Crew Terminlogy

Blades The wide flat section of the oar at the head of the shaft, also known as the spoon. This term is often used when referring to the entire oar.

Hatchets (a.k.a. big blades or choppers or cleavers) - A relatively new design of oarblades (although the idea has been around for some time). These were introduced by Concept II (Spring 1992) and are what the names indicate---oar blades that have a bigger surface area than the `standard' (Macon) blades and have a hatchet or meat cleaver shape. The hatchets are a bit shorter (by about 7 cm) than the standard blades.

Scull - This term is used interchangebly when referring to one of the oars used in a sculling shell, the shell itself, or to the act of rowing a sculling shell.

Foot Stretcher (or bootstretchers) - An adjustable bracket in a shell to which the rower's feet are secured in some sort of shoe or clog.

Seat - The sliding seat that the rower sits on. The term "seat" also refers to the rowers place in the boat; the convention is to number the seats from bow to stern, i.e. the rower closest to the front of the boat is "1-seat" the next, "2-seat", etc. The 1-seat is also commonly referred to as "bowseat" or just "bow" while the sternmost (rear) seat is referred to as "stroke seat" or just "stroke".

Rigger (or outrigger) - The device that connects the oarlock to the shell and is bolted to the body of the shell. On sweep boats, riggers typically alternate sides  from seat to seat  it is not uncommon, however, to see  riggers on the same side with two adjacent seats. This is referred to as "tandem rigging." Varieties include "bucket rigging," "German Rigging," and "Italian Rigging."

Oarlock (or rowlock) - A U-shaped swivel which holds the oar in place, an oarlock ismounted at the end of the rigger and rotates around a metal pin. A gate closes across the top to keep the oar in.

Button (or collar) - A plastic or metal fitting tightened on the oar to keep the oar from slipping through the oarlock.

Pitch - The angle between the blade (on the drive when the blade is `squared') and a line perpendicular to the water's surface.

Slide (or track) - The track on which the seat moves.

Gunwale (or gunnel, saxboard) - Top section on the sides of a shell which runs along the sides of the crew section where the rowers are located. The riggers are secured to the gunwale with bolts.

Keel - Technically, the structual member running the length of the boat at the bottom of the hull. Today, some shells are built without this member so the term often refers to the center line of the shell.

Rudder - Steering device at the stern. The rudder in turn is connected to some cables (tiller ropes) that the coxswain can use to steer the shell. Older shells have short wooden handles (knockers) on the tiller ropes. These knockers are used by the coxswain not only to steer the shell, but also to rap out the cadence of the stroke rate on the gunwale.

Skeg (or Fin) - A small fin located along the stern section of the hull. This helps to stabilize the shell in holding a true course when rowing. All racing shells have a skeg. The skeg should not be confused with the rudder.

Rigging - The settings of  accessories (riggers, foot-stretchers, oar, etc.) in and on the shell. Rigging adjustments  can be made  to the rigger height,  the location of foot-stretchers and the oar button (or collar), the location and height of  oarlocks, and the pitch of the oar blade,  

Slings (or boat slings, or trestles) - Collapsible/portable frames with straps upon which a shell can be placed temporarily.

A rower at rest has his or her  legs fully extended, with the oar blades immersed in the water nearly perpendicular  to the water's surface.

Release- A sharp downward and away motion of the hand which serves to remove the oar blade from the water and start the rowing cycle.

Feathering - The act of turning the oar blade from a position perpendicular to the surface of the water to a position parallel to the water(done in conjunction with the release). Recovery - Part of the rowing cycle from the release up to and including where the oar blade enters the water.

Squaring - A gradual rolling of the oar blade from a position parallel to the water to a position almost perpendicular to the surface of the water. This is accomplished during the recovery portion of the rowing cycle and is done in preparation for the catch.

Catch - The point of the rowing cycle at which the blade enters the water at the end of the recovery and is accomplished by an upward motion of the arms and hands only. The blade of the oar must be fully squared at the catch.

Layback - The amount of backward lean of the rower's body at the end of the finish. Start again here with the release, beginning a new rowing cycle.

Other Terms of Interest

Bow- The forward end of the shell. Also used as the name of the person sitting nearest to the bow.

Stern - The rear end of the shell.

Port - The left side of the boat when facing the bow (stroke side in the UK and Ireland).

Starboard - The right side of the shell when facing the bow (bow side in the UK and Ireland).

Coxswain - The person who steers the shell and urges the rowers on during practices and in a race. A knowledgeable coxswain can also serve as a coach for the rowers and can be the difference between winning and losing a race.

The Stroke - The rower sitting nearest the stern (and the coxswain, if there is one). The stroke is responsible for setting the stroke length and cadence (with the coxswain's gentle advice).

Frig rigging - See Tandem Rigging.

Tandem rigging - Sweep boat rigging variation with adjacent riggers  on the same side of the boat. Also known as Frig rigging (UK). See below (the rigging terms below are the subject of debate as to exactly what configuration they refer to, and they are often used interchangeably).

• Bucket rigging- The rigging of an eight or a four so that riggers 2 and 3 are on the same side.
• German rigging - The rigging of an eight so that riggers 4 and 5 are on the same side while the others alternate.

• Italian rigging - The rigging of an eight so that bow and stroke riggers are on the same side, with the others alternating in pairs.

Ratio - The ratio of the recovery time to the drive time. The recovery time should always be longer than the drive time ( it was written once that the idea is to `move the boat on the pull through (or drive) and take a ride (i.e. relax) on the recovery without sacrificing the very speed that they have generated').

Rating - The number of strokes per minute. Also known as stroke rating.

Set (of a boat)- Roughly, the `form or carriage of the body or of its parts'. In this case the `body'  refers to a shell and the rowers. Items that can affect the set of the boat are the rower's posture, hand levels, rigging (the favorite culprit ... especially with the more advanced rowers), timing at the catch and release, and outside conditions such as the wind. It is not unusual for rowers within a shell not to agree on what needs to be done to establish a `good' set, i.e. a level, stable shell that will provide the basis for that symphony of motion.

Check - Any abrupt deceleration of the shell caused by some uncontrolled motion within the shell; an interruption in the forward motion of the shell. The coxswain is probably the most acutely aware of this abrupt deceleration and it has been known to cause whiplash in some extreme cases.

Crab - A problem encountered by a rower when his or her oar gets `stuck' in the water, usually right after the catch or just before the release, and is caused by improper squaring or feathering. The momentum of the shell can overcome the rower's control of the oar. In more extreme cases the rower can actually be ejected from the shell by the oar.

Jumping the slide - When a seat becomes derailed from the track during the rowing cycle.

Missing water –  When a rower starts the drive before the catch has been completed (or even started in some cases). This is also referred to as rowing into the catch.

Skying - The fault of carrying the hands too low during the recovery, especially when a rower dips his or her hands just prior to the catch (i.e. a sort of winding up). This usually results in the blade being too high off the water's surface.

Washing out - The fault of rowing the oar out of the water, i.e. the blade comes out of the water before the drive is finished.

Page Last Modified: April 30, 2002

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