[This post has been updated from an older version. It contains links to products I like, or are recommended by smart people I trust.] Here’s a great question from one of my readers. She asked about how to keep her rowing shell hull sparkling clean: We have a 1 year old Vespoli light 8, painted […]
rowing equipment
Repurposing An Old Rowing Shell
Repurposing: the process by which an object with one use is transformed or redeployed as an object with an alternative use Rowing equipment gets old. When repairs and rehab no longer work magic, what do you do with that old, old rowing shell? Here’s one answer… There are certainly other options, such as donating to […]
Make Rowing Practices More Effective (and Safer)
The world around us keeps getting more complex. That complexity means things can easily go wrong. And rowing practices are no different. Yet disasters are often avoid, and there’s one very-simple-tool that has helped people such as: passenger pilots, improve their safety record surgeons, increase success rate while reducing patient healing time construction engineers, communicate […]
The advantage of blended rowing
As I write this it is 29 degrees, snowing and just plain icky outside. But soon, it’ll be time to move from indoor rowing to outdoor rowing. Improved weather and warmer water signal a switch from one type of rowing equipment (indoor rowers — AKA “ergs”) to another (shells, sculls and oars). Exciting times. And […]
How to predict a team’s 2k erg score in 20 seconds
I’m not a great believer in predictions, especially when it comes to human effort. There’s too many variables that come into play. Yet, I sincerely believe in “edu-guessing” (making educated guesses) that get close to reality. That holds true when trying to a predict a team’s 2k erg scores. How to predict a team’s 2k […]
How to Select Rowing Rigging Numbers for Beginners
Rowing equipment has gone through a significant revolution the past ten years. There’s been new oar designs, wide acceptance of the Euro-style rigger, advancement in foot stretchers, and the continued development of new materials. These improvements have meant significant changes in the rigging numbers used for the leverage measurements (oar length, spread, span, etc), and foot […]
How To Improve Your Erg Racing On Race Day
Erg racing is NOT like a normal rowing race. Besides the “inside” aspect, there’s the main difference of a “shared-machine.” You race, then I race, and then someone else, and so on…all on the same machine. With that “shared-machine” perspective facing you on indoor-rowing race-day, there are a few simple actions you should take to […]
When Good Ergometers Do Bizarre Things
Had something really funky happen this week at practice. Ergometer trouble. The team was rowing a fairly standard Monday practice for us. Three sets of pyramids, with one set being: 30 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 60 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 90 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 60 sec on/ 60 […]
Rowing Shell Maintenance—A Plan For Success
How long should your rowing shell last? Three years? Five years? Longer? How long should your rowing shell last? Barring any unforeseen tragedies like fire, theft, or a major collision it is not unreasonable to expect a brand new rowing shell to last 10, 15, even 20 years—or more. That’s a lot of hard strokes […]
21 Tips For Safer Rowing Equipment Storage
I learned a hard lesson my first year as a head coach. It had to do with our rowing equipment storage. Spring season was starting and it’d been a tough winter. Athletes and coaches were ready to get on the water, excited about “real rowing” instead of “erg rowing.” Several of us ventured to the […]
