Tom Robinson

Twenty-three-year-old Brisbane local, Tom Robinson, is currently attempting to do what most what consider impossible: a solo row across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Australia. As if this world record breaking attempt isn’t impressive enough, Tom is completing this journey in his self-built rowboat, Maiwar.

Maiwar, an indigenous word for Brisbane River is a testament to Tom’s roots – having spent much of his youth rowing the river. Tom’s dedication to rowing began in the Brisbane River, having rowed to and from school and it didn’t stop there. At a mere fourteen years of age, Tom rowed from Brisbane to the Gold Coast solo.

Having approached us in the very early stages of planning, we recommended he speak directly with Austral Plywoods. Like so many others, we have loved keeping up with Tom’s journey through his Blog.

Maiwar is a 7-metre-long rowboat designed and constructed by Tom using Austral Marine Plywood. The build, which took five months, was based on a traditional whaleboat design. Check out the early stages of the build below:

Maiwar Build

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

You might think crafting the vessel out of Plywood to be an unusual choice, seeing as though the boat is expected to be at sea for some twelve plus months. However, for Tom there was no other choice. We commend Tom for his commitment to sustainability when planning his build, choosing sustainable Queensland-grown plantation Hoop Pine rather than less environmentally friendly materials such as plastic or carbon fibre.

View more impressive images from Tom’s trek below and make sure to subscribe to his website for updates and to track his record-breaking progress.

09/02/2023