Rowing in gloves?

[Henry Law]

My shipmates and I are planning to enter a 22Km event in September (some
people would call it a race; they're the ones that will be 'racing').
Sliding up and down for an hour and a half will have its own challenges
but at least I can train for that; it's the wear and tear on my hands
that's bothering me.

Does anyone have any experience of rowing in gloves, especially for this
kind of event? If it was satisfactory, what sort of gloves?

--

Henry Law Manchester, England

[Paul]

Golf gloves work. The really thin ones, get them as tight as you can fit on.

[usbrit]

I'm just wondering maybe hands in gloves for 22km will cause more problems than no gloves

[Carl]

On 30/07/2014 19:57, usbrit wrote:
> I'm just wondering maybe hands in gloves for 22km will cause more problems than no gloves
>

And I'm thinking it isn't such a very great distance (under 14 miles)
compared with such events as the UK's Boston Marathon (~31 miles), or
even the Scullers' Head (you'll cover a good 9+ miles by the time you've
got back to where you boated). Loose hands & not too much pressure
should ensure Henry's intact survival.

But I can vouch for the value of the right sort of glove for long
distance stuff, having paddled a canoe the 125 miles of the
Devizes-Westminster race. We used water-ski gloves and finished without
blisters. Just be sure that you are comfortable to row with whatever
you decide to use, but you can opt to whip them off if they become
uncomfortable.

good luck -
Carl

--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
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[James HS]

Henry,

What kind of conditions and rowing or sculling?

Wet or dry?

Timed or leisurely?

While I tend to recommend that light pressure and light hands are used I recognise that this is not always possible - there are some lightweight weightlifters gloves that fit like a second skin - but the key advice would be to try them.

Close fitting and breathable are the main pre-conditions and this tends to lean towards leather.

I also recommend a liquid plaster in stead of strapping if you have light pressure issues.

Let us know what works.


James

[Ellen Braithwaite]

Sometimes for long open water rows in salt water, I use half-finger sailing gloves. Windsurfers use them. The half-finger feature lets you still have some direct contact with the oar handles but protects the softer parts of your hands. Bike gloves tend to have too much padding on the where the fingers meet the palm -- great to counter the pressure on the handlebars but not so great for a soft feel on the oars.
Ellen

[jhat...@comcast.net]

The Crew Stop sells rowing specific gloves (sweep and sculling). I've used the sculling gloves and really like them. They're meant to fit tightly so be careful in choosing the size.

http://www.thecrewstop.com/shop.html

Jim

[p103...@gmail.com]

Henry,

Are you talking about the GOM (Great Ouse Marathon)? If so I did the event for the first time last year in my 1x, and will hopefully be doing it again this year either in my 1x or if can convince my partner the 2-.

As for gloves, I agree with Carl. Keeping loose hands will help.

Ben

[Anthony]

On Wednesday, July 30, 2014 10:46:40 AM UTC+1, Henry Law wrote:

On the couple of occasions I've sculled from Putney up to Richmond Lock and back (about 26km) my hands gave me no trouble at all, but my bum did. For us tall thin bony people, some attention to your seat may be wise. Good luck anyway!

Anthony

[Henry Law]

On 30/07/14 21:55, Carl wrote:
> Loose hands & not too much pressure should ensure Henry's intact survival.

Thank you for all the input. I might try some of the gloves mentioned.

I find when sweep rowing that it's my squaring (inside) hand that tends
to suffer, particularly on the inside of my thumb, where it faces the
the root end of my index finger (wouldn't a knowledge of anatomical
terms help at this point ...). Loose hands is something I strive for,
but in the case of squaring and feathering there's always the worry that
I'll go in under-square and cause a Bad Thing to happen.

And yes Ben (snappily aka p10350311) this is the Ouse marathon. I
wasn't able to do it with the club last year and I'm very much hoping
that there are enough to send a couple of crews this year.

usbrit has a point too; sometimes putting something in between flesh and
the working surface does more harm than good. Certainly true in the
case of blistered heels inside walking boots: I'm convinced that it just
increases the pressure and accentuates the rubbing.

[Carl]

For which there is a solution:
www.carldouglasrowing.com/sitedata/files/Customised_seat.pdf

A pain in the bum is not inevitable!

