Sydney 2000: The Best Boat

'The best boat... ever built'
Matthew Pinsent

When the Olympic crew of James Cracknell, Steve Redgrave, Tim Foster and Matthew Pinsent was formed in 1997, Adrian Morris committed his company, Aylings to sponsor the boat which would be used in the Olympic final, in Sydney, almost four years away.

The specification was to fit four 100 kilo men into the smallest possible boat. The process began with a conventional boat, fitted with aluminium outriggers and wooden seats, but the crew were so powerful that they broke the carbon reinforced shoulders. Next, the internal dimensions were tailored to the crew, uncluding fitting Matt Pinsent's 6 foot 6 inch fram and size 14 feet into the stroke seat, where the hull becomes narrower and rises towards the stern. Morris says: 'It took us eight weeks to move him four millimetres.'

A new stronger and lighter hull was streamlined against the expected cross-winds on the Olympic course. Air was funnelled between the oarsmen, the foredeck was contoured to meet the bow man's back, and the steering mechanism was concealed under the deck. Round-section carbon outriggers were fitted. It was the lightest possible weight. The boat was delivered in February 2000, allowing several months to test it and build two further boats for training and back-up.

Then Jurgen Grobler, the coach, asked: could aluminium riggers be fitted?

The rigger maker Len Neville worked round the clock to produce an aerofoil set, but the boat was now four kilograms overweight. Aylings had no choice but to make a new hull. Brian McMullen of Aylings designed it, and the crew had one outing in it before it was shipped to Australia at a cost of £29,982. It was used only for the three races of the Olympic regatta on Penrith Lake.