“My single was a mold that a boat aficionado took off a wooden boat in Worlds in 1974,” Binkley said. “The design of those wooden boats is so good that you can just use the mold from them to make fiberglass or carbon boats.”

Binkley’s 25-foot creation is made out of carbon instead of fiberglass because though carbon is more expensive, it is also lighter. After over a year of work, it is almost ready to hit the water.

“Right now, I’m practicing welding until I’m confident enough to build the riggers,” Binkley said. “I have to paint the boat, put in the foot stretchers and build the riggers.”

Once his single is complete, Binkley hopes to race it in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta on Martindale Pond in Ontario, Canada. But after that, his boat production career is anything but set.

“I have no idea what I want to do,” Binkley said. “When I started school, I definitely thought about trying to design and build boats and I’m still thinking about it today. It’s my summer job now anyway and I’ll see where it takes me.”

The rowing world may have brought in new boats and new builders since Crick’s days of rowing, but Harvard brought home this year’s national title with a boat design from his era.

“Kings were a treat for us in the ’80s so it was fun to take it back for Charley to row,” Crick said. “And then for Harvard to win nationals—it was a lot of fun for all of us.”