I just blasted through this year’s, stopping long enough to make three presentations on Friday afternoon (1 on rigging and 2 on professional development).

Didn’t have much time to chat with vendors, but I did run into two that you might want to check out.

The first is Onlineskillscoach.com.

Raphael Smith with camera for filming athletes

I had a moment to talk with Raphael Smith, one of the managers. He told me enough to get me very excited about their product.

In brief, it is a combination video and computer analysis of rowing technique. I was impressed by how simple it was to film and do breakdown of a rower’s stroke. Neat thing that jumped out (and almost had me pulling out the credit card) was their compression system so a coach can do analysis of video she just shot  and then email it to the athletes for them to view at their leisure.

Interesting concept. I hope to be able to demo it and report back this Spring. I think these guys are on to something.

Raphael Smith with camera for filming athletes

The other item that I immediate liked were the wonderful handmade oar pendants from RowGlass.com. I will admit that Aliyah Snyder, the creator, is a friend, but that doesn’t bias my opinion of how cool her stuff is. (She makes a lot of other items besides pendants.)

A few of the cool handmade pendants from RowGlass

If you’re looking for a special present for that rowing geek in your life, these could be the perfect gift

A Few Notes from USRowing’s Annual Connvention is a post from: Max Rigging

Numerous creatives were displaying some pretty cool stuff, and that in itself made the trip worth the investment.

Below are snaps of several things being displayed. [Drat, I don't have links. Apologies.]

Even though I had a chance to play with most, I’m withholding editorial until I actually get more hands on time.

More thoughts to come.

And you? What did you see?

Concept2 Dynamic Indoor Rower from www.Concept2.com

Shox-Box from www.shoxbox.biz

WaterRow pink version from WaterRower.com

Oartec Slider

Rowing Simulator

Matt Hopkins' CoxCase

Adjustable shoes from Active Tools

The Rowing Store (some great new ideas in rowing things)

Quick adjustable oarhandles from Durham

John Flynn with PowerView (flight recorder for your row!)

Rowing innovations from the Charles is a post from: Max Rigging

Crew's stuck in a fog bank which rolled in after launching.

The question is not if you should row in fog. It is more like, “What the heck should I do when I’m suddenly rowing in a fog?”

I’ll be the first person to stand on the dock and decline to go out in a thick fog—just common sense.

However, I’ve been stuck in a dense fog more times than I can shake an oar at, as a fog bank rolled in well after we had launched.

So what do you do? What don’t you do?

Darn good questions, and I have some answers, but I wanted to open it up for discussion/suggestions here first.

Got thoughts on rowing in a fog. . . stick ‘em below.

image courtesy of John Leekley: Wild Goose Rowing

Foggy Rowing is a post from: Max Rigging

Apologies all around.

Here is something that I did not write, but I think for anyone involved in rowing, it is a must read.

Regardless of how you feel about the topic itself, it is great background information and discussion material.

Want to discuss it? Chime in below.

Go . . . read . . . is a post from: Max Rigging

That won’t impress some of you, but for us in the Mid-Atlantic states it is impressive—actually more like depressive.

Thought it might be appropriate to throw out a few rigging things that you should NOT do when it is hot. I discuss them in the following video.

I probably could have gone over a few more things while shooting this, but I’m a wimp in the heat.

Oh yeah, let me add this . . . many years ago in my novice-rigging-days, I left a single-skin fiberglass eight out in the hot Florida sun. It was seats-up, and out there for about 4 hours. The glass got so hot that is actually deformed, more like melted, around the slings. It looked like a hot knife has gone through butter. The boat was ruined.

What about you—any suggestions about rigging things NOT to do when it’s really hot?

What Not To Do With Your Rigging When It Is Really Hot is a post from: Max Rigging

As you’ll see in the video, there are several reasons why you should read it.

Here’s the video review:

The Wonder Crew (affiliate link)

The Wonder Crew (Non affiliate link)

Or get it at your local library.

The Wonder Crew: Video Book Review is a post from: Max Rigging

From those ancient Roman galleys to today’s technological wonders, a boat being rowed  needed someone to rig it.

Over time certain rigging techniques have proven themselves invaluable. These techniques make the job of rigging easier and more effective.

While the following list may seem very basic, these 11 strategies are used today because they really work.

Learn The Correct Way

As with most things in life there are correct methods and wrong methods to rig rowing equipment. To save time, effort, busted knuckles, and heartache—learn the correct ways.

Simple enough.

