Rowing Equipment

Boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and semi-circular and widen in the cross-section in order to reduce drag. They usually have a fin towards the rear, to help prevent roll and yaw and to increase the effectiveness of the rudder. Originally made from wood, shells are now almost always made from a composite material (usually carbon-fiber reinforced plastic) for strength and weight advantages. FISA rules specify minimum weights for each class of boat so that no individual will gain a great advantage from the use of expensive materials or technology.

• Number of rowers. In modern competition the number is 1, 2, 4, or 8.
• Position of coxswain (also referred to as Cox). Boats are coxless ("straight"), bow-coxed (also called bow loaders), or stern-coxed.

• Sweep: coxless pair (or straight pair) (2-), coxed pair (2+), Coxless four (or straight four) (4-), coxed four (4+), eight (8+) (always coxed)
• Sculling: single scull (1x), double scull (2x), quad (or quadruple) scull (4x), octuple scull (8x) (always coxed, and mainly for juniors and exhibition)

Single and double sculls are usually steered by the scullers pulling harder on the port or starboard oar. In other boats there is a rudder, controlled by the coxswain, if present, or by one of the crew. In the latter case the rudder cable is attached to the toe of one of their shoes, which pivots using the ball of the foot, moving the cable left or right. The steersman may row at bow, who has the best vision when looking over their shoulder, or on straighter courses stroke may steer, since they can point the stern of the boat at some landmark at the start of the course.

Oars are used to propel the boat. They are long (sculling: 250-300 cm; sweep 340-360 cm) shafts with one flat end about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide, called the blade. Classic oars were made out of wood, but modern oars are made from synthetic material, the most common being carbon fiber. An oar is often referred to as a "blade" in the case of sweep oar rowing and as a "scull" in the case of sculling. A sculling oar is shorter and has a smaller blade area than the equivalent sweep oar. The combined blade area of a pair of sculls is however greater than that of a single sweep oar, so the oarsman when sculling is working against more water than when rowing sweep-oared. The rower is able to do this because the body action in sculling is more anatomically efficient. Oar blades are frequently painted with the club colors and helps spectators to determine the teams on the water and also helps clubs in finding oars at regattas. Many adjustments can be made to the equipment to accommodate the physiques of the crew. Collectively these adjustments are known as the boat's rigging.

Boathouses are where rowing equipment is generally stored. These usually consist of a long building, in which the boats are stored on 'racks' from floor to ceiling, with a large door at one end which usually leads out to a dock on the river or lakes. The boathouse usually includes a gym where training equipment specific to rowing is used. Ergometer rowing machines (ergs or ergo) simulate the rowing action and provide a means of training on land when training is restricted due to weather, and for measuring rowing fitness. Ergometers do not simulate the lateral balance challenges, the exact resistance of water, or the exact motions of true rowing including the sweep of the oar handles. For that reason ergometer scores are generally not used as the sole selection criterion for crews, and technique training is limited to the basic body position and movements. However, this machine provides a comparable workout to those experienced on the water.

Indoor rowing has become popular as a sport in its own right with numerous indoor competitions (and the annual World Championship CRASH-B Sprints in Boston) during the winter off-season.