BBG Bootsbau Berlin GmbH - Racing Shells

History of BBG Bootsbau Berlin Racing Shells: Although BBG can trace it's origin back to Claus Engelbrecht in 1890 the company is remembered as the former VEB Yachtwerft Berlin, as it was first renamed in 1956 as a GDR state owned enterprise with many factories and diverse production of vessels of all kinds. It was in the seventies that they built the first composite rowing shells consisting of a grey epoxy/glass fiber hull and wood framework. The top teams of the Eastern Bloc countries successfully raced these boats. Because of the racing success of DDR crews using VEB boats the state strongly supported development of new materials and testing of new hull shapes to a level never seen before or since in any country. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics 9 of the 16 rowing gold medals were won by crews using VEB boats. By reunification in 1990 over 15,000 boats had been produced at a rate of over 460 per year. By that time over 580 medals had been won in World Championship and Olympic competition by crews using VEB Berlin Yachtwerft boats and practically every Western boat builder had copied the lines and offered "VEB" hull shapes.

The company was then renamed BBG Bootsbau Berlin. The record number of Gold Medals won by crews from all countries using genuine BBG Bootsbau Berlin hulls or copies continues to grow each year at World Championships and Olympic competition. In 2002 at the Olympic Games in Sydney a number of finalists from Germany and other countries chose genuine BBG Bootsbau Berlin boats, in fact the only two German boats to win Gold Medals - the Woman's Double and Quad won using BBG Bootsbau Berlin boats. In 2001, at the World Rowing Championships, the German Women again repeated with gold in the 2x and 4x and received a gold medal in the 4x in 2002. In the Olympics in 2004 the Germans (blue 4x) were 1st in thhe Women's Quad Event outfitted with some Dreher carbon rigging parts.

If you counted the other Olympic winners using copies of BBG hull shapes by other manufactures you quickly come to the conclusion that no faster hull shape exists! Today BBG boats are recognized for their exceptional workmanship, surface finish, and overall quality. They are ISO 9002 certified boat builders. Durham Boat Company, Inc. is proud to be their exclusive partner in marketing to North American customers. DBC has in the past sold BBG carbon riggers and some carbon seats for their top line boats and continues to equip the top line "Olympia" boats sold in North America with carbon riggers, seats and foot stretchers. DBC provides service, spare parts, and repair at our shop in Durham, NH.

New Products for 2003: A new construction model, the Olympia "X" that are now available for Sale. The boats are constructed of multiple layers of carbon over two layers of UV resistant gelcoat with a nomex honeycomb core in the middle. The Olympia "X" hulls have been tested for stiffness and have a defection 3 to 3.5 mm instead of 4 to 4.5 mm for the traditional Olympia construction. Also the "X" construction can result in a shell that is 1-3 lbs. lighter than the Olympia in weight with the absolute weight dependent on the overall length of the hull. The new "X" construction is black with the clearcoat showing the carbon in the outside layer with red trim instead of red with black trim as shown on the traditional BBG shells.

After receiving a Bronze medal in 2003, Peter Ording of Germany, was able to win the World Championships in 2004 using a BBG Olympia "X" single both years.

Also new in 2003 is the BBG lightweight women's 2x made in the Olympia constructon. This is scaled down version of its 70 kg. sized double. The boat is 18.9 inches wide at the gunnel and 11.8 inches at the water line and is just under the FISA weight limit. Testing by the Germans has been most positive. Several of the top German lightweight women doubles are now using the boat, which just came out in January of 2003.

New Products for 2002: A new hull design was introduced in June of 2002 from BBG. This was the new LW single made originally available in the Olympia construction. This boat is now offered in the Olympia "X" construction. This boat has smaller hull enabling a better fit for the 50-70 kg. athlete (i.e., for light to mid-weight women and for light-lightweight men). This boat was drag tested was found to be faster than competitor's models and the BBG mid-weight hull in tank testing due to less drag from the smaller wetted surface area on the new LW hull design.

Boat Construction: The Olympia class of racing shells are made of several layers of kevlar and carbon with a nomex honeycomb sandwiched between with unidirectional carbon reinforcements at the gunnel, side and keel of the boat. The boat deflection is in the 4-4.5 mm range using the standard 20 kg. flex test (i.e., the boat is supported 1.318 m from the bow and the stern). This compares with a test done on K12 Empacher 1x, built in Feb. of 2000), with a 7 mm defection using the same test apparatus and protocol. The rigger supports are constructed from carbon, while the deck has several layers of kevlar and a layer of glass between a nomex honeycomb core. The Olympia boats all have the special hydrodynamic fin and also come with a spare Al fin for training. The Olympia boats also have a thin layer of glass near the surface to facilitate any repairs that may be needed and improve the quality of the surface finish. All Olympia boats are outfitted with Dreher three way adjustable footstretchers with rowing shoes to your specified size, carbon seats and side mounted carbon riggers. All other fittings on the boat, including the fin, will be installed by Durham Boat Company, Inc. All replacement parts are stocked by Durham Boat Company, Inc. and any repairs necessary can be made by Durham Boat Company, Inc.

