Bow Balls
VespoliUSA
Hi there -
We are thinking of redesigning the bow ball. Before we make the mold, we
want your input. How do you think it could improve?
Send your thoughts and comments to
Vespo...@aol.com
Thanks for your help!
Vespoli USA
www.Vespoli.com
(203) 773-0311
thebat
Put a point on it.
The multitude of novice coxswains (and first-year coaches) on the
Schuylkill have been wearing clothing with ring-tagets all spring in
anticipation of something like this to come along!
William M. Sauve
Redesign the bow ball?? Isn't that kind of like reinventing the wheel?
Honestly, I'm sure if I was made to understand what the projected
benefit of the new design would be, I am sure the reason for redesigning
the bow ball will be crystal clear. Then, I may even have a good idea .
. .
Will Sauve
Jimrows
Vespoli USA writes:
>Hi there -
>We are thinking of redesigning the bow ball. Before we make the mold, we
>want your input. How do you think it could improve?
>Send your thoughts and comments to
>Vespo...@aol.com
>
>Thanks for your help!
This isn't such a bad idea, from my viewpoint. At our club we have to get
into a low dock *perpendicular* to the river--with adjoining high docks
running parallel close-by. Because of the current we constantly stub the
tip trying to get in the "slot". The traditional bow-ball can handle a
bump at a head-on approach, but shears back if we miss with any angle. It
tears at the joint, with no real sacrificial benefit. I would like more
side-support, given the option. Unfortunately, a round blunt-nose would
look uncharacteristic, but for our club boats it would make sense.
(I know--if we learned how to steer better this wouldn't happen. But, just
like rowing... never the same strokes all the time.)
Jim Cooper - Norwalk River Rowing Club - Norwalk, CT USA
Ken Cooperstein
I understand taping a rubber bow ball onto a pointy bow, but I am
puzzled by the concept of molded-in bow balls. If you are going to
the trouble of redesigning the hull mold, why not make a replaceable,
auto-like soft rubber bumper bow tip for the boat that retains a
classic line and from a distance looks like there is no bow protection
at all?
My $.02
Ken Cooperstein
rodl...@aol.com
How much protection does the average bow ball actually give? Whilst I
wouldn't advocate doing without, I can't see the ball doing a great deal to take
the sting out of the impact of an eight doing a start. There must be an awfull
lot of momentum there, I think the difference in damage done to some passing
sculler meandering into the way would be nigh on indistiguishable with or
without the ball. With the normal design, I think it would largely bend to one side
out of the way anyhow. If it's supposed to stop spearing, I would have thought a
generally rounded bow to start with would be more important. Or maybe would
should just attach one of those cow-catcher things like on 'wild west' trains so
it would just scoop our errant sculler up and deposit him on one side?
Any thoughts anyone?
Anyone put one seriously to the test?
Rod.
Disclaimer; the opinions expressed above are not necessarily yours.
R. Hughes
Why change the bow ball? I don't see anything wrong with it. Plus, the
last thing crews want is to have to fork out more money to make sure they
have the correct bow ball. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. :)
B.H.
Charles E. Ehrlich
On 31 Mar 1997 rodl...@aol.com wrote:
> In article <333e6419...@netnews.worldnet.att.net>, cprs...@worldnet.att.net (Ken Cooperstein) writes:
>
> How much protection does the average bow ball actually give? Whilst I
> wouldn't advocate doing without, I can't see the ball doing a great deal to take
> the sting out of the impact of an eight doing a start. There must be an awfull
> lot of momentum there, I think the difference in damage done to some passing
> sculler meandering into the way would be nigh on indistiguishable with or
> without the ball. With the normal design, I think it would largely bend to one side
> out of the way anyhow. If it's supposed to stop spearing, I would have thought a
> generally rounded bow to start with would be more important. Or maybe would
Having witnessed a rather horrific accident several years ago, I can
attest to the importance of bow balls. With the bow ball, the speared
rower suffered mere trauma to his back and a lot of bruising. Without the
bow ball, his guts would have been rearranged as well.
Charles Ehrlich
Men's Coach
William & Mary Rowing
Mark Morgan
I suspect that creating a bow "ball" that is not a ball at all, but rather
a rectangular contraption, with some amount of spring that would allow the
portion that extends below the point of the bow to absorb some shock might
be useful. If one assumes that the point of the bow and the N inches below
that point never enter the water then it becomes an area that could protect
the boat more as it approaches varying height docks. I understand why a
ball is usually round (note that a football is not), but don't know why a
bow ball has to be a ball at all.
cheers.
Don Wise
Mark Morgan <mamo...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in article
<01bc4035$e7c939a0$61c3...@mamorgan.ix.netcom.com>...
Harvard's 1v lwt 8 use a Resolute last year that did not come with a bow
ball.
The front of the hull on the Resolute is rather square. At some events
they
were required to have a bow ball by the officials and had some difficulty
taping a somewhat butchered old bow ball on the front of the hull. They
probably regret not have taped a two foot stick and ball on the hull for
IRAs!
Carl Spackler
In article <19970328192...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
vespo...@aol.com says...
>
>Hi there -
>We are thinking of redesigning the bow ball. Before we make the
mold, we
>want your input. How do you think it could improve?
