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Are you a crew or a small team who train on ergos?  We need a group of rowers to test out a new product that we are considering stocking.

We know that if you try out a product and love it, we will try to sell it for you.

How about this one…. the iErg.

This is a fabric cover that fits over the rolling seat of my Concept 2 erg, with a side pocket for the iPod. 

We have one and would like to send it out for testing.  

Get in touch if your crew is interested.

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OK I’ll give you three reasons to pick it up and read it:

• You’re interested in the fiddly nuts and bolts that hold a boat together and what they all do; because right now you haven’t got a clue and you don’t want to look an utter beginner.
• You’re possibly the only one in the club who cares, so someone had better understand what’s going on before the show falls apart.
• You’re looking at that section in the ARA Level2 Coaching award which is about rigging a boat and it worries you as that is based on your competence, and nobody else’s.

In all the above cases as stated very early on the book you’ll be in need of, “a dose of common sense, a willingness to learn and a solid work ethic” and further just as Mike Davenport quotes – “Sit down with your favourite drink in a comfortable place and read and learn.” That’s what this book is designed to do in many small logical steps, taking the big issues apart into small understandable and therefore manageable jobs. From that point on read it cover to cover irrespective of whether a boat requires rigging in the next five minutes, someone else will have to look after that problem for now.

If you were to ask if it’s it written by someone with a pedigree in the sport? The answer is an affirmative as Mike Davenport has seen the changes on-going in rowing and sculling from starting as a university novice in 1975 working through to Boatman for the US Olympic Team in 1996; and he still going strong, wholly engaged in the US Rowing and Coaching Education programme; and he recognises that the changes are still on-going too.

It is written in a style of the very much the parochial “sit down with this, let me tell you, this is what you need to look at before you even think about picking up a rigger jigger, or any other tool you ever think you may need to make a rowing shell go faster.”  But you could also see this work being delivered as a number of lectures to trainee Boatmen and Coaches, chapter by chapter and interfacing theory with practical’s to check that the theory is sitting in the best area of the brain for ready use.  Unfortunately for the great majority of us this Boatman’s Course only really exists in the university of life, where experience is spelt with a capital E usually mixed with expletives.  The book is designed to make you think through to obtain the answer to the problem in front of you, before Davenport confirms your thinking; so it does give you that little bit of confidence as well.  However, as all good educators do, he recognises the stages of the reader’s development and the fact that you may not know initially, which case the encouragement is there for you read on and discover.

The down side to this book is partially summed up by one of the tag lines on the front cover – The George Kirschbaum comment “The one book I NEVER lend out”; I would also add to that and say it’s one book that you NEVER leave lying round in a boat house unattended. Not only will you lose it, because it is so easy to read there is a danger is people can pick it up in the middle and having read a few pages find that it’s so easy to make changes that they proceed to alter half the club’s boathouse fleet in the blink of an eye, so that it suits them and them alone or worse still totally ineptly, all without knowing why they should or shouldn’t do so. So that is the “Boathouse Health Warning” that goes with the book.

This is the tenth anniversary edition, it’s also getting slightly dated in so much that many of the wooden shells (and indeed wooden ribbed shells) to which some of the techniques presented refer are now swinging from rafters in clubhouses, restaurants and pubs as decoration rather than an everyday feature on waterways; but do not throw it away on that count, the rigging principles in use with a modern carbon fibre/glass fibre shell are the same. The measurements and reason to take those measurements are still the same. It now inadvertently teaches you some of the physics and maths that you probably should have learned at school but you were too busy going rowing that you didn’t do the homework; only it doesn’t tell you its doing this it just puts it into a context that you can now relate to, all because you row. Some of the cartoon diagrams may look like tooling and boats that your father or mother used to row in but there is one fundmental reason for leaving them as such: “Learn from the mistakes of others as you won’t live long enough to make them all yourself!” Look and learn from the principles involved. Davenport’s not going to give you the answer to a specific problem on a modern shell but he does guide you to pick up the phone and ask the boat-builder your question hopefully with that little bit more confidence in doing so and certainly with more understanding. And therein you are learning also in never being afraid to ask for help.

It is written for the American market, and quite level-headedly so, with an eye on sales in Canada and then the rest of the English speaking world; however there are terms used which would be uncommon in the UK these days, like: 7/16th of an inch. Alright; some of you are old enough but not many, but he does explain the systems in use and is honest in telling the US to look to use the metric system for its simplicity.  And there again, perhaps it is good for UK readers to learn the old Imperial system, and fractions; as it all becomes very real if you get an old boat to restore and maintain!

How does it compare against some other works: I have a copy of Paul Thompson’s “Sculling” and therein rigging in there is dealt with in 12 pages rather than the 400+ of Davenport. Thompson doesn’t really go in depth from first principles and tooling, nor does he claim to do so. Volker Nolte’s “Rowing Faster” appears to go into more detail for a chapter than Thompson and concentrates on the numbers involved; but both are reflective in that they support Davenport’s view on where rigging fits into the development sequence making a boat go faster: Which is the fifth element out of five options! You already know these if you think: 1st is the athlete; 2nd their training; 3rd is the technique; 4th the boat equipment in use; then, and only then, how their boat rigged. Truly though it is an unfair comparison in that neither Thompson’s nor Nolte’s works are solely focused on rigging whereas Davenport’s work pertains to be little but that. All the authors tell you to adapt the information to your individual situation; such is this sport; that requires the knowledge which if you read carefully is available.