Of course, once you’ve learned the correct methods feel free to experiment and try shortcuts, but until you’ve got the correct ways down-pat you should . . .

Practice. Practice. Practice

If you want to become better at rigging you need to practice. You need to practice a lot!

Buying a workbook and reading it will NOT help you rig better. Getting a workbook, reading it, and then practicing what you’ve learned—will. And then . . .

1. Practice more.
2. Practice even more.
3. Practice even more than that.
4. Even when you don’t feel like it, practice.

Like learning a foreign language, or learning really anything—repetition is critical. Just make sure you’ve learned the correct methods first before you go too far down the repetition path.

Keep Things Clean

Keep your equipment clean. Why?

First and foremost you’ll feel better when you row in a tidy boat. Second, the better your equipment looks the better you will take care of it. Third, a good cleaning will greatly reduce the wear and tear on the moving parts, protect your hull, and save your money.

Finally, clean stuff is faster stuff.

Test

One of the most powerful words in the rowing world is testing.

Way too often rowers and coaches give in to the temptation to just copy what someone else is doing. They use the same rigging numbers, buy the same equipment, row the same way.

Why? You and your team are unique.

Using what someone else is doing is acceptable as long as you have tested it and found it to work for you. Blindly copying what another is doing will put you at a disadvantage in more ways than you might guess.

Use The Correct Tools

You can do about 90% of all rigging chores with these six tools:

1. wrenches
2. screwdrivers
3. height stick
4. pitch meter
5. tape measure
6. cleaning supplies

Tackling a rigging job using the correct tool just makes sense. It saves time and cuts down on injuries—to you and to the equipment.

Don’t use pliers to loosen a stuck fastener. Don’t use a hammer to adjust a track. And vise grips make lousy screwdrivers.

Use The Right Tight

The majority of a rowing shell is held together by epoxy. Yet, there are numerous fasteners throughout a boat that are meant to be loosened and tightened.

Despite our best attempts, sometimes, we coaches and rowers don’t get the tight quite right. And that is never a good thing.

Find out how tight a fastener should be, and then do the best you can to get it correct.

Put The Tools Away When You’re Done

You’ve just finished rigging an entire eight, now what do you do? You put the tools away—where they belong.

Too much hopeful thinking goes on by coaches and rowers when a job is done. Jeez, I hope these tools are around when I need them next. Jeez, I hope I don’t loose that wrench, it fit perfectly.

Taking a few minutes to clean up and stow things where they belong, and where you can find them, could save you hours later, and trim seconds off of your race times. The motto A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place is a good one to repeat after your job is done.

Make Changes Slowly

Today the word slow exists in few people’s vocabulary. Everyone and everything is moving wicked fast. Yet there are times in rigging and rowing when you need to go slow.

Rowers become accustomed to how their equipment is set, and significant changes, especially in the leverage, can be tough on a rower. Giving an athlete a chance to grow into a change is often very prudent.

Treat Your Equipment With Respect

This is a technique that works well in every single aspect of our life. Find the equipment that you need. Next, treat it with respect. Then, it will be there when you need it.

That may sound all touchy-feely but it is a time-tested technique.

You and your equipment are on the same team and understanding that is a critical step in eliminating many issues.

Write Stuff Down

Our brains are great at processing information, but not so great at storing stuff.

Give your brain a break and find a safe place to store important information about your equipment, such as

• rigging numbers
• serial numbers
• speeds

Write them down, and file them. Or be wishing that you did. Your choice.

Try and Fail

Don’t be afraid to rig wrong, and admit it when you do.

Don’t be afraid to fail, and learn from it when you do.

Don’t be afraid. Period!

This is not meant to be a complete list. What other rigging techniques are working for you?

11 Timeless Rigging Techniques is a post from: Max Rigging

But how do you really know your rigging is good?

You’ll never really know for sure, however there are warning signs that you might have an issue. In fact, more than just an issue, there are warning signs that your rigging may just down-right stink.

A warning sign is a simple piece of information that speaks loud and clear and says “Hey you, there is a problem here!” Often rowers and coaches miss many of the warning signs until it is too late, choosing instead to ignore or discount them. If any of the following warning signs are prevalent in your rowing it might be an indication that your rigging stinks, and you need to clean things up a bit:

1. You spend more time at practice fixing things than rowing

Practice time is rowing time, not fixing-broken-things-time. Yet that is what many rowers end up doing during practice.

Yeah, yeah I know—you don’t have time to pay attention to the equipment and row. But guess what? You will be paying attention to the equipment soon enough, during the time that you scheduled for rowing. So stop whining and aside time for the equipment. It will be a good investment and will save you time and energy, and keep practice time for practice.

