Most Gig Harbor Boat owners prefer to row across open water for relatively long distances with the option to fish, camp, crab, or just take their pooch along for a ride. This requires freedom of movement, an uncluttered floor and versatility for different wind, load and sea conditions. Instead of floor mounted rails our seats are suspended by rollers on the hull sides which leaves the floor unencumbered… plenty of space for tackle boxes, lunch boxes or even your feet when you want to stand up to stretch, cast a line or pull a crab pot. Our wide seats also allow the rower to shift their weight sideways to counterbalance the rapidly moving aforementioned pooch. The beam of our boats is wide enough to be able to eliminate outriggers… if you try to come alongside an average height dock in an outrigger equipped boat you can’t reach the dock! Folding outriggers? Great in concept but when it’s folded in to come alongside a dock you no longer have an oar on that side of the boat. Did I mention our rollers are absolutely silent? The rollers are a type of ‘rollerblade’ wheel but with very soft durometer, UV resistant material. And of course metal bearings in a salt water environment is asking for problems so we make our own exclusive UHMW / Nylon roller bearings for a lifetime of quiet, smooth slide seat rowing. Also note that every one of our slide seat boats has three standard pairs of oarlocks; For good rowing performance a boat’s hull needs to be on its designed waterline. But all true rowing craft have relatively fine ends which are susceptible to weight shift. If you row a Whitehall with one person in the center and a passenger in the stern the added weight in the stern upsets the level of trim. To maintain trim the rower can row from the forward location to maintain trim. Or better yet, get a second air of oars so the second person can row tandem!