The Critical Note After Talking To C2

I’ve spent a bunch of time over the years getting to know the folks at Concept II—a great bunch.

Recently I had a long discussion with them about oar blade shapes, and how best to rig them.

Although these notes are scribbled there is one note on the page that is absolutely of critical importance to anyone who rows.

Can you tell which one it is?

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Different Size Scullers, Times, and Catch Length in a Single

Q0 Brett wrote:

Hi, I purchased your book awhile back but can’t seem to find this piece of information:
I am rowing a mixed double with my girlfriend who is very small. (5′2″ 110lb coxswain) she is having trouble getting the rate up and I’m pretty sure its the loading on her oars. What do you think her loading should be? Mine is 86.5 inboard and 290 something length. Her last 2k was around an 8:30. Thanks for the help.

A) My Response: Hi Brett. I’m surprised that she (as a coxswain) is not blaming you for the issues!! (Ahem, just kidding. . . )

Per the rigging, I would suggest that if the oars are NOT adjustable that you give her about 1cm more of inboard and about the same on the span. If the oars ARE adjustable then I would shorten the oars about 1 cm, keeping the inboard the same. And then test. And test, and test.

The big thing here would be to test (did I mention that already?), and do changes slow and methodically.

Q) Rick wrote:

I’m a sculler, who’s always been told to set my foot stretchers so that when I sit straight up, the oar handles, if butted together would meet my sternum. It’s been explained that further back and you tend to pull through too much. Closer and you don’t have the room to clear at the finish. That’s worked fine, until I’ve started to work with my son, who is 6′7″. Trying to do that with my Hudson single… his shins hit the rigger. Am I using the right approach? If so… what am I missing?

A) My Response: Rick,  I would tend to think your son is over-compressing at the catch, and he might be doing it to compensate for not enough work through the pin. I would measure the distance from a plane cutting across the sternward stops of the track to a plane that goes through the pin. It should be “0” or  even less. Go to the numbers page to find out how to measure it and to see what the numbers should be. Measure away and then follow up and let us know what you’ve got.

Q) Jack wrote:

Hi Mike,  I have recently subscribed to your email newsletter. I row in New Zealand at a school called Christ’s College we finished last season on a high note coming second at the national’s regatta in the under 16 division (15 year olds) 8+. We finished with a time of 6:09.44.
I was wondering if you could help me out with a question thats been burning in my mind for quite some time now. How would our time (6:09.44) stack up against American crews of roughly the same age? I know that there are always variables involved, such as conditions, but I am just looking for a general idea. Could you please help me?

Welcome Jack, and great to hear of your success. To find out more about your time I’m going to suggest that you go to Rowing Illustrated and chime in on one of the forums there. Lot’s of smart people, with lots of opinions. They should be able to help you. Also, look up USRowing’s results for summer racing. More info there.

Can you help our readers with any suggestions?

Hull Paint, Corrosion, Body Tweaks, and Rigging for the Release or Catch

Yes, yes . . . I know. I’ve been very tardy in posting, but to make it up slightly I’m answering four very patient reader’s questions right now.

Q) Malcolm writes:

I just bought a 98 Vespoli single and was noticing that it was in need of a new paint job (paint chipping and scrapped all over). I was wonder what the best way to paint a boat is. How do I remove the original layer of paint? What type of paint should I use? How should I paint it?

A) My response: Malcolm: I’m going to strongly suggest that your first step is to get an estimate from a professional. Seldom have I seen it turn out well when folks try to paint their own hulls, unless they are well experienced. I would suggest these, in order of priority:

1. Vespoli USA
2. Klinger Engineering or Rowing Repair Center or another company that specializes in paint rowing shells
3. A local reputable auto body shop

In your brief description you may have other problems in which the chipping paint is just a symptom. Before investing in painting you want to see what is going on so you don’t waste money.

Make sure that whoever gives you an estimate for repair actually sees the boat first. That is important.

Q) Michael from Bermuda writes:

Good day. Excellent site -well done. Please, what do you recommend for (a) cleaning encrusted salt from rigger pins etc and (B) any product that we can add to the wash that we give our boats on each outing to prevent salt build up.

A) My response: Rowing in brackish (salty) water can cause havoc with metals, and that is where your problem is coming from. Basically what is happening is called galvanic corrosion, where one metal in contact with different type of metal, in an enviroment that conducts electric, will corrode.

In plain English, one of the metals in your rigger is touching another type of metal. When salt is around (a conductor) one of the metals is losing electrons (corroding). If you don’t do something about this, you are going to have a problem.

I suggest two simple solutions that may help. The first easy, the second not so easy. Both are designed to keep the salt out of the equation.

1. Wash your equipment completely after each row, this will remove most of the salt. I suggest more than just a spray from a hose. Actually wash with soap and water and scrub. Then make sure the equipment dries. I’ve found that even though a boat gets washed, in areas of high humidity around salt water, salt may actually be in the air in enough concentration to effect the equipment (this happened to the Statue of Liberty). So wash frequently even if you don’t use the equipment.
2. Insulate the two metals from each other. In this case you can do this with a product in paste form, such as lithium grease (aka white grease). This will cut down the corrosion, but will be messy and you might find that the equipment might slip and need to be adjusted quite often, since the force of friction will be greatly reduced.

