8.9m of beauty
The Whaleboat O28 is a carbon fibre/ foam/ epoxy matrix, vacuum infused ocean rowboat, 8.9m long, 1.9m wide, for a crew of 2 to 5.
The O28 doesn’t just have the looks – we know, she’s beautiful – but is also optimally functional.
Her longer waterline makes for a faster boat, with larger cabins, where even the tallest crew can rest in comfort, fully stretched out.
Designed for rowing
The O28 is designed to handle like a proper rowboat. Our design minimises the impact of the wind on all angles of the cabins, creating a much more versatile boat. It’s not built for running downwind only, and will deal with headwinds and side winds too. As such, the O28 is a perfect option for ocean crossings in any direction.
Racing is key but safety is priority
The O28 is fully self-righting, even without ballast. The roll-test surpassed all simulation results. So in the off-chance of a capsize, relax. It won’t take long to roll back on your feet.
The entire inner structure of the boat is made of vacuum infused carbon fiber sandwich panels. Two keelsons combined with bulkheads make a compartment. Every single one of these 20 compartments is taped to the deck and the hull, creating individual watertight areas. Even with several punctures the boat will stay afloat. This extremely rigid and stiff construction makes the O28 one of the most seaworthy and safest on the market. Just smile and wave to the approaching freighter’s crew as they prepare for impact…
Tech talk
Robust autopilot capable of dealing with the slower speed of rowboats. Designed to steer much bigger rudders, it can adapt course continuously without getting fried like so many other autopilots. The entire steering system is mounted below the floor level, resulting in maximum aft cabin living space.
Sliding seats construction and adjustment system reduce lateral movement. Wheels are located beneath the seats, protected against direct impact from sea water. Seats stay attached to the boat at all times, and load on the wheel bearings is reduced.
Anatomic seats designed by a prosthetic technician to reduce those backside pains.
Recessed solution to lock the dagger board, keeping the deck area flush and clean. No more injuries to toes and feet caused by protruding dagger boards.
More tech talk
Revolutionary foot steering system using a wheel instead of a rotating footplate. Wave goodbye to knee inflammation and strained ankles.
A look at the stern
The extended cabin surface has space for optional extra solar panels, in case you crave that extra long shower!
We flattened the aft section slightly to optimise the surf hydrodynamics. Adding more initial stability and reducing the risk of broaching when surfing down a wave.
The Captain’s quarters
The largest cabin, situated aft of the vessel, houses the navigation and communication center, and provides a large sleeping compartment.
Most of the ship’s electronics for navigation – chart plotter and AIS – and the communication equipment – VHF (both portable and fixed versions) and satellite phones – are located here. The battery management system with LED screen and waterproof switch panels completes the list.
All electronics are housed in waterproof IP68 boxes. In case of flooding all electronics keep working! A unique feature in ocean rowing.
The Captain, a giant in both wisdom and size, and a second equally sizable crew member can comfortably sleep side by side, fully stretched out, as the mattress in this cabin is more than 2.1m long.
All steering components and the auto pilot are located under the floor, not in the back of the cabin, thus guaranteeing full use of the cabin space. Another unique feature.
Custom made, sturdy storage nets are easily accessible. They provide plenty of space for everything you want to keep close at hand, while ample compartments under the floor can hold all other gear.
The forecastle – front cabin
As in the old days, the less fortunate sleep in the bow of the boat. In fact, in the O28 also this cabin is spacious, and can house 2 crew members with ease.
The same custom made, sturdy storage nets are available here as well, for easy access to the most frequently used items.
Under the floor is more room for extra batteries, and alternative energy solutions (like hydrogen).
Get in touch
We help your adventure plans come true
Read about 20 years of designing and building rowing boats, the love for adventure and especially about our recent ocean expedition, this week in Knack magazine. (in Dutch)
Thank you for the article @ingridallaerts!
https://weekend.knack.be/lifestyle/magazine/drie-mannen-en-een-roeiboot/article-normal-1742021.html
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Ever wondered what the Whaleboat O28 cabin interior looks like? Head over to whaleboat.be/O28 for details.
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The Whale’s back home. Roaming the North Sea.
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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!
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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!
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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! 😏
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*** 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...
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Front Row logistics update
With the boat now in the Canaries instead of the US we have had to pull together a plan to bring it home. The original plan included a sponsored transport back to Europe by @sevenstaryachttransport. A new plan has come together on short notice. So many new friends helped out without hesitation. Our eternal gratitude goes to Jos and the Marina Puerto Chico officials for their professional help. Also a big thank you to Lea and Juliette for being the best fender Jan Martens ever had 🙂
@libecohome
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***FIRST IMAGES BACK FROM THE OCEAN!!!***
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And the crew appear to be lying down on the job! What is going on?
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Well, you might have noticed the team pointing in a strange direction recently... this is due to the low pressure system north of them, which is creating north westerly winds. So the boys have had to deploy their para anchor... what is a para anchor? We've asked top-flight ocean rowing coach @duncroy1 to write our guest blog today to explain what a para anchor is! 👍🏻
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A parachute anchor is deployed in big seas and/or conditions which make forward progress either unsafe or not possible. The Para anchor is deployed off the bow of the boat, pulling the bow into the unfavourable conditions and therefore stabilising the boat. 🌊
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It also slows progress so boats don’t go in undesirable directions losing precious ground they have had to fight so hard to gain. Similarly to a normal parachute slowing your decent to earth 🪂 .
