Our SD stands for Smith Design, after our Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Peter Smith. Pete has been with our company almost 40 years and is the authority on composite boats. He designed this boat to be low cost, yet feel like a high end racing scull. Once you try one, we think you’ll agree!

These boats are made in the same molds as the VHP hulls, so you know they’re fast, stable, and comfortable to row. The difference is in the materials.

While the VHP is 100% carbon fiber with a honeycomb core, the SD is a hybrid lay-up, where the single weighs in around 40 lbs [+/-]. The rower’s cockpit area [footstretcher to rigger mount] is honeycomb cored with carbon and fiberglass skins. This makes the boat very strong and responsive, as this is where the power is generated. The bow and stern ends of the boat are a carbon and fiberglass laminate. They hold the shape of the VHP hull for that nice feeling of run, yet they have some give so a large portion of the hull is ‘resilient’, therefore resistant to denting, punctures, etc.

The riggers are an aluminum alloy which is hard coated and bow mounted [except for pair riggers]. Pins and hardware are stainless steel. The seats and tracks are the same as those found in the VHP. The footboards are similar to the VHP and use the same shoe plate which allows for easy heel depth adjustment and quick shoe changes. The plate is inexpensive and a club or individual could easily keep a few different shoe sizes mounted and install the correct ones depending on who was using the boat. Like the VHP, the SD also has a “snap-in” fin which requires no tools or caulk to install and it will not leak. The fin features a “break away” design, minimizing the risk of hull damage.

The SD hulls are painted with a low maintenance “flat” white hull paint and a UV resistant matte clear coat on the interior.

We’ve also designed a sleek mounting bracket for adding pontoons. It easily attaches under the pins with a strong receiver for the pontoon bracket. Add a pair to a single and you’ve got a great learn to row platform!