2. Broken things just don’t get fixed

If your rigging is good then broken things get fixed. Quickly and correctly. I don’t mean in weeks, but in hours. Broken equipment leads to broken people, and it is certainly an instance of pay me now or pay me a lot more later.

3. Repeat and prevalent injuries

Compared to contact sports rowing is basically injury free. However, injuries do happen, mostly from overuse over a period of time. Keep your eyes open for the following, especially if you see them from more than one rower in the same boat:

• hands getting infected
• lower back injuries
• significant blistering of hands, butt, feet
• track bites on back of calves

Yes, these could happen due to technique, but also from the rigging. Check it to be sure.

4. You are always borrowing stuff from other rowers at races

At races do you have all the stuff you need? I’m talking about all the little stuff like nuts, bolts and bow numbers. You’re using checklists, right? If not you’re wasting time and energy looking for stuff at the last moment, not to mention annoying the heck out of folks.

5. You replace equipment every year

I’ve written ad nauseum about taking care of your equipment. Are you replacing things left and right? Does a boat or set of oars only last two years? Do the boat makers know you by name and know every time you call they will be making money? If so, your maintenance plan stinks, but at least you’re making the builders happy.

6. You’ve held up more than one race start due to broken equipment

Are you the one that race officials know by name—because of how often they have had to delay a race due to your equipment breaking? That’s a warning sign you need to pay attention to. Listen—broken equipment at races happen. But so many equipment issues can be prevented with a decent maintenance plan.

Get on a plan, and keep your equipment in top shape.

7. Your boats are rigged perfectly but you are as slow as molasses in the winter

Rigging is one of the critical components of what makes a boat fast, but do you know the other 5, and where rigging sizes up compared to the others? Too often I’ve seen folks go rigging-crazy and miss the top things that can make them fast.

If this is your case then you’ve got things backwards, and although we love to go backwards, we want to do it fast. And you are not.

8. Your oar’s grips are bloody and torn up

There are three places rowers are in constant contact with their equipment: hands, butt, and feet. Bloody, torn up grips and handles are a travesty and a sure sign your rigging stinks.

Here’s why: the grips are one of the most important pieces of rowing equipment and if you are not paying attention to them then all the little things are probably going unattended. It is not hard to take care of them, but it sure is important.

9. Nobody asks you for rigging advice

Do people flock to you at regattas, ask how you rig, and go home and make sure that they never do what you do?

Rigging is art and science combined, which means that nobody has it all figured out. But if rowers use you as an example of what NOT to do, then you’ve got a big issue.

10. You spend less than an hour rigging, per year

Yeah, you can rig a boat in about 20 minutes—but not well. Most successful rowers and coaches invest a significant amount of time on their rigging and equipment. If you are not doing then you are missing something.

11. Your rigging numbers don’t change for different seasons

Head races and sprint races are very different critters, and they demand different rigging numbers. If you aren’t changing your numbers accordingly then you are handicapping yourself, and rowing slower. Now why would you want to do that?

12. Vise grips, hammers, and duct tape are your rigging tools of choice

Those are all solid tools, but they are tools of last resort in the world of rigging. Rigging doesn’t require a great deal of finesse, but it does require knowing how to use a few specific tools and when to use them.

If your riggers are covered with tape residue, bang-marks, and scratches you either need to hire someone to rig for you, or invest some time and learn how and when to use the proper tools.

13. You haven’t washed your boat’s hull since the last presidential election

When is the last time you washed your boat? Not just sprayed it with water, but gave it a nice sudsy bath. If you see grease marks on the back of rower’s legs and the boat makes sounds-from-hell when you row it, then you need to grab a sponge, bucket, soap and get both you and the boat wet.

And this needs to happen about every 5 to 10 times the boat is rowed. Inside and out.

14. You own two straps, and they are as old as dirt

Straps are worth their weight in diamonds—I’m talking about a good healthy strap. An old and worn strap can be a hazard to you, your rowing, and anyone who is driving on the highway near you. Check out your straps and get good ones if they are lame.

And do it right now!

NOW!

15. You don’t put a flag on your boat when you transport it

There are a few manners we expect others to use, like: using your blinkers when you drive, saying please and thank you, and holding a door open for others. You could include using a flag in that category—but don’t. Using a flag is not a case of manners, it is a case of safety and social responsibility.

Flagging a boat is critical to safety, and in many states if you have more than 3 feet of overhand a flag is mandatory. If you’re not using a flag then there will probably be a whack of trouble waiting out there for you, somewhere. And will probably include a police officer.

