THE RODNEY
 

             How much simpler it all would have been, if only Quoyle had
               bought a proper boat - 'a nice little rodney, nice little sixteen foot
               rodney with a seven horsepower engine, nice little hull that holds
               the water, a good flare on it, not too much hollowing, a little boat
               that bears good under the bows.'

             The rodney, or punt, as it's sometimes called, is a round bottomed
               boat, possessing many of the characteristics of a contemporary
               speed boat, but on a smaller scale.  Designed to be rowed, a pair
               of 7 ft. oars and a single sculling oar are still standard equipment
               on a rodney.  Less frequently  used  is a small sail, usually found
               on a removable sprit and boom.  The curve shaped stern meant
               the rodney was virtually double-ended on the waterline, a feature
               which reduced the amount of hull surface in contact with the
               water. The result being greater stability when the boat is rowed
               or sculled.

               Prior to the introduction of the gasoline engine, both the rodney
               and the big punt (precursor of the modern speed boat) were built to
               the same scale, and often from the same model.  Variations in
               the desired length, width and depth could be accommodated by
             adjusting the  distance between mould stations, and increasing
               or decreasing the height of the sides of the moulds - what Alvin
               Yark called his 'sir marks'. Building material was chosen by seeking
               out green (that is, not dried) wood, from trees that grew naturally in
               the shape conceived by the builder.

               The arrival of the outboard motor produced two changes
               in the rodney's hull design - the counter has been cut down
               and the stern profile is more upright.  These changes
               improve the position of the outboard motor, and so enhance its
               thrusting ability.  Rowing and sculling oars are still often used as
               alternative means of propulsion.
 

               A rodney is essentially a general purpose utility boat, designed to
               be sailed, sculled or rowed. Its primary uses were single-handed
               in-shore fishing, or  assisting trap skiffs (larger fishing boats
               that set and haul cod traps/nets).  A third use was that of
               a 'tender' -  a small boat that ferried passengers to shore, from larger
               boats anchored in the bay.

               The origin of the term 'rodney' is not obvious. Folk etymology
               links its origin to Admiral George Brydges Rodney (1719-1792)
               who was appointed Governor of Newfoundland in 1749.  It seems
               the admiral was often to be seen rowing from his ship to shore in a
               small boat. The design was copied by local fishermen, who
               affectionately named it after him.  Another  possibility is an old
               dialect word in English, reference in the Oxford English Dictionary
               as meaning "an idler, or casual worker - a rough fellow". As these
               small boats were so often used for single-handed fishing by older,
               occasional fishermen, this metonymic shift seems reasonable.
               In Newfoundland today, the word is sometimes used as a term
               of endearment for a young child.
 

               For a comprehensive description and outline of construction
               techniques of the rodney, I recommend David Taylor's 1971
               master's thesis  The Boatbuilders of Winterton, available in the
               Centre for Newfoundland Studies of theQueen Elizabeth
               Library at MUN.   For general entertainment and helpful
             translation of many unfamiliar Newfoundland terms, there is no
             better source of enlightenment than the Dictionary of
               Newfoundland English, edited by G.M. Story, W.J. Kirwin and
               J.D.A. Widdowson. Both sources were used by me to develop this
               page.
 
 
 

     s27sf@morgan.ucs.mun.ca