Single scull opinions
hjgoodier
I have been looking to buy a single to row on the tideway. I am not
the most experienced sculler, but am keen to become one, and as I have
yet to come across someone who will give me a straight opinion on the
general characteristics of different makes apart from an opinion of
the boat type they currently own, or the typical "empacher only"
response - I was wondering if I could abuse the wealth of experience
this forum seems to display on most posts.
To give a structure as it were (although everything may to an extent
still be subjective) could people consider
stability - ease to sit and scull
comfort - will the holes in my calves created by the aylings i'm
borrowing grow or go?
durability - after I scull through the deforestation and rubbish in
the thames will the boat survive?
and the mystical performance/stiffness or the boat
I apologise if i sound skeptical but it is probably because i am, and
i don't want to spend my money on something i might regret
any helpful opinions would be gratefully read
Yours Henry
david.h...@aea.be
protectors from Karon
Kit
Henry,
Have you
a) asked around your mates to get a trial row in some different makes.
There's nothing like 1st-hand on-water experience to get a feel for
what's right or not for you.
b) considered moving either your feet up a hole on the stretcher, or
your stretcher a couple of notches towards the stern to help with your
shredded calves. I did both and it helps (and is supposedly more
ergonomic too).
FWIW, I moved from a Janousek to an Aylings Olympian, and found both
boats felt fairly similar. So you might consider the reverse move.
Janouseks are pretty durable IME.
Kit
hjgoodier
I've sculled only a few boat types - ERB, Janousek, Aylings and once a
Fillipi, however, only the ERB and Aylings have been the right size
for me - I am a 2m heavyweight - so far my favourite boat has been a
janousek, but i struggled to go very fast in it as i could not fit
very well in it - I did find though that it sat better(more easily),
and gave me more confidence than other boats i have been in.
Henry
hjgoodier
I forgot to say, I like the idea of calf protectors (although a boat i
fit in would be ideal) i will look into them - made by New Wave?
As far as trying other boat types, I have always tried to look out for
opportunities, and may be trying a hudson soon, but I find it hard to
come across boats of my size that are not being used when i am free (I
am part of a club that has group sessions, with nearly all the
scullers going out together), and there aren't that many big people...
Edgar
"hjgoodier" <hgoo...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:6b04c874-6b6e-4c15...@g27g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Regarding the holes in your calves it is a bit hard to mess with a borrowed
boat but if you check, and find that your wheels are not actually reaching
the end of the slides when fully forward, you can often loosen the fixing
bolts and tap the slides towards the bow. There is something wrong with your
setup if you are doing such damage to yourself.
carolinetu
beginner because I found it very easy to sit and scull, and have won a
few pots in it despite my advanced age and lack of fitness. What's
more, it has never carved gouges in my calves. I think this may have
something to do with the angle of the footplate, which is 42 degrees
compared with 45 degrees for a Janousek.
Glyn Lockes are no longer made, but you occasionally see second-hand
ones. Beware though, as they were taken over by Aylings some years
ago and newer ones may not be the same as mine.
Of course, once you are proficient, you should invest in a Carl
Douglas, which will be perfectly crafted to your individual
measurements and give you many years of pleasure (my husband has one).
Caroline
MagnusBurbanks
and dry on a shingle bar which wasn't there yesterday! Get a boat
which will survive that. I used to scull at Tideway Scullers, and my
boat then was also a Glyn Locke. Aforesaid incident happened to me
twice that I remember, and each time the shell barely registered the
fact, with which I was truly impressed.
If you were on a normal stretch of river, I would unhesitatingly
recommend a Carl Douglas, no other boat without exception in my
experience is as well engineered to have all as it should be, for
example pin-pin, saxboard-saxboard and sliderail-sliderail all
perfectly level on 3 different spirit levels on each of around 5 boats
of his manufacture I have rigged, three of them more than 15 years
old. Even Empachers I have rigged have not passed that particular
test, and don't get me started on the Filippi single I once owned! But
I wouldn't go for a CD on the Tideway unless I had eyes in the back of
my head.
Cheers, Magnus
Charles Carroll
Someone on the Tideway would actually advise you to get a yellow boat over a
Carl Douglas? Incredible! What are things coming to in the UK?
As for the holes in your calves, are these being made by your slide rails?
If they are, then my guess is the slide rails are over extended. Ask someone
to help you with your rigging. Scullling should be fun. Holes in your calves
does not strike me as much fun.
Cordially,
Charles
Charles Carroll
I am always slightly puzzled by the suggestion that a Carl Douglas is to
pretty to be sculled. May I offer a second opinion?
I had a friend who bought a Ferrari and when I came by his place one day it
was parked on the street.
"A Ferrari parked outside against the curve on this street!" I teased.
My friend became very serious for a second.