Q) Peter writes:

I am a new rower & sculler having taken up the sport in my forties. I am 6′2″ and 98kg and am starting to realise that I am slightly one sided, people who sit behind me often saying my right shoulder is consideably lower than my left. I havent had any problems when in the training boats but I am feeling very uneven in a fine single scull and am very sensitive to the slightest change of set up. Have you any suggestions? My own thought is to experiment with a packing on the right side of the seat to tilt my pelvis or possibly fit a spacer between the seat and the rail assemblly to do the same.

Yours faithfully a frustrated vet. novice.

A) My response: Peter, I feel for you. Really.

I would suggest your first step would be to see a good chiropractor—not because you may need an adjustment, but maybe you have an issue or two that they could help you with first. For example, a friend of mine came down with terrible hip problems that lasted regardless of treatment. He finally went to a chiropractor and she noticed that one leg was longer than the other, by almost an inch. He then rowed with a shim in the sneaker of the shorter leg and problem solved.

I would  start there first. If that doesn’t help, send me another blast and let’s go from there.

Q) Joe writes:

I’ve been reading up on rigging and I’m confused as to which is the best way to rig 4’s & 8’s.

I’ve read about rigging for the catch and rigging for the release. One method (for the catch) is to measure the work-through and use the stern stops as a guide to provide a uniform seat position and therefore catch angle (assuming similar body types are rowing). The other method has you measuring the work-through to the bow stops and using them as a reference for stretcher position and therefore seat position and uniform releases throughout the boat. I’ve read that releasing together is important for boat set and that catches will occur simultaneously as the everyone follows the stroke. However, in that case the actual catch angles of the blade will depend on the varied body types rowing in the boat.

For the most part with the various types and qualifications we get with our Masters rowers we have them set the stretchers so their hip bone is about 1-2cm through the pin. This is fine for those situations, but when we put a race crew together we want to make sure we have the boat rigged for that crew and best boat speed. We recently raced in a borrowed boat that obviously had been rigged for the release and had tape marks on the hull to line up the stern wheels to. This configuration felt good and might have contributed to our 2nd place finish. So which way is the best way to rig?
Thanks

A) My response: Joe, I know you will want to whack me for this, but the way that works best for you is the best way. (This is a common question that I do get quite often.)

I suggest that people make a commitment to either rig for the catch, or rig for the stern. And that depends on the part of the stroke that they deem needs focus the most. I would do some testing, and if you can get your hands on a SpeedCoach or other timing device, I would try to rig the boat one way, and then test, and then the other way and test again. Which one works better?

If that might be too much then since your crew seemed to like the feel of the release-rigged set up that might be the best way to go.

Rigging, Leverage Formula and The “M”

Reader Mike writes:

Hi Mike – love your site and your book – one question I can’t seem to find the answer to… What is the “M” value of CII Fat Smoothie sweep oars? Look forward to the answer…

Mike is talking about the leverage formula that I use to keep track of the load of a specific rig. I discuss it in detail in several places, but basically here is the formula:

[(L-I)-B/M]/S

In the equation L= oar length, I= inboard, B= blade length, M is a variable, S is the spread, and B/M togther represent where the center of pressure is on the blade.

Two things of importance here:

1. Measurements are metric
2. Do not use this formula to compare between different blade shapes, just between oars with the same blade shape.

The M that reader Mike refers to helps find the approximate center of the oar. The number that I use is, for rectangle shaped oars (or close to it)  2 (for 1/2 the length of the blade), and 3 (for 1/3 for the length of the blade) for macons. I am not sure what I would use for something like a delta, I would have to measure it first, or talk to the maker.

In this case,  a for CII Fat Smoothie that is 52 centimeters long, the M would be 2.

There is debate as to whether this number, and in fact the formula, have value. I’ve found it to be helpful for me in keep track of things, although I strongly caution again anyone to use it to compare different blade shapes.

What do you use to keep track of your leverage/load?

Making An Eight Into An Octuple (Coxswain Beware!)

I received an excellent question from Rob the other day, about sculling in an eight. He asked:

I’ve always wondered how to rig an eight for sculling. Do you use two sets of quad riggers or the sweep riggers w/sculling oarlocks? What rigging numbers would one use as a starting point?

Let me address the rigging number part first.

Numbers

Most folks rig an octuple for fun and practice (and not for profit!). I’ve only seen them raced once, and it was certainly entertaining.

I’ll assume that you want to be as effective as possible with your numbers, so you are going to need to experiment. [If you are just making the octuple for one practice I would not be overly concerned about getting the best numbers, just within a workable range.]

I would start with the numbers that you would use for a quad. An octuple will be a fast boat, maybe faster than the quad with the same level of rowers, so that should be a good place to start. Then if it looks like the rowers might be rigged too light (legs slamming down on the drive, for example) you might want to increase the leverage. Do this be either reducing the span slightly or lengthening the oars.