16. You think rigging is a waste of time

First, that’s not true, because you wouldn’t have read this far if you thought that. Second, whether you think rigging is a waste of time or not a waste of time you are right.

If you do think it is a waste of time then by your simple involvement with one of the most equipment-intensive sports known to man, you are not connecting the dots. Rigging can save you time, save you money, save you energy, and make you faster. So, uh, why exactly would someone think it is a waste of time?

17. Rowers bend down and kiss the dock as soon as they land.

The row is over, the boat has landed, and the rowers crawl out and kiss the dock (even with goose-poop on it). And they only rowed 100 strokes. Do you see something wrong with this image? I would bet it is the rigging.

The two critical reasons you rig your equipment is for efficiency and comfort. If your rigging is off, then so are these two really important things.

So What?

Wouldn’t it be great if rigging was easy, simple, and quick to do. I hate to tell you this, but it isn’t. It takes time, effort and energy. However, it certainly is something that you will be rewarded for if you do it, and do it well.

And there are ways to get better. Grab a good book on it. Go to a clinic. Get a video from USRowing. All can help.

Especially if you think your rigging might stink.

17 Warning Signs That Your Rigging Stinks is a post from: Max Rigging

It is short, but thoughtful, and worthy of 3 minutes to read.

Since this is the season for fireworks (at least in the States) I thought it appropriate to share.

Rowing and Lightning is a post from: Max Rigging

A hull that is not properly trimmed is neither as effective nor as efficient as it could be. In essence, energy is being wasted.

Here are four solutions that you can use to trim your hull. Generally speaking, if the boat is out-of-trim it is better to have a hull slightly bow-heavy rather than stern-heavy. The key word there is slightly.

Not everyone will agree with this, but a stern-heavy boat is similar to a coach launch at half speed.  It makes a bigger wake as it pushes through the water—and that means the rowers are paying a price.

The following solutions progress from easier to more difficult. All focus on moving weight fore or aft, shifting it around the boat’s center of balance.

Just keep in mind these suggestions when making changes:

1. Determine you have a problem
2. Pick a solution
3. Measure your critical numbers before making any changes
4. Record those numbers
5. Make a change in small increments
6. Remeasure your critical numbers. Record.
7. Test
8. Repeat if needed.

Solution #1: Move Rowers

You know your boat is out-of-trim, right? So let’s try switching rower’s seats.

Quite often rowers are grouped together by size, and this can cause an uneven distribution of weight. If this is the case let’s see if any other combination of rowers might work better.

Can you see them in different seats?  If you are port stroked would a starboard stroked boat provide some weight shift?  Would a German rig (bucket rig) help?

Try changes, remeasure your trim, and see what happens to your speed.

Solution #2: Move The Footstretchers

Let’s be a little more specific, and try some subtle shifts of weight.

If you shift your team’s footstretchers to the bow, does it give you a better look in the water?  What does it do to the trim (try the Quick Trim Test). How about if they are moved to the stern?

As you move footstretchers, you have to keep in mind the impact on the catch angle, and that will be the topic of an upcoming secret weapon. But at this point let’s just keep our focus on the trim of the hull.

Stern-heavy? Try moving the feet towards the bow. One notch at a time. Then measure both trim and your speed.

Bow-heavy? One notch at a time to the stern.

See what happens, and test. Again, catch angle will be an issue, but we can fix that once the hull is trimmed.

Solution #3: Got A Wing?

In some boats wing-riggers will have additional holes with which to mount the wing—providing some adjustment for center of balance and trim.  Side-attached riggers usually do not have these holes.

If you are out-of-trim try moving the riggers in the opposite direction of the heavy end of the hull. Bow heavy? Try moving the riggers one notch to the stern, and then test by measuring and rowing.

Like it? Leave it?

Hate it? Readjust and try again.

Solution #4: Add Weight To The Boat.

I have only done this once to try to get the hull trimmed. It was at a World Championship and the coach was experimenting. We needed to add weight to the boat so it would make the minimum standard so we put it all in the bow, as the coach thought the boat was slightly stern-heavy. I cannot remember if he liked the final product but it did seem to make a difference.

However, I would not suggest this as a solution to use, except as a last resort.

So there you have four solutions to a boat that is not trimmed.

Have you tried any? Have other suggestions? Let us know in the comments below, and happy trimming.

Secret Rowing Weapon #4: How to trim your shell’s hull is a post from: Max Rigging