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Some general facts about boats (sculls and sweeps) used in rowing. The look of sculls and sweeps can be very powerful. An eight person shell can be over 60 feet long (18 meters) and only be 2 feet wide (.61 meters), a four person shell can be 44 feet long (13.4 meters) and a one person skiff can be 27 feet long (8 meters) and only 1 foot wide (.305 meters). The seat's rowers sit on slide on a steel runner. Because of this rowers are able to use their legs as well as their arms when rowing and this means that the power they generate will result in fast speeds. This is certainly true when rowing is compared to kayaking or canoeing, where only the upper body can be used to move the boat.

Rowing shells are made out of carbon fiber because it is durable and lightweight.

Boats used in Rowing Competitions

There are two types of boats in rowing, Sculls, where each rower will have two oars and Sweep boats where each rower will have one oar. 2 to 8 rowers row sculls, however a single person rows a skiff, which is also a scull.

Scull Boats

Single Scull [1x] - A Single Scull is a sculling boat, which can only accommodate one rower. It is 26.9 feet long and weighs 30.8 pounds .

Double Scull Coxless [2x] - A Double Scull is a sculling boat that seats two rowers. It is 34.1 feet long and weighs 59.4 pound.

Quadruple Scull Coxless [4x] - A Quadruple Scull is a sculling boat that has a four-person crew, without a coxswain. It is 43.9 feet long and weighs 114.4 pounds.

Quadruple Scull Coxed [4x+] - A Quadruple Scull is a sculling boat that has a four-person crew, with a coxswain. It is 44.9 feet long and weighs 112.2 pounds.

Sweep Boats

Coxless Pair [2-] - A Coxless Pair is a sweep boat that seats two rowers. It is 34.1 feet long and weighs 59.4 pound.

Coxed Pair [2+] - A Coxed Pair is a sweep boat that seats two rowers. It is 34.1 feet long and weighs 70.4 pound.

Coxless Four [4-] - A Coxless Four is a sweep boat that has a four-person crew without a coxswain. Sometimes referred to as a Straight Four. It is 43.9 feet long and weighs 110 pounds.

Coxed Four [4+] - A Coxed Four is a sweep boat that has a four-person crew, which is with a coxswain. It is 44.9 feet long and weighs 112.2 pounds.

Coxed Eight [8+] - A Coxed Eight is a sweep boat that has an eight-person crew, which has a coxswain. It is 65.2 feet long and weighs 211.2 pounds.

Oars

In the past Oars were made of wood and they had a symmetrical blade. But today Oars, like rowing shells, are made out of carbon fiber and they have asymmetrical blades and they are also hollow in order to reduce weight. The average length of sweep oar is 12.4 feet long. The Oars for sculls are not as long at 9.7 feet. The blades on the Sweep Oars are very thin, the blade required must have a minimum thickness of five millimeters. Scull Oars are allowed to be as thin as 3 millimeters at the edge.

Crew Clothing

Most rowers will wear a tank top jersey and shorts. The jersey will have the colors of the country they are from, or the team or club they are rowing for.

Boat Equipment

Below is a list of the equipment you will find on rowing shells.

Backstops: The point the seat (slide) stops moving forward toward the bow.

Boot: This device holds the boat bow in place before the start of the race, and then releases the boat and drops below the water when the starting signal goes off.

Bow Ball: This is a white plastic or rubber ball that is attached to the bow tip of a shell. It is used in helping to determine a winner in photo finishes and it also helps to protect the bow of the boat against damage in case a ramming occurs.

Bucket: This is system of rigging the shell where two rowers, who are sitting one in front of the other, row from the same side of the shell.

Button: A collar that is put around the shaft of the oar so that it will not slip through the oarlock and into the water. The button can be moved up and down the oar, in order to increase or decrease leverage.

Canvas: This refers to the narrow part in the bow and stern of a shell. It can also mean to win a race just by the length of the bow or stern.

Card: Each shell or boat has a card, which has the number of the craft. The card is attached to the bow of the boat.

Deck: The areas at the bow and stern of a shell.

Foot Stretchers: These are attached to the bottom of the boat and it is where the rower rest their feet so they will not move when he / she is rowing. Rowerís shoes are usually attached to the foot stretchers.

