cold water rowing

[Byron Drachman]

I made a short video of a friend testing the homemade outriggers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rxU63v9u_k

Byron

[pz1800]

That is a very convincing demo. Good work.

[Byron Drachman]

The latest (March, 2008) worldrowing magazine, a free on-line rowing magazine, has an article on cold water rowing. It shows a sculler getting into a single under icy conditions, and it appears the sculler is not wearing a PFD, nor is he wearing a dry-suit or dry-top. Yikes!! I disagree with encouraging dangerous sculling, especially when it is so easy to take safety precautions.

Byron

[Byron Drachman]

Here is a photo of my beautiful Staempfli with homemade outriggers for cold water safety. As mentioned before, they are easy to make or buy, attach quickly, don't interfere with rowing at all. There is no good reason not to use outriggers when the water is cold. In order to leave the dock or to approach the dock, if I raise the dockside blade high, the boat leans away from the dock enough so the outriggers clears the dock.

Stay safe, everybody.
Byron

[ancho]

Byron: You know I LOVE your single, although it looks funny with those outriggers.

Thanks for the article, you're right, no mention about security issues.
Nevetheless, I have inmediately subscribed to the agazine.
Here is the link: http://www.worldrowing.com/index.php?pageid=112

[Rockin Roland]

Byron,
I know a few people around our club that could do with such riggers to inspire more confidence in their sculling. A very good idea. My only concern is that those outriggers would catch a fair bit of wind in strong crosswind conditions. Also Byron, have you ever considered updating those prehistoric macon timber oars to something more modern? You'd enjoy sculling so much more with a nice set of Croker Superlight Slicks.

[Byron Drachman]

Byron,
I know a few people around our club that could do with such riggers to inspire more confidence in their sculling. A very good idea. My only concern is that those outriggers would catch a fair bit of wind in strong crosswind conditions. Also Byron, have you ever considered updating those prehistoric macon timber oars to something more modern? You'd enjoy sculling so much more with a nice set of Croker Superlight Slicks.

Hi Roland,

You're so right about the riggers inspiring confidence. I was avoiding getting full compression at the catch when the water was cold because, as you know, that is when you are most vulnerable to flipping, especially if you run into something that is lurking just below the surface. The peace of mind with the outriggers is something that makes the whole experience more enjoyable. Of course it looks nerdy and I realize there are scullers who wouldn't be caught dead using them. But as I mentioned, the outriggers are above the surface so they don't affect the run of the boat, they weigh next to nothing, they attach quickly, and they don't interfere with the stroke. The local coaches are appreciative that I'm using them, since they shouldn't have to interrupt a practice to pull a body from the river. If beginning rowers can go out in training barges so they can concentrate on the stroke, I don't see why beginning scullers shouldn't be allowed to use outriggers. Of course rec. boats like Aldens, Maas Aeros, etc. are pretty stable, but I have seen beginners flip in rec. boats.

I had been using C2 hatchets. Paul Smith mentioned last year that some of his rowers use macons in the early season because they require more finesse, that is, they are not as forgiving of a bad stroke. That seemed like a good idea so I re-installed the original Staempfli oarlocks and started using the Staempfli wooden spoons. The first few times I tried it was a mess, but I think I now appreciate what Paul was saying. There is no point in trying brute force--they simply don't lock in the water the way the larger blades do. So I have to resort to using a longer, more relaxed stroke and concentrate on keeping a more or less even pressure during the entire stroke. Funny thing is that I now seem to be going faster with the spoons than I was with the hatchets. Another thing I've noticed is that they are easier on the back and ribs. I think the point is that the macons, in spite of being less efficient, force me to use better technique.

But you're right and I do need to get back to some larger blades, especially if I want to row in others in a double or quad. Maybe I'll have better technique now. By the way, the Staempfli wooden spoons are surprisingly light when you pick them up. But as you indicate oars have been improved since 1976. You're going to have less slip with the larger blades.

You recommend Croker Superlight Slicks? I think some people in the club have Crokers. I'll see if I can borrow a pair and see how they feel. Of course it might take a while to get used to them.

I didn't notice that the outriggers catch a lot of wind in a strong crosswind. Once last fall or early winter, the outriggers saved me I think. I had gone out on a cold, windy day but not so windy I couldn't row. All of a sudden strong gusts not predicted by the weather forecast (25 to 40 mph according to the weather channel when I checked later) came up while I was a few kilometers from the dock. The wind was from the worst possible direction for our river. I was horror-stricken to see huge waves coming at me. I don't know if I could have stayed upright without the outriggers. I had time to get parallel to the waves, but I was really rockin' and rollin' getting tossed around by the waves. It felt like the time 5 bass fishermen, two groups of two by two, then one right behind them, all at full throttle, waked me. It was summer so I wasn't using the outriggers. I don't know how I managed to stay upright that time.

added later: I visited the Croker website. The oars look nice. It appears I would be interested in the soft cutaways.

Byron

[ancho]

Byron:
don't forget to rig your boat according to the oar/oarlock changes, the pitch will change significantly!

[Byron Drachman]

Byron:
don't forget to rig your boat according to the oar/oarlock changes, the pitch will change significantly!