>Send your thoughts and comments to
>Vespo...@aol.com
>
>Thanks for your help!
>
How about in the shape of a cowcatcher? You could just plow
through those novices who consistently park it right before or
after narrow bridge arches. And could razor sharp spikes be an
option on these?
Also, is there any reason why the nitwit coaches attending to
these babies have to gun their motorboat in bursts, rather
than matching the patheticly slow speed of the boat squads?
How about a limit on the number of leftover athletes that hop
in the launch for a ride? There's nothing like two or three
porky leftovers to increase the amount of displaced water
generated by the wake!!!
AAAAAACCKKKKKKK!!!!
Carl
Steve Kerr
Don't forget that a/the prime requirement of a bow ball is to satisfy the
regulations, i.e. it must be white, spherical or close, 4 cm in
diameter, of rubbery or similar material (UK version and I assume FISA is
similar). I couldn't agree more with an earlier response that more solid
fixings to resist the bowball breaking off after getting repeatedly
dragged on the ground/bumped into boathouse doors etc. would be useful.
The current designs do not seem to last long in club use. Where is that
roll of tape now?
I take it that the purpose of the regulations is to provide something for
finish judges to easily see and to protect people from getting speared
in low speed bow on impacts. If you want something to protect ducks from
eights at full speed then you need something closer to an airbag...
Regards,
Steve
Sphinx5801
I must agree with >>almost<< all previous postings on the subject - The
following might be a good idea for a re-design - (excuse any spelling
errors)
Current bow balls have indeed a 'ball' on the tip attached to a
pyramid-shaped collar, which slides over/attaches to the bow of a shell.
As other posters have already indicated, the ball itself often shears/rips
off this collar, or the collar itself rips. Up to this point, this has
been a good, and cost effective way to help protect shells and persons (in
most cases).
My suggestion would be to petition for a change of the shape of the 'ball'
to more of a 'trapezoid' shaped (the base of the trapezoid perpendicular
to the ground when installed on a shell), with a 2" x 2" blunt end at the
'tip' with somewhat rounded corners ('broken corners' as called in
carpentry finish work) - all made of the standard rubber-like materials of
course.
That's not to say it should be made any wider or taller (in reference to
the ground) than a current ball. However, the 'collar' as I have called
it, should also be made somewhat thicker, making it more durable. Perhaps
the 'collar' should not even be discernable from the 'tip' (i.e. the
entire piece being somewhat of an extended, tall trapezoid).
In addition, to make it more of a shock-absorber, as is/was its main
function, two (2) quarter-inch holes (or three in a pyramid shape) should
be drilled completely through the sides (i.e. top and side when installed
on a boat, if you will) to allow for >some< compression upon impact.
These holes should be centered left to right, top to bottom, on the
portion that does not contain any of the 'hollow sleeve' that is to slide
onto the bow of the shell for mounting (i.e. what would be the equivalent
of the 'ball' portion of the current bow ball).
Any ideas or support for this style? Comments on its effectiveness?
Can't imagine it would cost any more to make.
PC!
thebat
Carl Spackler wrote:
> How about in the shape of a cowcatcher? You could just plow
> through those novices who consistently park it right before or
> after narrow bridge arches. And could razor sharp spikes be an
> option on these?
>
No, no, no! A point is better; they would not soon forget. And
remember: they have been wearing targets in anticipation of the new ball
design. Spike would get messy, and may paint one's boat red--this would
look terrible on a yellow/black scheme (worse than purple).
> Also, is there any reason why the nitwit coaches attending to
> these babies have to gun their motorboat in bursts, rather
> than matching the patheticly slow speed of the boat squads?
>
Hypothesis 1: novice (new) coaches for novice rowers.
> How about a limit on the number of leftover athletes that hop
> in the launch for a ride? There's nothing like two or three
> porky leftovers to increase the amount of displaced water
> generated by the wake!!!
>
Only 2 or 3? I've seen 1/2 dozen at a time. It makes for a deeper
draft in the launch resulting in (the desired effect?) a greater wake.
> AAAAAACCKKKKKKK!!!!
>
> Carl
Mrkowal
Wouldn't have made any difference. The bow ball on the end of the two
foot stick would have caused the shell to be pulled back two feet at the
start. You see, the aligners align the bow balls on line, not the front
of the shell or the number one seat; well you get the picture.
Pete Molnar
Yes, but that also means that the bow ball is used to determine the
finish- thus it would make no difference in the race, overall.
Starting two feet behind your opponents might be detrimental to crew
concentration, however.
Pete
Jim Dwyer
The coxie needs to have a mechanical device that extends the bow ball
during the last 30 strokes of the race!
--
Jim Dwyer
London, Ontario
Canada
Mrkowal
None that I'm aware of.
Richard D. Lewis
Is there a rule that the length of the shell must be
the same at the begining of the race as at the end ?
If not, there may be possibilites here !!!!
Nick Buffinger
There's a tip for Vespoli's new design--the extendable bow ball, actuated
by the coxswain (or by a switch on the left toe, in the case of a coxless
boat). ;-)
Nick
Stanford RC
Mrkowal
Don't let Mike read this or he just will come up with it.