Let me preface this by admitting that I am a novice rower. I've taken one introductory class from a local rowing club, but that is the extent of my on-water rowing experience. I also own a Concept 2 Erg and practice on that.
Now, my issue: I built the sliding seat kit and installed it per instructions. The first time I took the boat out, the oar height felt wrong. It felt like I was on an easy-rider bike! My hands were way to high. At release position, with the blades in the water, my hands landed on top of my pecs! I removed the spacers from under the outrigger and this configuration feels much more comfortable. The swivel height without the spacers is 14cm. That's near the bottom of the range you recommend. Should I put the spacer back and make a different adjustment? Could I have something else wrong in the configuration?
Other random facts: I'm 6' tall. I'm using the 2-piece sculling oars that you sell.
Hello Hank,
It's very hard to say if anything is wrong from your description. The fact of the matter is most people starting out with sliding seat rowing find it awkward and challenging - especially if they are used to the much simpler motion of fixed seat rowing. Just like wind surfing or skiing for the first time, the awkwardness starts to feel more normal, and eventually things become more fluid and comfortable. It takes weeks or even months of practice to become fully fluid and efficient with sliding seat rowing. Do you have accesss to any other sliding seat boats? Try testing out a scull at a local rowing club, and see how that feels. If it feels notably better, then we can start investigating what is the difference in the geometry.
Hi Colin -
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I'm comparing to what I expected based on rowing the club's boat. The instructor I had emphasized that your hands should slide back and forth like they are sliding on a table top. That is, no up/down motion. I put the spacers back in. In my first post, I forgot to mention that I had moved the button to shorten the inboard oar length. These are the 2-piece oars from you. I've now got the button at the 11 1/2 position. That gives me a maximum overlap of just a bit more than the handle length. With that adjustment, and the spacers in place, I think I can manage. I still feel like my hands are too high on the power stroke, but maybe I'm catching too deep. I may also try swapping the positions of the bushings on the swivel. The larger bushing is under the swivel. (I used 7/8" thick mahagony for the outrigger, so it's a bit thicker than the 3/4" pine that you recommended. I did that just for aesthetics. I'm sure the mahagony is a lot heavier than pine would be, but it's a lot prettier, too!)
Hi Hank,
Okay, that makes sense. There is a subtle difference between rowing a shell and a larger recreational sliding seat boat, and what you've experienced is the main one. Having higher freeboard means the oars will come out of the water at a greater angle. You could lift your seat higher to reduce the space between the handles and the seat, but the disadvantages (such as not being able to raise th oars in bigger waves and higher center of gravity) outweigh the pluses. Most actually find the recreational setup less awkward as you have more vertical freedom with the oar handles, but much of it is what you're used to. They both have pros and cons. The main pro with the racing/shell setup is slightly more efficient geometry, with the recreational setup you can lift the blades higher out of the water in rough conditions (and some find it more comfortable). Playing around with the different variables as you have been doing is a good idea -finding what feels best for you. I wouldn't be too rigid with the concept of having very little vertical movement with your hands, as it is a bit difference with recreational rowing. When I'm rowing in massive waves, I'm moving my hands all over the place doing my best to clear the waves. Going too deep on the power stroke is definitely something that can bring the oars awkwardly high, so definitely taking note to see if that could be an issue. Good luck with that.
