12 July 2025
By Göran R Buckhorn
HTBS receives an email.
HTBS receives quite a lot of emails. Many of these emails are from readers or not yet readers, but the sender has stumbled over HTBS when they have been doing research of the history of their rowing grandfather or great-grandfather (I’m sorry, but few are the emails that ask questions of the rowing grandmothers or great-grandmothers), or maybe they have an old rowing pot on the mantelpiece that they would like to know more about.
While I’m happy to share these emails with questions to the group of rowing historians and writers who frequently pen articles for HTBS, I sometimes feel the need to post the questions on HTBS to see if the readers can help.
During the Henley week, HTBS received an email from John Alexander in New Zealand who is looking for a label from boatbuilder George Sims.
John writes:
I am restoring an old wooden George Sims single scull which is going on display in our new club (Whakatipu Rowing Club, Queenstown, NZ) shed extension. The boat was built, I understand, about 1963. When I bought it in the early 1980s, it was in a poor state although the hull was sound. I did a job on it then, including making new riggers and I have used it since, but now I think it’s time to retire the old girl and hang her up for good. BUT it’s missing the maker’s label. From the look of the hull, knees, ribs etc., I’m certain it was built by George Sims (Racing Boats) of Eel Pie Island. If anyone has a label they could sell me, I would be extremely grateful, or failing that if you could send me the dimensions of the oval, width and height, and I’ll get one made. I do have an image of the label obtained on-line and will use it to make a copy if need be.
If you can help John, please send HBTS an email to gbuckhorn – at – gmail – dot – com and I will forward your email to John.
HTBS has previously written about George Sims. Tim Koch wrote an article about the logo/label that George Sims was using and HTBS is using since 2009. See here.
Hear The Boat Sing 
I am sorry to trouble you but I am 85 years old and have a lot of pewter mugs from wins in the 1960s. My family might like a few but I understand there is no interest in the second hand market. A friend had all his melted down and made into a pig which he donated to the Farmer’ livery company. Any other suggestions?
Hugh
I never had a George Sims single but my first one I bought from Jim Joy when he became a professional coach. It was built at the Argonaut Club in Toronto by his son Richard. Honduras mahogany and only weighed 24 pounds. I have owned many still rowing at 95. That was the only single you could put in the water and never tip over. Perfectly balanced.