The Champion boats, are a more rugged design and are suited for club use. The Champion boats are a fiber sandwich consisting of glass and kevlar with unidirectional carbon reinforcements at the gunnel, side and keel of the boat. The boat deflection is in the 6-7 mm range using the standard 20 kg. flex test. The rigger supports and other reinforcements are constructed from carbon, while the deck is has several layers of kevlar and a layer of glass between a nomex honeycomb core. The Champion models are outfitted with DBC carbon seats and footstretchers as described above and come with the standard BBG Aluminum riggers and fin.

Boat Availability: The new 2005 Model Olympia "X" singles have arrived in 2/05 and are available in all three hull sizes. There are couple of demonstration shells still available from 2004 stock and one brand new 2004 60-65 kg. capaciaty Olympia "X" single in stock. Each boat comes with a BBG "T" shirt, a metric tool kit with spare parts, a pitch meter and a spare Al fin and a can of Boeshield.

There is also several used Olympia shells for sale. Please see the Used Boat List.

Boat Testing: BBG Bootsbau Berlin has, for many years, hydrodynamically tested its hulls for drag in a totally enclosed 250 meter long testing facility. BBG tests new hull designs against existing hull designs as well as its competitors' hulls designs at various loads and at various velocities. This is a powerful tool in hull design that goes far beyond computer models and simulations. It is no wonder that BBG Bootsbau Berlin racing shells have racked up such an impressive number of gold medals at Olympic and World Championships events and have been produced some of the most copied hull designs in the world.

Boat Type and Capacity	Model Number	Boat Length	Boat Weight
Olympia "X" (50-70 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62513C	6.78 meters or 22.24 ft.	<14 kg. or <30.86 lbs.
Olympia "X" (70-85 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62511C	7.94 meters or 26.04 ft.	<14 kg. or <30.86 lbs.
Olympia "X" (85-100 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62512C	8.26 meters or 27.1 ft.	<14 kg. or <30.86 lbs.
Olympia (50-70 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62313C	6.78 meters or 22.24 ft.	14 kg. or 30.86 lbs.
Olympia (70-85 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62311C	7.94 meters or 26.05 ft.	14 kg. or 30.86 lbs.
Olympia (85-100 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat, foot stretcher, and rigger	BBG62312C	8.26 meters or 27.1 ft.	14 kg. or 30.86 lbs.
Olympia (55-69 kg.) 2x with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62325C	9.00 meters or 29.53 ft.	<27 kg. or 59.4 lbs.
Olympia (70-80 kg.) 2x with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62327C	9.42 meters or 30.91 ft.	27 kg. or 59.4 lbs.
Olympia (57-80 kg.) 2x/2- with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62329C	9.42 meters or 30.91 ft.	27 kg. or 59.4 lbs.
Olympia (85-100 kg.) 2x with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62326C	9.94 meters or 32.61 ft.	27 kg. or 59.4 lbs.
Olympia (57-80 kg.) 4x with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62347C	11.84 meters or 38.85 ft.	52 kg. or 114.4 lbs.
Olympia (70-85 kg.) 8+ with Dreher carbon seats, foot stretchers, and riggers	BBG62381C	17.22 meters or 56.50 ft.	94 kg. or 206.8 lbs.
Champion (70-85 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat and foot stretcher with BBG Al riggers	BBG62111A	7.94 meters or 26.05 ft.	16.5 kg. or 36.3 lbs.
Champion (85-100 kg.) 1x with Dreher carbon seat and foot stretcher with BBG Al riggers	BBG62112A	8.26 meters or 27.1 ft.	16.5 kg. or 36.3 lbs.
Champion (57-80 kg.) 2x with Dreher carbon seats and foot stretchers with BBG Al riggers	BBG62127A	9.42 meters or 30.91 ft.	31.5 kg. or 69.3 lbs.
Champion (85-100 kg.) 2x with Dreher carbon seats and foot stretchers with BBG Al riggers	BBG62126A	9.94 meters or 32.61 ft.	31.5 kg. or 69.3 lbs.

Other Relevant Information: A discussion of Boat Rigging & Adjustments of BBG Singles with Dreher Carbon Riggers and Foot Stretchers.

• Press here to see the: BBG Price List

• To place an order, press here for an: Order Form

For more information call, write or e-mail:
C. M. Fuerst
Durham Boat Company, Inc.
220 Newmarket Rd. (Rt. 108)
Durham, NH 03824
Phone/fax 603-659-7575
Contact: Cfuerst@durhamboat.com

Last Updated: October 21, 2005