Fox (boat) facts for kids
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The Fox was a very special boat, designed to be rowed all the way across the huge Atlantic Ocean. It was a type of boat called a surfboat, which is built to handle rough waves.
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Building the Amazing Fox Boat
The Fox was custom-built in 1896. This means it was made specifically for a unique purpose. A skilled boat builder named William A. Seaman created the Fox at his workshop, Seaman Sea Skiffs, in Branchport, New Jersey. He built it for two brave adventurers, Frank Samuelsen and George Harbo, who were from Highlands, New Jersey. They planned to row this boat across the Atlantic!
Who Was the Fox Named After?
The boat got its name from Richard Kyle Fox, who lived from 1846 to 1922. He was the person who helped pay for the boat's construction. Richard Kyle Fox owned a well-known magazine called the Police Gazette.
Special Features of the Fox
William A. Seaman was famous for building strong, safe boats, like the Nauvoo surfboat. He made sure the Fox had some very important safety features:
- Watertight compartments: These were sealed sections inside the boat that would keep it from sinking, even if water got into other parts.
- Handrails on the keel: The keel is the bottom part of the boat. Handrails were placed there so that if the boat flipped over in the ocean, the rowers could grab onto them and try to flip the boat back upright. This special feature was actually used at least once during a big storm in the middle of the Atlantic!
The Fox Boat Today
Sadly, the original Fox boat is no longer around. However, its story is so inspiring that a new version was built!
The Replica Fox
In 1975, a copy of the Fox was made. This new boat is called a replica. It was built by the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club (LBIBYC) in New Jersey. What's really cool is that Harold L. Seaman, the son of the original boat builder, helped with this project.
When he was a young boy, Harold Seaman actually helped his father build the first Fox by putting in many of the rivets (small metal fasteners). At 91 years old, he remembered enough details to help create a full set of plans for the replica. He used old photos, workshop notes, and his own memory to make sure the new boat was almost exactly like the original.