"Charles, as you know I did a lot of thinking about this car before I bought
it," he said. "And what it came down to is this - while I could easily
afford the car, if I couldn't afford to have it scratched or banged up a
bit, then I really couldn't afford it."
I cherish the idea that Carl builds his shells to be sculled. And in my
experience any shell that is sculled with any kind of joy is going to get
scratched and banged up a bit. I suspect that my Carl Douglas is the
strongest and most well made shell of the 100 plus shells in our boathouse.
So far it has taken bad weather and bad water with ease. (We'll see what
happens if it runs into a dispute with a seal.) It is still stiff and true,
it is easily repaired, and it is a delight to scull. If I were ever so
fortuate as to find myself on the Tideway, I wouldn't hesitate to take out a
Carl Douglas. Indeed it is my dream that the next time I am in the UK some
very kind soul may provide me with just such an opportunity.
Cordially,
Charles
MagnusBurbanks
a CD - I certainly wasn't! In fact I moved off the Tideway many years
ago for reasons very closely related to my too-frequent accidents or
near-misses which seemed unavoidable on the Tideway with its uncertain
tide-turn timing, varying water levels, floating debris, ever-changing
foreshore profiles and unfriendly commercial river traffic.
And heaven forbid the notion that a CD is too pretty to be sculled - I
own two, a double and a single, and they see very regular hard work
and racing. In fact you can see pictures of both in very recent
action, one at top right of all pages of my website, and one at the
top of the exact article I refer to in opening this thread.
If you are ever in the UK, you are welcome to use either of my boats,
but not on the Tideway because they are not parked there any more,
rather at Molesey Boat Club, 8 miles further west. Let me know when
you're over.
Cheers, Magnus
David Jillings
Although it looks like a deep narrow hull shape it sits much easier than
I thought it would when I moved from my much-loved but soggy old Glyn
Locke a few years ago. It is incredibly stiff. The only problem is
that the paint comes off quite easily if you bump it. However, it is
paint, so you can re-touch it :o)
I bought it because it is fast for serious racing, it is British, and it
was quite a bit cheaper than Carl's lovely boats.
David.
MagnusBurbanks
one. Apologies.
Magnus
Walter Martindale
You could consider a Hudson... I believe they have a European rep.
The newer models have the slides and foot stretchers set a touch
farther apart so they're a bit more comfy to row and slide bites may
be less common.
W
hjgoodier
Thank you again for the continuing suggestions, they are much
appreciated - especially with respect to buying a boat and then
thinking it too delicate to be used - I have learnt that what ever you
do, at some point you will get a dink of some sort...
To clarify further, I think that the boat I am using currently is
rigged correctly for me, the reason the slides hit my calves is simply
that they align with my legs almost as if they were designed to do
so... :(
(and i am able to touch the ends of the slides at both the back and
front - if i either over-compress a little, or at the backstops roll
forward on my hips too much)
seems as if trial of many boats may be the way forward
vet...@hotmail.com
Wingfield sculls in 1959). By the time I got it I was at least the 5th
owner and compared to 'modern' boats it was heavy, and no longer very
stiff. It was however very comfortable to scull, and sailed through
rough water.
My current boat is a CD, and when I can sit it well it is much faster,
but it bounces and rolls when I go through even the slightest ripple.
A recent interview with Alan Campbell (after winning this year's
Wingfields) quotes him as saying 'I used a boat which was better in
the rough water today'. Anyone know what he was using ?
So - what makes a boat good in challenging conditions ?
Shape ? (U-shape/V-shape hull, larger bow/larger stern)
Weight ? (is a lighter boat easier for rough water to move about ? -
but the boat is only a fraction of the weight of boat+me)
Size ? (I'm 85 kg; would a '65kg' boat be better or worse than a
'105kg' boat, and would the correct size be better than both ?)
... and what is the trade-off between stability and speed ? I suspect
that I would benefit more from stability than out-and-out top speed,
but not to the extent of using an open water shell.
I've not answered any of your questions Henry, but I'd be interested
in RSR's thoughts.
Paul W
MagnusBurbanks
looks like a Fluidesign to me
Magnus
mruscoe
It's a Filippi. That photo from the Times is not from the race, but he's
using the same boat here
It's presumably the same Filippi that he used at the world champs, given
the World Rowing and GBR stickers on the side.
Charles Carroll
How can you tell that Campbell's sculling a Filippi?
Does Filippi also put its riggers bowards of the sculler?
Cordially,
Charles
Kit
wrote:
I believe they do offer bow-mounted wings as an option now on their
latest craft.
Kit
mruscoe
> Mark,
>
> How can you tell that Campbell's sculling a Filippi?
>
That carbon fibre bow-mounted rigger is very distinctive, but that's
only a recent design, and he has used Filippis for years.