A Sculler Asks About Catch Length and Foot-stretcher Placement

The following is a response to a question by Tim, by our resident sculling expert, Casey Baker, from Resolute Racing.

Question): Tim, a reader from Australia wrote:

I’m a 193cm master. In my single I feel “jammed” for room with my hands at the release, but when I tried moving my foot-stretcher towards the bow it seemed to cost me significant length at the catch. Can I adjust my inboard, or is there something I can do with the span please?
Thanks and regards, Tim

Casey’s Response): You certainly are not alone with your dilemma of how do you keep your catch length without jamming the handles into your body at the finish.

Some boats have enough adjustments to do this. Winged riggers tend to have more holes to mount the wing as opposed to side mounted ‘A’ frame riggers. Which do you have? Read more

The Secret of Blade Type and Gearing

Recently Susan submitted this question about oar length:

I just received your “Nuts & Bolts guide…” from Amazon.com I bought the book because I’m getting alot of conflicting feedback about my rigging.

When I learned to scull, it was in a VanDusen racing 1x with club rigging: 160 spread, 289/88 C II big blades. My technique is good, but I’m not very strong (hence the reason why I work technique). I now own a 2004 Hudson LWT 1x. I have not been able to use these same rigging settings on my Hudson. I cannot get to the pin to save my life.

I’ve been playing around with measurements. I still have a 160 spread, but had to shorten my oars to about 287 with an 87.5 inboard on C II smoothies. I’m almost at the pin, but the boat is feeling heavier.

I looked at the chart in Chapter 15 of your book and I have to say that I’m even more confused. I’ve never seen scull lengths over 290. In fact, when I looked at Volker Nolte’s charts (Rowing Faster) and at the recommendations given for Fluidesign, they had me moving the oars shorter, citing a difference between the CII smoothie and big blade sculls.

What’s a good length and does the particular blade type make a difference?

Susan:

A great question. There certainly is a relationship between blade type and oar length. The physics of why can be tedious, but if you would like some insight into how blade shape, design, and length all work together you may want to check out this page.

Back to your question . . . as blade shapes have morphed into new shapes, blade lengths typically have shortened. In your case, going from a CII Big Blade to a CII Smoothie, you should shorten your blade only about 1 cm or so. Now this is based on CII’s testing, and is just a guideline. It looks like that is what you did. Please refer to the chart below for some guidance.

Here is the secret of selecting the correct rigging adjustments for you—testing. Slow, methodical testing can get you where you want to go. I would suggest that where you are now with your lengths might fine, and your inboard seems okay. I would not go any wider with your span (you are at 160 now). I would suggest that you might try testing your work-through.

I have noticed that scullers seem to have difficulty finding the right work-through measurement for them. (This is the distance from a perpendicular through the pin to a perpendicular across the front stops.) Scullers tend to need negative work-through with their hips at or behind the pin.You can make this adjustment on the water by moving the footstretchers. (Please refer to the book for more into on this).

Here is what I would do (on a no- or low- wind day).

1. Set up a SpeedCoach for average pace (the average is taken from the moment you hit “Start” until you hit “Stop”. You can use GPS. More on that in a later post.
2. Row 300-500 meters
3. Take average speed of piece
4. Make slight adjustment to footstrechters
5. Row and average piece again
6. Repeat a few times with small adjustments
7. Compare averages of each piece, noting footstretcher placement

This information should give you some insight into your hip placement against the pin. Also, record how you “feel” after each piece. These subjective evaluations are also important for someone who has rowed as long as you.

Try this and let us know what you come up with.

Readers, anyone want to pipe in for suggestions for Susan?

Is Catch Length Right For My Crew? (reader question)

Recently James, from New Zealand, submitted this question:

I am interested in finding out the best way to set a crew up in the boat. I have for a long time measured back from the line of work a set distance and had all the crew set their back axel to this – to help with different length of legs etc. But now I am reading more and more about the need for a large catch angle. So, what is the best way to set the archs so everyone is rowing the same? Should I set an angle at the catch, but will this mean different finish lengths? Set it at the back and coach the catch length? What effect does Cord Length have?

First, thanks James for your question. It is a good one, that certainly should be of interest to anyone who wants to generate maximum hull speed for their boat, regardless of sweep or sculling.

Second, it would probably help to define some of terms, to make sure that we are talking about the same things (as you know, terms in rowing can be rather, er, strange.) You can find more rowing terms here.

The catch angle is the angle of the oar, at the catch, to a perpendicular line that runs down the middle of the shell. Catch length is a simple way to measure the catch angle, and is often used to really describe the same thing, from a non-angular perspective. The arch, or arc that you mentioned describes the theoretical track that the oar makes through the water. (I say theoretical because the blade really doesn’t move more than a small distance through the water, unlike the butt of the oarhandle which does make an arc.

The last term, cord length, is one seldom used here in the US. Basically it is the distance from the end of one point of the arc to another. It is not relevant to outside arc (how the blade travels through the water—because it doesn’t). Instead it is more relevant to the inside arc—specifically the distance of the inside arc. You might find this post on Oarsport helpful.

Why Should You Care

For beginners coaches and Riggers (first and second Dimensional) this may all seem like hoopla. What difference does this make? A reasonable question. And a reasonable answer would be . . .”Speed.” It is all about speed.

Beginners, don’t worry about all the technically stuff here. It really boils down to this—where should I set my footstretchers? With that noted, zip to the end, and I’ll cover it there.

For you folks with more rigging under your belt, the reason you should care is still speed, but knowing how this works and all fits together will give you the tools to get more speed. The old ‘Teach a person to fish” saying applies here.

So how is all this information going to help you become a better Rigger? My rigging greatly improved when I realized most of the major adjustments I did when I rigged had an effect on the arcs. As soon as I grasped this concept, everything about rigging seemed to fall into place and I made the step from Second-Dimensional to Third-Dimensional Rigger.

Things Have Changed

There is not much change that has happened in rowing, or rigging, over the years but one place of some change has been track length. Used to be that rowers were concerned about running out of track, and hitting one or both ends. No more, in the last few years boat builders have been putting longer tracks into the boats, much longer than most rowers would ever use.
Another change I’ve noticed in the US is that the focus seems to be placed on the catch, and not as much on the finish. I know most of my peers rig to empahsize the catch, and the finish is a secondary thought. Don’t know if it is better or not, but that is what we seem to be doing.

So What Should I Do?

If the focus is all about speed what to do? I suggest:

• focus on the catch angle
• measure the catch angle by using catch length‚Äîor footstretcher placement
• pay attention to the inside arc
• pay no attention to the outside arc
• accept a compromise between catch length vs finish length

How Do You Measure Catch Length/Angle
In a future post I will show how to measure the catch length and angle. Or you can read about  it in my book, Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging. In the meantime, if you are looking for a solution, you can get number suggestions here. Then set your tracks. And then set your footstretchers so that the seat wheels almost touch the front stops at the catch.

I hope that this is a productive start. Readers, send your thoughts along for James.