Do it gradually and keep looking. If you are really into finding speed, play with the numbers while checking the speed.

Riggers

This is the interesting part, since very few (none that I know) coaches and Riggers actually have set aside riggers for an octuple. They usually have to take other sculling riggers and use them. The main difficulty with this will lie in finding riggers that actually fit the boat correctly. And the problem area will be the plates where the riggers attach to the gunwale.

Boats usually have a flare to the gunwale, an angle the the gunwale rotates away from the centerline of the boat (see the drawing). The make of the shell will determine the angle, and it varies quite a bit.

And to add to this issue, riggers are made to fit to this angle. So  . . . your eight might have an angle to it, and the riggers that you are stealing (er . . . borrowing) from a quad to use will also have an angle to them. All this will impact your lateral pitch, and really your height.

My best advice is to throw one rigger on and give it a measure to see if it will fit. Check the height first, and adjust it around to see if you can get what you need. Then check the lateral pitch. You can probably get a quick idea if this is going to work for you.

One Word Of Warning

Just keep in mind when making an octuple that you will now have 8 scullers in one place. Give the coxswain combat pay (and probably disconnect the voice system!).

Anyone have suggestions for Rob?

Life in the Bow Seat

Just received this question from a reader:

Hi. I’m a novice oarsman. I’ve been rowing for about a semester and a half now, and until a few days ago I’ve been rowing portside. However, due to new arrangements, I just started rowing starboard in the bow. In the bow, I realized that I’ve been catching quite a few crabs due to the boat not being set whenever I row.
Is it usual for the bow to feel that way? It seemed like I had to push up the oar handle everytime I bring myself up to the catch. And this caused me a lot of trouble. Any suggestions?

Ahh . . . life in the bow seat. It can be a paradise, or a paradox.

What I mean by this is that often it seems that technical issues, especially one’s related to balance seem to magnify themselves in the bow seat. Whether this actually happens or not does not matter as much as it appears that they do. Especially to the person sitting in that seat!

There may actually be technical rowing issues here (especially if you have been rowing only a few months). However, from a mechanical/rigging perspective (which this site is about) I suggest you do some, if not all, of the following steps:

1. Relate to your coach the issue you just described
2. Have the rigging of your rigger checked, specifically the height
3. Realize that balance is a major component of rowing, and something that rowers, and boats filled with rowers, often struggle with this (hmm . . . patience)

I hope these help some, and that you get to the finish line first.

Does Rigging Make a Difference?

After reading this article from the New Zealand Herald about the sculling competitions between Mahe Drysdale and Rob Waddell, you would probably think it has some important role to play.

How To Measure the Heel Cup Height in a Rowing Shell

Heel cup height is one of those measurements that rowers tend not to think about unless they are uncomfortable—usually when they feel that they cannot get good compression at the catch.

However long before comfort comes into play, heel cup height plays a signifcant role in how efficent a rower is.

This short video shows how to measure the height. A few simple steps and you have it.

To get an idea if your height is within a range good for you, check the numbers page. And from there do some fine tuning.

Find this post helpful? If so (or if not) please use the rating below to let me know.

16 Ways to Get Better at the Physics of Rowing

(This is scary stuff. Buckle your seat belt.)

Physics: the science of matter and motion.

(Told you it was going to be scary.)

If you were pressed hard you could divide rowing into two distinct spheres. The first would be the art of rowing. This “art sphere” deals with human factors such as motivation, team work, leadership, etc.—those human issues where there may not be a distinct right or wrong answer, but an answer nonetheless.

The second sphere would be the science part, specifically physics. Yes Physics. The same word that has freaked out an unlimited number of students and drove more of them to be English majors faster than the thought of Jane Austin could drive them away.

Over the past two weeks I’ve received several inquires about the physics of rowing, so I thought instead of addressing each separately I would post this. I spent years studying the physics of the ocean. When I started I remember thinking, “Wow, this will be cool!” And for the most part it was. Really cool. But there were so many dry, boring, difficult parts that physics about drove me nuts.

The main reason was that the way it was taught and explained. It was removed so much from reality and kept in the theoretical world that it was hard to really like it and see how it applied to more than just a few experiments and line drawings.

But since then a day has not gone by that I haven’t used some of my physics background in rowing. And if you row, or coach, or just work on the equipment, it is the same for you, whether you know it or not.

Physics plays a huge roll in rowing.

Disbelieve me? Read on.

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How To Measure the Span in a Rowing Shell

Scullers . . . this one is for you!

In sculling span is a very critical measurement. It tells the distance between the port and starboard pins. This is an important dimension of determining the leverage of the boat (how heavy or light it will feel).

Many scullers just stop once they get their span measurement, but there is a need to go one step further. The distance of the pin from the centerline of the boat needs to be equal on both sides.

In other words:

Span is really not very helpful without also knowing the spread.

This short video will explain how to do both. It was requested by a reader (whose name I cannot find . . . sorry). Thanks greatly!

Have a different method, or got a question or comment? You can leave it below.

Row Slow . . . and get more out of life!

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