Which is the better rig?

[taylste]

If you have two rigs:

1. Span 160, Inboard 89, Oarlength 278, Crossover = 18

2. Span 156, Inboard 87, Oarlength 272, Crossover = 18

Assume for both the oar is the same type. Also the load (inboard/oarlength) is virtually the same.

However, depending on who you talk to, the potential catch angle is far greater in rig 2 (72 vs 70 degrees).

Which is the preferred rig? Certainly rig #1 is more 'conventional', but is it necessarily more efficient? I might argue, rig #2 is potentially more effective.

Thoughts?

[lt.wolf]

What type of oars, it does make a difference

[taylste]

in this example, assume vortex smoothies. The key assumption is the two sets of blades are identical for this comparison.

Thanks.

[Slim]

Take two weeks and use one rig for a week and the other for the next and see what's better. My experience is that option 2 is more efficient but requires better technique. For the athletes I work with, the benefit of the tighter rig and shorter oars is offset by the lack of technical ability, so it comes out in a wash.

[lt.wolf]

Slim is spot on. I would always start with the standard rig and then tweak. From recent experience don't tweak to much or you throw yourself as well as your speed off. Keep it comfortable as comfort is key in racing. Do not rig too light.

[petermech]

Slim is spot on. I would always start with the standard rig and then tweak. From recent experience don't tweak to much or you throw yourself as well as your speed off. Keep it comfortable as comfort is key in racing. Do not rig too light.

That might start to cost. In the example the length of sculls went from 272 to 278. That is just a bit more than the 5cm you can get with the green grips.

[lt.wolf]

I am not sure what you mean by "cost"? So which do you suggest and why ? And by "comfort" I mean the ability to row with the rig not that it is easy

[GettingFaster]

Cost=cost to buy new oars because C2 doesn't make oars that can adjust from 272 to 278 (6cm), C2 gives you 5cm. Not sure how far crokers adjust, anybody know?

[lt.wolf]

Got it.
At some point speed will cost you in one form or another.

[taylste]

Thanks for the replies. Some studies, including that of Volker Nolte suggest shorter oars and correspondingly shorter spans are more efficient. However, not everyone is in agreement. Various rigging charts I have seen (that calculate arc length, load, etc) demonstrate that changing the span by 2 or 3 cms does not really affect arc length much, but it sure seems to affect perceived load even if the gearing is the same (as long as the inboard and oar length do not change. If nothing else, having shorter oars with a shorter span and inboard, should be easier to manage and probably less taxing than traditional length oars. They will be lighter, as well. However, there could be a cost to technique (as mentioned earlier) as balance may be more difficult to achieve with the shorter oars.The question remains....can any performance gains be found? Time to test....or at least next spring in my neck of the woods....

[mightyquinn]

Taylste,

Good luck with the rigging testing and experimentation. Check out this presentation for some very helpful advice on experimenting with rigging changes: http://www.slideshare.net/rowperfect/ro ... an-inboard.

My advice is to start with "conventional" rigging measurements and work on moving that rig as well as you can. Two good benchmarks are max speed at uncapped rating and max speed at low, capped rating (~18spm). Work on getting so comfortable with that rig that it's like erging -- you can put 100% into each stroke without worrying about set, washing out, etc. Short of that, the rower, not the rig is probably the limiting factor. From there, experiment with small rigging changes, keeping in mind that: a) any change you make may require other changes (e.g. longer inboard requires either wider spread or moving footstretcher toward the bow in order to maintain consistent clearance of handles and body at the finish); and b) it may take several thousand meters or more to get used to even small rigging changes, so be patient and don't attempt judge your rigging changes right away. The length and span changes you're considering are likely to require changing a variety of other settings (including pitch and oarlock height) and may feel very different at first and take a while to get used to.