I was doing an experiment and I had to tally how rowing equipment spends its life. I came up with this interesting tidbit of information…95% of the time equipment is in racks. Yep, that equipment you count on to glide you through the water is lounging away in a rowing rack almost its entire life. […]
The Secret of Blade Type And Gearing
(This is an update to a post original published in 2013) A reader submitted this question about oar length: “I just received your “Nuts & Bolts guide…” from Amazon.com I bought the book because I’m getting conflicting feedback about my rigging. “When I learned to scull, it was in a VanDusen racing 1x with club […]
Boat Straps: Yours Hate You (and they’re plotting revenge)
Someone has to tell you—your boat straps hate you. And even worse…they will get revenge! Here’s why they hate you: you abuse the heck out of them. You don’t give them the time of day. Then you count on them several times a year to make your coaching life easy. Why your boat straps are […]
Rowing Shell Slings: Avoid The Big Letdown
Nothing is quite as unexpected, ego-busting, and damaging as a racing shell crashing to the ground when a boat sling collapses. And few things are more preventable. Don’t skimp on boat slings Rowing shell slings (aka trestles or portable work stations) are designed to do one thing, and to do it well—support the weight of […]
Rowing Strap Storage Strategy: 4 Important Steps
(This is a signifiant update to a post first published in 2013) Too often the straps we use to secure our rowing shells get abused to the point of revolt. The revolt can range from something small— such as getting all knotted, to something catastrophic—such as fraying and breaking at the worst possible moment. And […]
How Can A Rowing Coach Save Money?
(This is a major update to a post originally published here and on Row2K.com in 2005.) What a frugal group rowing coaches can be. We scrimp, we budget, we fundraise – and we “do without” to make ends meet. In what some consider to be the “most-expensive-equipment-sport” we do our best to save a dollar. […]
Buying Rowing Equipment: What Coaches Say
How do you decide what to buy when you are in the buying rowing equipment mode? Well, all rowing equipment is not created the same and unfortunately for consumers, rowing equipment is not an area that any of the consumer magazines have turned their attention towards. That means when when deciding what to buy you […]
Oar Maintenance: Now Is The Perfect Time
There two reasons to take oar maintenance action now and get your oars ready to row First, you need oars to row. Second, for most of us the oars have been sitting—high and dry. And that means it’s the perfect time to give them the love they deserve. There are two hoaxes about oar maintenance […]
Rowing Insurance: 5 Critical Questions To Ask
Bad stuff happens in the rowing world. Sometimes that bad stuff can be bad enough to require insurance. And if you don’t have the proper insurance . . . well, that’s a mistake you might regret for a long, long time. As we twiddle our thumbs waiting for rowing to resume this is a perfect […]
Balancing Your Rigging and Rate of Perceived Exertion in Rowing
If you were asked: What’s the connection between rigging and exertion in your rowing, would you be able to answer the question? Chances are you might state some theoretical relevance but not what makes them truly impactful. What do you have to do to make the rigging work for you? What the heck is this […]
