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Show Kolb- D 765 All provisions and photographic equipment were car-ried under those decks, or nearly all. There were two sir chambers in either end of the boat under those decks. There was an open compartment in the center for a single oarsman. I think that covers a brief description of the boat. It was four feet wide at the beam, and narrowed a little towards the stern, and had the usual sharp bow. Q About what length were the boats? A sixteen feet four inches in length. Q How much water did they draw? A When empty, not over four and a half inches; when loaded so the boat and equipment was up to twelve hundred pounds, it would draw eight inches in the center, and the stern would just be touching the top of the water -- the top of the rocker would just be touching the top of the water. Q What effect did this rocker give to your boat? A The rocker allows the boat to be turned very quickly; it is in that shape, by pushing on one oar car and pulling on the other you can turn it very quickly at an angle in the current; if a boat is flat- bottomed it is very difficult to turn it in a swift current; it wants to keep its course. If it had a keel, it is even worse. Q Preparatory to this trip down the rivers, did you examine any of the historical works on the Colorado river? If so, what ones? A We had lived there nine years before we made our river trip, 2733 |