What is new on my opinion about rigging

It is well known that 20 years ago there weren’t adjustable oars. The only way to prevent the burdening of the stroke for the same boat or different boats was by adjusting the oar’s handle length (inboard)(L1) and the distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread).

Now, because we can adjust the total length of the oar, we can personalize the oar’s handle length and the distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread) for each sportsman individually.

This way the stroke’s burdening will be made on account of the outer length of oar (outboard)(L2). Actually if you look at it, the gearing formula is outboard length (L2) divided by the distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread). If the sportsman has to change between 1x, 2x or 4x boats, he can maintain the same inboard length (L1) and also the same distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread) in all of those 3 types of boats, while the outboard length (L2) will become somewhat bigger as the sportsman changes from 1x to 2x and then 4x. L2′s increase from boat to boat depends on the gearing calculated for each boat.

This is possible because we’re talking about the same sportsman, who’s parameters don’t change, only the boats change, and even we’re talking about a high speed boat the same rule applies.

Statistics have shown that sportsmen with wider shoulders have higher performance in sweep rowing, while those narrower shoulders give higher performance in scull rowing.

It doesn’t seem fair to maintain the same empirical rule in which the inboard length (L1) is 30 cm bigger from the distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread) – in sweep rowing.

Even though this rule somehow applies to the girls (although we have here too differences between each girl’s shoulder’s breadth), to maintain the same rule for the boys would be a terrible mistake. In my calculation formula I have considered the trunk’s height and also the shoulder’s breadth. Even though you might find this a strange thing, I don’t find it to be fair that the distance between the pin and the mid-line of the boat (span/spread) is bigger when talking about the light weight category sportsmen compared with the open category ones, and that’s because the gearing must be smaller for the light weight category sportsmen.

All of my calculations start from the specific amplitude of the stroke. Obviously open category sportsmen will have a greater specific amplitude of the stroke (distance between catch to finish). To develop the same angle between catch to finish, it would be normal that the light weight category sportsmen should have the inboard length smaller if they have a smaller specific amplitude and also as maller distance between pin to the boat’s mid-line.

This is valid if we intend to carry the same arch of handle from catch to finish (same angle), if we’re talking about different angles, then it’s possible in other ways too.

Honored Rowing Coach
Nicolae Vulpe