My boat is coming along. I'm ready to install the seat & oarlocks. I'm setting up for fixed seat rowing (my bad hip doesn't like sliding seats). Just eyeballing things, it looks like the seat position is too far forward. It is in the center of the boat. I'm used to boats where the seat is aft of the center. I can't move the seat too far aft without having a legroom problem with the bulkhead 4.
What is the optimal fixed seat location?
Hello Austin - The ideal spot to place the seat for fixed seat rowing is over the middle bulkhead. You are correct that having it a little aft of center is good, but what we've found is that the location of the central bulkhead works well, and it is much easier to install the seat because you have the bulkhead as a support. The trim of the boat in this position is fairly good - the oars and your legs help bring the COG a bit further aft. We do have more information on the particulars of setting the boat up for fixed seat rowing on this page here: https://angusrowboats.com/pages/installing-your-rowing-system It covers both sliding seat rowing and fixed seat.
