Rigging of a 4+

[Phoenix80m]

I am used to the common rigging of Port stroke and alternating to bow (PSPS),
but have rowed with starboard strokes also, is there any reason or mechanical
advantage to rigging a boat with either both ports or starboards as the middle
pair? (PSSP or SPPS) Is it just a meaning of weight or power distribution?
Just looks different? Is there even a reason?

Thanks
Alex

[Bowside]

Three out of the 4 times that I have rowed in the Brit at HRR have been
with tandems. It just seems to work better that way. The only theories
that we have are to do with improved timing in the tandem, and the fact
that the No 1 seat (ie bow) has to work much harder.

[E J Cat3]

I usually rig a four with a bucket because it tends to travel straighter. In a
port rigged boat the starboards have a slight mechanical advantage since their
average placement is closer to the bow (much like in the pair). If you bucket
rig the boat the average placement of the starboards is right between 2 and 3
seat. The average placement of the ports is also right between 2 and 3 seat.
Therefore there is no natural tendency to turn (much like in a single)

The bucket rig, therefore, is very useful for the coxless four (and the coxed
four) assuming your rowers are of similar strength and stroke length.

Of course there are other reasons to bucket rig as well, but most have to do
with the rowers (weight, height, technique, etc...) The above given reason is
assuming ideal conditions.

Eric Catalano

[DougD]

Actually, the main reason to do a bucket rig in a 4 is to balance the
lateral forces in the stroke, which tend to twist (and over time,
fatigue) the hull.

At the catch, not only are you exerting a force toward bow on the
oarlock pin, you're exerting a considerable force inward; at the end
of the stroke, this force is exerted outward. Since the bucket rig
centers the lateral forces from both port and starboard at the same
place on the hull, the boat tends to twist less during the stroke and
(ideally) fatigue less over time.

The same is true in the eight, but a bucket rig in an eight tends to
have the disadvantage of making the stroke's blade fall in or near the
puddle just left behind by the bow, at high stroke rates anyways.

The whole lateral-forces issue is also one of the rationales of wing
riggers in sculling (or those funky Hudson lightning-bolt-shaped wings
for sweep) .... the lateral forces are borne (and balanced) primarily
across the wing itself and not through the hull.

- Doug

[Iglapolo]

Beside evening out the center of force application on the hull between the two
sides, I have used bucket rigs in fours primarily when looking at the bodies
involved. Say your clear stroke in the boat is a port, but the two starboards
have very similar bodies which would swing well together in the middle of the
boat, and your 2nd port is somewhat shorter/smaller than the other guys, stick
them in a bucket rig and watch the swing improve greatly. Other than that,
straight v. bucket rigs aren't a huge deal, in my opinion.