Are these foot rests or something else?

[allanyed]

The below is a plan of a 35 foot shallop from RMG.  I have never seen the items in question and wonder if these are nothing more than foot rests on which the rowers can plant their feet for more support when rowing.

Allan

[Chuck]

Stretcher boards.  Long boards sit in those "V"s which the rower then pushes against with their feet.

 

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

Allan, I'm embarrassed. I know I've seen round foot rails depicted before, I thought in Pinnaces or Barges, but this morning I can't find any examples. I'd say Chuck's nailed it except in this case it seems to be set up for two positions.

Also note the round foot rail for the aft thwart in this enlargement.

 

Drat, the forum re-sized it.

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by iMustBeCrazy

[druxey]

Yes, those are for the stretchers, as Chuck has said. The double set of wiggly lines are a carriages for a small set of steps which presumably turn slightly.

[georgeband]

Here's a photo of a restored gig at Portsmouth (UK) which has angled footboards which can also be adjusted for length of leg. This footboard has three slots into which it can fit. 

George

 

 

[druxey]

In the old days you had to be either short or tall - nothing between! Three stretcher positions are a positive luxury.

[Roger Pellett]

As a teenager I spent several summers at a Summer Naval School on a lake in Northwestern Indiana.  They had a fleet of  “Whaleboats”; heavy wooden double ended boats rowed with 6- 8 oars. One oar per rower.

 

During the stroke one’s butt was lifted off the thwart thereby transferring body weight to to pulling the oar.  The stretcher absorbed the reactive force from the stroke.  The stretchers in the sliding seat shells serve the same purpose except here the force comes from leg muscles.

 

In building my RN Longboat model, I included stretchers.

 

Roger