Today we have the handiwork talents and can do it inexpensively. The actual process has little to do with rowing, he said. It's an extraordinarily complicated science. Tytus noted that exotic materials, once too costly, have become more accessible. And that technology has changed perceptions about the art of boatbuilding.
Plastic is every bit as artful, just more subtle.
The shop lays up one boat at a time, and on a recent day had six in various stages of completion. Average delivery time is about eight weeks, Tapp said. It's possible to complete an eight-person boat from start to finish in a week, which workers did for the U.S. women's crew team. The rise in women's rowing, where scholarships are a draw, and in junior rowing have helped the business, she said. We're like innumerable small businesses.