Empacher dominance

[str8four]

Looking at the IRA Top 25 poll I can't help but notice that 21 of the 25 are rowing Empachers. I think it is everyone except for Wisco, OSU, GTown, and Marist. Do people just chalk this up to the fad of the day, do the abundance of international recruits impact boat choice, is the favorable USD/EUR exchange rate making them cheaper, or is there a real (or perceived) advantage for heavyweights to row yellow?

I don't follow lightweight or women's collegiate rowing as closely, but it seems that the preference for Empacher is much less pronounced across both.

[Slim]

I think it's an easy boat to fundraise for. Lots of donors want to give "the best".

It's also an easy boat to row relative to some other hull shapes and if the top teams are rowing them, it's easier to get on board than wonder if the boat is making the difference (protip: it's not).

[socalstroke]

PEN moved to Hudson. You can also find a few at COR. DRX has a mix. HC using resolute?

[rowing]

Recruiting candy.

How many schools have fundamentally changed their rank since following the herd?

Come to Wannabe University. We look fast!

[sandor]

Filippi took gold in the M8+ at the Olympics, silver in the W8+
Gold in the M4x, silver in the M4- W4- & W4x


It is definitely about keeping up appearances, not actual speed.
Not sure what the US sales network is like for Empacher vs Filippi vs rest of the builders.
The rep who you see the most & is hawking a boat with a world-class pedigree gets the sale?

[Guy]

PEN moved to Hudson. You can also find a few at COR. DRX has a mix. HC using resolute?

I think their fleet of boats was destroyed during the flooding in Philly.

[socalstroke]

PEN moved to Hudson. You can also find a few at COR. DRX has a mix. HC using resolute?

I think their fleet of boats was destroyed during the flooding in Philly.

Was wondering what precipitated the move as I thought the alumni had bought a fleet of yellow a few years before. Do you know if shipping/supply chain made Hudson a more timely replacement?

[rowing]

PEN moved to Hudson. You can also find a few at COR. DRX has a mix. HC using resolute?

I think their fleet of boats was destroyed during the flooding in Philly.

Was wondering what precipitated the move as I thought the alumni had bought a fleet of yellow a few years before. Do you know if shipping/supply chain made Hudson a more timely replacement?

Maybe because their head coach won the Olympics rowing a Hudson?

Or even better, after 30+ years of Penn alumni fudpuckery, maybe the staff and admins have told them 1987 was nothing more than a fluke and they should stop microbitching.

[FullSend]

I think it's an easy boat to fundraise for. Lots of donors want to give "the best".

It's also an easy boat to row relative to some other hull shapes and if the top teams are rowing them, it's easier to get on board than wonder if the boat is making the difference (protip: it's not).

I think this is most of the reasoning here. The "easy to row" reputation goes all the way up to senior national team level where even there athletes will tell you Empacher is the most consistent and easy to balance hull across all conditions. A lot of these top college programs race in some crap conditions on the regular.

Personally, idk if that's true or not but once athletes believe it it turns into a self fulfilling prophecy.

One thing I would add is equipment consistency is factor as well. Coaches generally are going to want 1V-2V-3V using the same stuff

[rowing]

"No one ever got fired for buying Empacher" used to be an adage, but plenty of coaches have been fired for not doing anything noteworthy after getting in one.

If you're consistently program 10-25 rowing yellow, it ain't the equipment holding things back.

Yes, we're snickering.

[sandor]

PEN moved to Hudson. You can also find a few at COR. DRX has a mix. HC using resolute?

I think their fleet of boats was destroyed during the flooding in Philly.

Was wondering what precipitated the move as I thought the alumni had bought a fleet of yellow a few years before. Do you know if shipping/supply chain made Hudson a more timely replacement?

Fall of 2019:

web_HROW_1V8_HOSR.jpeg (99.42 KiB) Viewed 1972 times

[ieatergsforbreakfast]

in speaking to the coach at my alma mater at HOCR, he told me the reason for the program's switch from resolute to empacher was due to inconsistencies in the manufacturing process of resolute - that they (resolute) have too many different skus due to small tweaks in the (molding?) process. in fact, the Friday morning of HOCR, as they were derigging, a rigger snapped in half (I forget what specific component) on the 3v's resolute. coach had to call the resolute rep with the specific boat serial number to see if they'd be able to find the right part, since none of the other resolutes in the boathouse used the exact same part.

all of that to say, i guess empachers are more consistent with design spec and uniformity between hulls.

i don't say any of that to trash resolute. the program has performed pretty much the same as when I was there rowing in a resolute, as they do now, in empachers. i'm certainly happy that they have the best of the best, and don't want the athletes to have any (perceived or legit) competitive disadvantage in their racing season.

[rowing]

all of that to say, i guess empachers are more consistent with design spec and uniformity between hulls.

uhhhhh....anyone else wanna tell him??

i'm certainly happy that they have the best of the best, and don't want the athletes to have any (perceived or legit) competitive disadvantage in their racing season.

Now imagine taking the price differential from Empacher vs. something else and putting that toward assistant coach salaries and development.

[ieatergsforbreakfast]

you can tell me whatever you want. i'm not the decision maker on this.

OP asked what was causing the change. i provided the explanation that was relayed to me from one of the programs that has made that switch.

[FullSend]

My understanding was that with exchange rates being more in favor of the USD, the price hike to Empacher isn't as significant as it once was. It's not like I've priced it out the difference from Hudson USP to Empacher, but if it's "only" a few grand and the alums would rather pony up for yellow, then it's a no brainer