It was with a pang of nostalgia that I read this piece about the demise of Eton Racing Boats today.

ERB are made in ancient boathouses in Windsor, near the school. Though one of them is now a 100ft long oven inside designed to cure the modern carbon construction that these boats use.

I used an Eton in my last race at Henley and it was a joy to row in, although a little fragile in the wrong hands. Stiff as a board and responded to a good burst of power quite nicely.

I can’t quite beleive that they have gone under from pressuere from Chinese imports. The ones I’ve used, Eurochamp in particular, were like sponges for all the good they did in keeping you afloat. Even the cut-price Burgashell could beat them, and every rower knows “There’s no hell like a Burgashell”. Maybe the price difference with sexy US boats like Resolute has just become too small. Either that or the lure of the Adidas trainers the Empacher use intheir boats is just too much for the fashion starved Britsh rowing community.
It’s a real shame to see them go though as Eric patched up many a dropped boat while I rowed and there are some excellent craftsmen that will be out of work as a result. I wish them all the best in finding a rescue package or employers for their staff.