An Introduction to Rowing (5 page)

Figure 26:
Oarlock Pitch

Another important aspect to the attachment of riggers to the shell is Work Through or "Work through the pin". Work Through is how far a rower's seat is rigged in front of the oarlock pin and is measured as the distance from the front edge of the seat at the catch position to the pin of the oarlock. On a scull this can be done by tying a string between the two pins of the oarlocks and measuring the distance the front of the seat moves further towards the catch position from the line of the string. Work Through varies from 0 to 2 cm for pairs, to 8 to 12 cm for eights.

Figure 26:
Work-through

Increasing Work Through will allow greater compression of the legs at the catch resulting in increased propulsion at the start of the drive. This will increase the catch angle which is the angle of the oar when it enters the water. The catch angle is measured from an imaginary line perpendicular to the centerline of the boat. Work Through may be adjusted by attaching the rigger further towards the bow or stern, or by moving the tracks of the seat. If these adjustments are made it may also be necessary to change the fore and aft position of the footstretcher so that the rower's seat does not hit the front stops of the slide at the catch position, and the rear stops of the slide at the release position.

Figure 27:
Catch angle

The method of attaching riggers alternately to the port side and then the starboard side from the stroke seat to the bow seat is known as standard rigging. However, on eights and fours the riggers may also be attached to a shell in what is called tandem rigging. There are two types of tandem rigging: German (bucket) rigging and Italian rigging as shown in the diagram below. The advantage of tandem rigging is that the forces that cause yaw or wiggle during the stroke cancel out and this leads to less resistance to forward motion and improved rowing efficiency.

Figure 28:
German Rigged Eight

Figure 29:
Italian Rigged Eight

Figure 30:
Italian Rigged Four

The rigger bolts are tightened and loosened using a 7/16 inch or 11 mm box-wrench or ring-spanner, also called a rigger jigger. Always use the box (ring) end of the rigger-jigger as the open end may slip off the bolt head and damage the hull.

The footstretcher is an inclined footrest that holds the rower's shoes. The rower places his feet into the shoes attached to the footstretcher. The height, angle and position of the footstretcher may be adjusted.

Figure 31:
Footstretcher

The height of the footstretcher (also called height over heels) is the vertical distance from the lowest point of the seat to the lowest point of the heel of the footstretcher. The height of the footstretcher should be such that the rower's shoulders are above the knees so the arms can reach forward comfortably at the catch position. This height is usually about 14 - 20 cm. To measure the footstretcher height, place a straightedge or spirit level across the gunwales of the boat, measure the distance from the bottom of the straightedge to the heel of the footstretcher. Then subtract the distance from the bottom of the straightedge to the lowest point of the seat.

The angle of the footstretcher is between footboard and the horizontal. The angle should be such that the rower's heels remain down against the footstretcher throughout the stroke. A footstretcher angle of between 38 and 45 degrees should ensure that the rower has comfortable foot placement.

The fore and aft position of the footstretcher may be adjusted to set the desired Work Through as mentioned in the previous section on riggers. The footstretcher should be adjusted towards the bow if the rower is hitting the front stops of the slide when at the catch position, and towards the stern if the rower is hitting the back stops of the slide when at the release position.

The rudder is attached to the skeg (or fin) that protrudes from the stern-end of the keel. The rudder is controlled by the coxswain using attached cables. The skeg and the rudder are shown below.

Figure 32:
Rudder and Skeg

The rudder is steered by the coxswain or by one of the rowers in a coxless boat. In a coxless boat the rudder cables are connected to one of the footstretchers and is controlled by the rower moving the ball of their foot in the starboard or port direction. This is called toe-steering. The steering cables are crossed to enable this to happen. The picture below shows the control yoke for the rudder and its steering cables.

Figure 33:
Rudder Control Yoke and Cables

The picture below shows the steering cables used by the coxswain.

Figure 34:
Steering Cables

Is it important to note that effect of the rudder is not immediate and usually takes a few strokes before the boat starts to turn. It is better to under steer by making small adjustments, rather than to over steer and have to make corrections in the other direction.

Indoor rowing machines are also called Ergometers or Ergs. Rowing machines consist of a flywheel with a set of vanes that impel air to simulate a load, a drive cord and a handle. They have a fixed footstretcher and a sliding seat mounted on a rail. There is also a damper or braking mechanism which impedes air flow through the vanes of the flywheel and can be used to adjust the stroke rate that the rower can achieve.