Cheers -

[timka...@gmail.com]

"particularly on the inside of my thumb". I generally use a bit of electricians tape around that area. I normally scull and occasionally sweep, so it hasn't hardened up. Works for me.

[s...@ku.edu]

I've tried many seat pads, but my favorite is the wool fleece from Pro-Row: http://pro-row.com/index.htm

Steven M-M

[Alexander Lindsay]

Only 22 km? Trivial! Have a look at

http://www.zambezitraveller.com/news/kariba-moon-row

Though 22 would be enough for me.

Alexander Lindsay

[robin_d...@hotmail.com]

Quite apart from the question about gloves and the need to loosen off / relax the hand grip as much as possible, I would also have a think about the physical characteristics of the oar handles that you are holding. I've personally never advocated or been recommended glove wearing in rowing, and I would look at the hand / handle interface from both sides to see if improvements can be made to either without necessitating gloves.

If they are wooden handles, I find that if they haven't been given a light sanding recently there is a tendency to over-grip as a result of the varnish-like coating of sweat / skin / grime crusted into the surface. Giving the handles a sanding to remove this surface often results in a looser grip arising from the handles being less slippery, and thus would perhaps reduce the need for gloves (for either their grip / protection properties)

With rubber grips (particularly if sculling), the other question I would have is whether the grips themselves are in good condition or in need of replacement, and secondly, if they are overly large in diameter? There is a tendency, particularly among male oarsmen to specify excessively large grip / handle diameters that can exacerbate the need to over grip, when fitting a size or two smaller can result in the grip being equally secure but a great deal more relaxed.

[leon.wa...@gmail.com]

I rowed the Boston Marathon last year in my single,and wore a thin high vis running glove (something from sportdirect) on one hand, and none on the other (having lost the second glove between boating and starting the race.

In the first 20k I swopped the glove around, but the last 30km the glove was worn on one hand only. By the end I had no blisters on the hand with the glove, but a large blister on the hand without the glove (which burst with 10 strokes to go on a sprint finish to ensure the quad that had been chasing me for about 40k didn't overtake...)

I personally wouldn't bother for 22km, just focus on getting some long outings in to toughen up the hands.

Ta, Leon

On Wednesday, 30 July 2014 10:46:40 UTC+1, Henry Law wrote:

[Kit Davies]

Henry,

Have you considered how you hold your handles at the catch? IME blisters
are often caused by the oar not being in a properly squared position so
that it adjusts itself and turns very slightly in your hands as it goes
into the water, just when you're applying load.

In my sculling experience, my hands are much less blistered when I
square early and confidently with the wrist high, so that the scull is
properly resting in the gate in the square position and goes in cleanly.

Kit

[Chip Johannessen]

Agree that different grips make very different demands on your hands.

I had issues with blisters and torn callouses until I finally changed to the orange Stampfli grips, which took care of 90% of the problem. Since then, I've found that the light blue Concept 2 cellular foam grips solve the problem completely. The only downside is that they have to be cleaned with alcohol quite frequently. Like after every outing. But it seems a small price to pay.

[robin_d...@hotmail.com]

On Friday, August 1, 2014 9:38:44 PM UTC+1, Chip Johannessen wrote:
> Agree that different grips make very different demands on your hands.

> I had issues with blisters and torn callouses until I finally changed to the orange Stampfli grips, which took care of 90% of the problem. Since then, I've found that the light blue Concept 2 cellular foam grips solve the problem completely. The only downside is that they have to be cleaned with alcohol quite frequently. Like after every outing. But it seems a small price to pay.

Just goes to show to each their own - the orange Stampfli grips used to rip my hands to pieces on relatively short outings - they were about equal with C2 soft black grips for damage. The best I have used as a sculler were the C2 small diameter handles with the yellowy/green moulded handles - the texture was just grippy enough and I found the lack of 'give' in the surface helped. I did a ~28km round trip up the Tay to Scone Palace and back a few years ago and apart from a slightly 'worn' feeling in the fingers afterwards I was completely blister-free.

[Robert Treharne Jones]

My last long-distance event was rowing the Watermen's shallop in the Jubilee Pageant, from boating at Chiswick to disembarking below Tower Bridge. Fixed seat isn't my forte, and we all got by using (dry) chamois leather wrapped around the handle.

Robert