Hi Ancho,

You're right. In fact I think I have a little too much pitch right now. The Staempfli wooden spoons have about one degree of pitch, and right now I have no outward pitch at the pins and about five degrees at the vertical part of the gate. It feels like too much pitch to me.

I'm going to try a little outward pitch of the oarlock, say 1 + 1/2 degrees, and go for about 5 degrees at the catch, 3 degrees at the release. I'll have to use shims to get the outward pitch. I'm always looking for the perfect stroke and the perfect rigging. When things aren't going well, blame it on the rigging, I say (heh, heh.)

This is off topic, but lately I've been trying to improve sculling sideways, as described in The Sculler at Ease by Frank Cunningham. Right before docking I'm spending a few minutes trying to move the boat sideways. It seems like it would be an amusing way to show off while coming in at a crowded dock.

Byron

[Bob S.]

deleted

[Bob S.]

When things aren't going well, blame it on the rigging, I say (heh, heh.)

As the old saying goes, "a good carpenter never blames his tools." I have always interpreted this to mean that he is responsible for the condition of his tools.

This is off topic, but lately I've been trying to improve sculling sideways, as described in The Sculler at Ease by Frank Cunningham. Right before docking I'm spending a few minutes trying to move the boat sideways. It seems like it would be an amusing way to show off while coming in at a crowded dock.
Byron

Have you figured out how to do it with hatchet blades? It always works fine for me with macons, but I don't remember ever having the nerve to try it with hatchets.

Bob S.

[Byron Drachman]

When things aren't going well, blame it on the rigging, I say (heh, heh.)

As the old saying goes, "a good carpenter never blames his tools." I have always interpreted this to mean that he is responsible for the condition of his tools.

This is off topic, but lately I've been trying to improve sculling sideways, as described in The Sculler at Ease by Frank Cunningham. Right before docking I'm spending a few minutes trying to move the boat sideways. It seems like it would be an amusing way to show off while coming in at a crowded dock.
Byron

Have you figured out how to do it with hatchet blades? It always works fine for me with macons, but I don't remember ever having the nerve to try it with hatchets.

Bob S.

Hi Bob,

It's too bad we're not neighbors. I'd love to get a lesson on sculling sideways.

I'm doing it with the wooden spoons that came with the Staempfli. I'm good at churning up the water when I try to scull sideways, but I'm not very good at moving the boat sideways yet.

Byron

[Bob S.]

Hi Bob,
It's too bad we're not neighbors. I'd love to get a lesson on sculling sideways.
I'm doing it with the wooden spoons that came with the Staempfli. I'm good at churning up the water when I try to scull sideways, but I'm not very good at moving the boat sideways yet.
Byron

Sideways sculling takes patience. It can never be very fast just because of the mechanics involved. You just have to work you way into the dock "poco a poco." Have you ever seen boats made for one oar sculling? I don't remember seeing one myself, but I have seen pictures of them. They have some similarity to rowing shells in that they are long and narrow, but they generally have a flat transom with a hole for the sculling handle. They are also a lot more stable. They have to be, since the sculling is done more effectively from a standing position. As a kid, I fooled around trying to scull an ordinary skiff. It worked after a fashion, but our skiffs (which we rented out to striped bass fishermen on San Francisco Bay) were 14 and 16 feet long and 4-5 feet wide and had almost flat bottoms. That sort of design does a lot of wiggling left and right as you work the sculling oar. A long, skinny hull tracks much more smoothly. I may have mentioned this before, but many years later I had occasion to use a sculling oar to propel my 26' trimaran when there was no wind and the outboard motor konked out on me. For a tri, it was kinda heavy, with a displacement of about 2 ton, but I could get a reading of about 1.5 on the knot meter. That was enough to get me back to the dock when the inner harbor was windless and my kicker was kaput. Fortunately I did not have to contend with strong currents in that area (Wilmington, CA).

Have you ever tried body sculling? It works fine if you are on your back, using the sculling motion with each hand. It can be done palms down or little finger edge down, but I prefer the palms down movement. It may be possible to do it palms up as well, but I have never tried that. I have also managed to go backwards by sculling in the prone position and my arms stretched out ahead. That is one that will often puzzle any bystanders, but it is hard on the neck keeping your face out of the water.

Bob S.

[Byron Drachman]

We had a few warm days, enough for getting back on the water, although I had to be careful to watch for ice. I took out a Maas just in case I hit some ice. A friend took a photo as I was scraping off some ice and snow:

[bloomp]

The C2 erg was designed as punishment for OTW rowers that can't row in winter.

I can understand that the erg is not a very exciting alternative to going out in a boat. Looking at the above posts it looks like some of you believe this because of the extraordinary measures you are taking to get out in a boat.

I reckon if you like going out in a boat more than erging in winter then you should move to the west coast or somewhere further south. Change jobs and move your family with you for a better lifestyle. Surely you can't get a serious workout in a boat wearing all that stuff under those conditions.
...
The only need for the erg is for crew time trials and some speed/interval work.

Can you then explain how collegiate and high school crews from the South typically are terrible? Without the winter to force them to erg, they remain on the water far too long and do not get any of the power bonus that indoor training offers.

My team goes to South Carolina for spring break (the ice still is 9" thick in Connecticut), and we race at the Augusta Invitational after a week of being on the water. We destroy the Southern teams - by a lot. I'll be sure to let you know by how much, but it's because they do not erg at all.