Frontstops: The point the seat (slide) stops moving back toward the stern.

Gate: This is a bar across the oarlock that prevents the oar from coming out of the oarlock. It can be removed to take out or put oars in the oarlock.

German Rig: This is an type of oar arrangement whereby two consecutive rowers, in an eight man boat, usually the fourth and fifth rowers, have their oars on the same side of a shell while the rest of the oarsmen alternate their oars left and right.

Gunwale: The upper edge of the shell. This is a strip of wood that runs the length of a shell.

Italian Rig: This is a type of oar arrangement whereby all the rowers, except the rowers on each end, are rowing in pairs on alternating sides of the shell.

Oarlock: The structure on a boat's gunwale that supports the oar. It is attached to the pin at the end of the outrigger. It is also sometimes called a swivel.

Outrigger: This is a metal structure, which is used to support the oarlock. This is also sometimes called a rigger.

Pin: There is a metal rod that the oarlock is supported by.

Pivoting Shoe: This is the mechanism that allows a rower to steer the shell when there is no coxswain.

Rib: This is a U-shaped piece of molded wood, aluminum or carbon fiber that gives support to the hull. The Ribs are placed between the keel and the gunwale.

Rigging: The arrangement of the riggers (oars and rowers) and stretchers in a shell.

Rudder: A rudder is usually made of steel and it is located in the stern of the boat, it is in the water and is used to steer the boat.

Skeg: This is a small flat piece, usually made of plastic but it can be wood, which is fastened vertically to the bottom of the shell near the stern. This is used to help the shell stay on course. It is also known as a fin.

Sleeve: This is a jacket on the shaft of an oar where the button is placed and it is used to fasten the blade to the oarlock.

Slide: This is the seat where the oarsmen sit. It gets its name because it slides along the bottom of the shell to help the oarsmen get more power into their stroke.

Splashguard: Located toward the bow of the shell, helps to keep water out of the shell.

Stays: This is the metal tube that is part of a rigger.

Tiller Ropes: These are ropes that are used by the coxswain to control the rudder.

Toe: This means to use a foot-controlled rudder.

Race Courses

There is equipment required to hold a rowing regatta and below is a list of this equipment.

The Starting Docks is where the boats start the race from and it is also where the aligners are stationed when holding the shells in place.

There is a Starting Zone that covers the first 100 meters of the race and within this zone, and only in this zone, can a race be stopped due to problems. Starting Zone Buoys are Red and are 5 meters apart.

In addition to Starting Zone Buoys there are Course Buoys, which are white, green or yellow and they mark the middle of the course, they begin right after the first 100 meters and the end right before the last 250 meters. And then we have Finish Zone Buoys, which mark the final 250 meters of the course and like the Starting Zone Buoys they are yellow in color.

There are 6-7 Lanes, which is one for each boat that is in a race. Boats are required to stay in their lanes during a race. The two outer lanes are 16 feet (5 meters) in from the sides of the pool or course. The width of the lanes 13 meters.

There are Red Markers that are placed outside of the pool or course at 500-meter intervals.

A boat has finished the race when the bow of the boat passes over the finish line. 20 meters past the finsh line is anouther set of buoys called clearing buoys. Row through them.

At some events aFloating Dock near the finish line will be where medals are awarded. There should also be Grand Stands to allow spectators to view the races.

Officials

The Starter will first call out "Attention" they will the call out "Are you ready?" and then they will raise a red flag and then quickly lower it while at the same moment saying "Go".

Aligners are the people who layout on the starting dock and hold the rowing shells in place until the race starts. They will raise a white flag when all of the shells are lined up correctly.

The Alignment Judge is responsible for ensuring that all of the shells are lined up in a correct manner at the start of a race.

The Finish Line Judge will be in charge of the floating dock.

There are two Finish Judges and if the race is to close to call, they look at the picture that is taken at the finish and rule on which boat was the first to cross the finish line.

There are Safety Officials who are stationed along the side of the course or pool and have at their disposal a powerboat, diving equipment and other safety equipment in case they need to assist a crew that is having problems.

An Umpire follows the shells in a powerboat and they will signal with a Red Flag when a boat is out of its lane and is therefore disqualified and they will hold up a White Flag to signal the race is progressing normally and no violations have occurred.