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Fun fact: a para anchor is also known as a sea anchor 🤓
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Myth busters: a para anchor is not a ‘power anchor’ and the team are not using a metal anchor because they are used when near land where the sea bed is shallow - unless the team has 4 miles of rope on board they won’t be deploying theirs! ⚓
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I hope this is of use 👍🏻
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Huge thanks to Duncan for explaining that - you can find out more about his services over at www.rowingroy.com 🙌
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Read more at www.jointhefrontrow.be
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Main partner: @Libecohome
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Creative geniuses: Yanina & Felix from @andre_and_leon at www.andreleon.be
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Our intrepid adventurers may have gone to sea in a tiny boat, but that’s not to say it is limited in its technology. And whilst we wait for our rowers to adjust to life at sea (so that they can have the energy to send footage home), this pre-recorded video shines a light on the Whaleboat’s unique autopilot system. 🎬
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Many rowing boats (if they have an autopilot at all) will use a tiller system, i.e. a lever or ram that pushes the rudder one way or another based on a bearing. Most tillers are designed for faster moving vessels, and so when applied to such a slow moving boat, it is constantly adjusting causing them to wear out, overheat, or simply break. 😩
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The Whaleboat has a more solid solution; one that is integrated with the chart plotter. Our system is connected to the rudder by an electrical actuator with a clutch system which takes a lot of strain off the steering components. The construction also takes up zero cabin space, but is still easily accessible. 🙌
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The benefits of this system go beyond reliability, ease of access and maintenance: The crew can program a route in the chart plotter (all the way to Miami if they so wished), and as long as they keep rowing and don’t need to change course because of the weather, that autopilot will get them to Miami! 🇺🇲💪
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In the case of an emergency, or for tight manoeuvres in a marina, they can switch to a manual steering system from the deck, that overrides the autopilot (more on that soon!) 🔜
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The boys are feeling a lot better, and all mouths aboard the boat are now eating which is fantastic! 😋
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The land support team are really enjoying the engagement from you all! So let us know if there is anything you want to know about this amazing crossing. Tell us in the comments and we can cover it in a post soon! 🙏
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Read about the ocean crossing on www.jointhefrontrow.be
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Main partner: @Libecohome
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Creative geniuses: Yanina and Felix from @andre_and_leon at www.andreleon.be
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All About Navigation. The crew are now onto day 6 of their voyage, and conditions haven’t been particularly kind: Bad weather is making life difficult for them, with cold, wet nights and seasickness as a result. 🤢
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So with crashing waves and bad weather, in the pitch dark, and facing backwards – how on earth can they navigate?! 🤷♀
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This pre-recorded video “All about Navigation”, is episode 3 of our "What do you need to cross an ocean in a rowing boat" series, and the crew explain how all the onboard technology, keeps them on track. 📏
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As you can see, the Whaleboat has a lot of clever kit on board, GPS, Chart plotters, a custom autopilot system, but their secret weapon is Fritz! 🙋♂
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Fritz the weather router (we introduced him a while back) – will advise the crew every day of the best direction to row in to take advantage of the weather, currents and sea state. ⛈🌊
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Sometimes Fritz will give co-ordinates to aim for, sometimes he’ll just give a direction to row. The crew can enter either the co-ordinates or the bearing into their chart plotter, which talks to their autopilot, which controls their rudder…so all the crew need to do is row, and not fall in! 🚣
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Whilst sat in the rowing positions, illuminated digital read outs tell the rowers some of the detail that is being shown on the chart plotter inside the cabin. Their bearing, speed, and distance are all displayed which allows them to keep an eye on their progress. And if they’re approaching another vessel an alarm will sound allowing them to contact the vessel on the radio to make sure they don’t hit each other! 💥
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Thankfully the worst of the seasickness seems behind them and the crew are starting to settle into their brutal shift pattern. 💪
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Read more at www.jointhefrontrow.be
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Main partner: @Libecohome
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Creative geniuses: Yanina & Felix from @andre_and_leon at www.andreleon.be
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With the Whaleboat flag flown high, this epic photo taken by @migueltiteca shows our fearless crew leaving the shores of mainland Europe, on their way to mainland USA! 🇪🇺🌊🌊🚣🌊🌊🇺🇸
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A little over 24 hours into the crossing, the next few days are crucial. ⚠️
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Rowing an ocean is hard, really hard. But during the first 3-5 days our team may be pushed to their limits. 😩
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Plunged into a drastically different world, their minds and bodies are being bullied into submission whilst they adjust to the gruelling schedule. 🚣♀️😴🚣♀️😴
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But it's more than that; whilst they endure these physical hardships, their minds are racing with thoughts of loved ones they have left behind, worrying about them, worrying whether they are doing the right thing, but all the while making progress in their pioneering route to Miami. ❤️
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Keep strong boys - incredible achievements often take incredible hardships... you have this! 💪💪💪
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Read about the ocean crossing on www.jointhefrontrow.be
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Main partner: @Libecohome
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Creative geniuses: Yanina and Felix from @andre_and_leon at www.andreleon.be
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