miami even longer! And we had an extra 1350 NM / 2500 km to row even as the crow flies, on top of the 2700 NM / 5000 km for the crossing. Unfortunately, from the first night Jelle got seasick and Gijs and I had to rearrange our shifts, meaning even less sleep. Well, no biggy I figured, seasickness in these conditions is part of the game. In fact I was expecting this to happen. When Jelle and I rowed along Indonesia before, he got seasick often. Besides, I wasn’t feeling too great myself. Building the new boat, setting up the campaign, finding sponsors in these challenging times, all within 1 year, appeared to had influenced my sea-legs! I felt exhausted and nauseous. Even threw up an orange juice, quite the surprise for me! Never had been seasick in my life. Continue reading in the comments below... #jointhefrontrow #oceanrowing #captainslog #logs #whaleboatO28 #waves #portimao #captain #rowing #canaryislands #tenerife #navigation #surf

*** Front Row *** Captain’s log excerpts ***

We set off from Portimaõ, Portugal on the 25th of February at 10.15 am, after careful deliberation with our weather router Fritz. Weather conditions were far from perfect to start, 4m waves from the WNW - remains of a mid-Atlantic storm - and wind from the WNW. Quite a rough start, but not to worry, things should improve the following days.
The goal was to head out as far west as possible, then go south, pushed by the prevailing north winds. Once south of Madeira we would start the crossing west, even as high as the 28th latitude! A cunning plan this was, the standard route is to start the crossing between the Canaries and Cabo Verde, latitude 19th and lower, the easier option because of the more constant trade winds pushing the boat across. But going this far south would make the trip to Miami even longer! And we had an extra 1350 NM / 2500 km to row even as the crow flies, on top of the 2700 NM / 5000 km for the crossing.
Unfortunately, from the first night Jelle got seasick and Gijs and I had to rearrange our shifts, meaning even less sleep. Well, no biggy I figured, seasickness in these conditions is part of the game. In fact I was expecting this to happen. When Jelle and I rowed along Indonesia before, he got seasick often. Besides, I wasn’t feeling too great myself. Building the new boat, setting up the campaign, finding sponsors in these challenging times, all within 1 year, appeared to had influenced my sea-legs! I felt exhausted and nauseous. Even threw up an orange juice, quite the surprise for me! Never had been seasick in my life.

Continue reading in the comments below...

#jointhefrontrow #oceanrowing #captainslog #logs #whaleboatO28 #waves #portimao #captain #rowing #canaryislands #tenerife #navigation #surf ...