The Glass Casket
This prototype eight was designed by Luigi Colani for Karl Adam, coach of the Federal Republic of Germany's Olympic eight, in 1972. A one-piece titanium frame incorporating outriggers is covered by an opaque composite skin (expoxy, glass and carbon fibre), resulting in a very strong boat weighing only 65-70 kilograms, about 40 kilos less than the lightest eights then available.
Unconventional in every way, the boat proved very fast in a test, but was disabled by a fault in the seats which run on ballbearings on three tracks. It was never used, earning the nickname Glass Casket.
Thomi
A single scull "Thomi" by Stämpfli of Zurich with aluminium outriggers which belonged to Thomi Keller, a Swiss international from Grasshopper Club, Zurich. Keller was president of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and the Association of Summer Olympic Sports (GAISF).
Carbon Cub
Carbon fibre double scull designed by John Vigurs and built by British Aerospace, Weybridge, in 1976. The boat was for Chris Baillieu and Mike Hart, silver medallists in double sculls at the Montreal Olympic games in 1976.
GB coxless four, Sydney Olympic Games 2000
Coxless four designed and built by Aylings which won the Olympic regatta at Penrith Lakes, Sydney 2000. Boat in which Sir Steve Redgrave won his fifth Olympic gold medal, Sir Matthew Pinsent his third, and Tim Foster and James Cracknell their first.
The Victoria, 1854.
Matthew Taylor of Newcastle-on-Tyne built this boat for Royal Chester Rowing Club in 1854. It is the earliest surviving example of carvel smooth-bottomed construction, created by bringing the keel inboard. Royal Chester used it to win both the Stewards' and the Wyfold challenge cups at Henley in that year. In the following year the club ordered an eight from Taylor in which they won the Grand and the Ladies' Plate. There is some evidence that another Tyne professional, Harry Clasper, built a keeless boat in 1842. Between them the Geordie boatbuilders opened the way to shell construction.
Stakhanovite
A prototype four designed for speed by German boatbuilder Willi Karlisch and used by Wallingford Schools Boat Club. In 1973 and 1974 it won J4+ at the ARA British championships and came third in the world junior championships.
Levator Flight
Prototype single scull shell, designed by Michael Elmitt of the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and built by Jürgen Kaschper and Levator Boatworks in London, Ontario.
Oxford's Boat Race winner 1829
This boat won the first Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race at Henley in 1829, the Oxford crew having borrowed it from Balliol College. It was built by Stephen Davis and Isaac King of Oxford in 1828 to a design resembling a cutter. It illustrates the first step in the evolution of boats designed for racing, being almost twice as long and half as wide as an eight-man sea boat of the period. The boat is clinker built of spruce, with main timbers in oak and small ribs in ash. Oars were in ash and of variable length, around 4.3m, with narrow blades.
Nolte's Sliding Rigger 1980
The sliding outrigger boat has a fixed seat with a sliding foot stretcher and winged outriggers. This boat was developed from an old idea by the Cologne student Volke Nolte in 1980, and made by Leo Wolloner of the German company Empacher. It is the first successful sliding outrigger boat.
Nolte was a retired club rower when he produced his design, and he proved its speed by winning a 10k time trial against German national team members in 1981. Such boats were used by the world's top scullers from 1981-83, when they were banned by the International Rowing Federation on the dubious grounds that they were too expensive.