Exactly 10 years ago, in March 2014, the 1st Liteboat boat left our workshop in Pontcharra (french Alps).
My vision was to make rowing easier and more accessible to everyone: you don’t need to be an expert or an accomplished athlete to discover the benefits of rowing! Our aim was to design and build boats that were both very stable and very light, and since then we’ve built thousands of Liteboats that navigate all over the world.
Over time, however, I’ve come to realize that our range of boats is mainly aimed at sporty people. To take accessibility a step further, I wondered what kind of boat would be suitable for a slightly less sporty audience, and would allow the rower to take a passenger on board. I thought it might be interesting to rethink the concept of the rowing boat, by creating a very stable boat but rethinking it from the Liteboat angle:
- use carbon and vacuum infusion to make the boat as light as possible
- ask our architect, Sam Manuard, to design a planing hull for exceptional glide.
- provide large hatches and storage space for expeditions.
Our X Row was born! A pretty 5-metre boat weighing around 55 kg, it’s a great way to experience the pleasures and benefits of easy rowing for everyone. Carbon, technology and, above all, a lot of passion went into building this new boat.
Long live X Row!
Mathieu Bonnier, Liteboat founder