In reviewing this book I’ll hear an outcry from those who pick up Davenport’s text saying that sculling isn’t dealt with ‘properly’ as an individual subject. He has taken to dealing this issue by a common route; i.e. you’re taught the methodology and metrology, now apply it to a single instead of a crew boat.
It isn’t a dry boring work; it is entertaining.  He has stayed with the cartoon diagrams to reinforce his points rather than replace them with photographs and arrows; in doing so he has put in what he needs to put in, keeping it clear and simple as an effective teaching aid.  It is just that. It is geared to the up and coming coach/boatman who should in due course take time to educate the oarsmen and women in their charge and hence lowering repair bills.  It may teach you to have the humility to admit you don’t know everything and to take the time to settle down and work out what the real underlying problem actually is.  There is a huge inference to the age old British tradition of sitting down with a decent mug of tea and analysing the problem before picking up any tooling; so, it takes you that bit longer but it also helps you get it right first time.  And therefore it saves you time and effort, removes frustration, further breakage and therefore probably money.

Money; this book will retail at £30 , but if it teaches you as a Coach or Boatman to train your crews to rig boats correctly so that on the morning of regattas the human torque spanners with adrenalin filled arms don’t over-tighten nuts such that they rip out rigging bolts before you start the day, you have to consider you are onto a winner a with replacements costing £7.50 a time. That’s in addition to time delays seeking spares and boats off the water awaiting repair, plus the hassle of crews and Club Captains bending your ear over repair time-spans.  Do the maths, and for a little self- preservation cut out the ear-ache!  It’s a great guide to the do’s and don’ts for training others too.

I have never met Mike but I have come to the conclusion from reading the book that this is sum of many years quiet accumulation of knowledge, perhaps the occasional argument proving to a coach he was right; and some of it hard learned at the hardest edge of competition.  I can only imagine those after regatta reviews post World Championships and Olympics where expected results had not materialised and everyone has had to answer to the team’s management; down to the finest detail including why rigging was set as it was for the conditions on the day.  He has been there, but he not given us that experience, deliberately so in this text; but he has given us a fine knowledge foundation to go that far if that is where we see ourselves heading.  It is worthwhile, if you get to the end of this book and either you haven’t learned something new or been reminded of something you should have been doing all along I would be very surprised. That said, enjoy the book all the same, treat it with the respect an educational text deserves.

Stuart Pressage,
Aberdeen BC
President

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Part time job as Manager for Rowpefect UK.

If you are interested, contact us and we can send you more information.

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We've covered a lot so far.  And if you're like most of the folks that have got this far there is a certain specific question that your dying to ask, "Okay, let me know. How should I rig? Hold on one second while I go off on a small tangent.
In the first edition of Mike Davenport's books "Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging ", he wrote that one thing that bugged the heck out of him about the rowing world was that there was a serious lack of written material on rigging, especially coming from the manufacturers.

When you bought a boat you hardly got anything to help you with the rigging. People would spend a lot of money, sometimes more than on a new car, and basically the only thing they got was a hardy
"Good Luck!"

Well, we are happy to say, things have changed. For example, Vespoli USA has an Owners Manual that you can download right from their Web site (www.vespoli.com). Concept II (www.concept2.com) has a great site full of information. And there are also other examples (www.durhamboat.com and of course www.rowperfect.co.uk). Yup, some manufacturers have really gotten on the customer service band wagon. The Web is really helping a lot. Hopefully, things will keep improving.

Okay, so now back to the question at hand, "How should you rig?"

Basically there are two ways: the right way and the wrong way. The right way works and the wrong way doesn't. Pretty simple.

Well, what is the right way?

Mike Davenport considers the methods in his books and  web site the right way, but confesses, they are not actually his own, he's stolen them and tells us over the past years he's been fortunate enough to hang around and be taught by some pretty smart Riggers and coaches. How did he repay them? He stole their techniques — although I prefer to think of it as inheriting them. But that's okay, most of them inherited their methods from someone else.

Now we would like to pass them along to you.

We hope you have enjoyed this course and we wish you the best in your rigging and rowing.

Still feel inspired?  Buy the book and maybe a pitch gauge to go with it.

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Rowing is both an outdoor sport and a water sport. Two pretty darn-simple concepts.

And just about every coach, rower, and Rigger that we've ever met is well-versed in both those notions.

So why, why, why  is it that so many rowing folks seem to forget these simple concept when it  comes time to rig?

We see coaches, athletes, and Riggers who just seem to ignore that we do our thing out-of-doors in what is commonly know as the environment — and they seem oblivious to the fact the environment plays a very big factor in what we do and how we do it.

Let us clue you in on something — as a Rigger, the environment is going to have an enormous impact on what you do — and if you want to rig well you will be best served to keep that in mind.

HOW THE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS WHERE YOU RIG

The environment — in essence your surroundings — will impact your rigging in basically two ways.

The first way the environment is going to play a factor is by the level of PRE.

"What the heck is PRE?" you ask.

Simply, PRE is short for "Positive Rigging Environment," and it is absolutely essential to rigging well. The best way to explain what PRE is is to look at it in terms of minimums and maximums. The level of PRE is usually the greatest when:

• The knowledge you have about your rigging is at a maximum
• The mental pressure on your rigging is at a minimum.
• The time you have to do your rig is at a maximum.
• The distractions on you while you rig are at a minimum.
• The tools you have for your rigging are at a maximum.

Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?

Regardless of how simple it may seem, oftentimes the mental environment we surround ourselves with is far from conducive to good rigging. It boils down to this, when the mental environment is positive, when you have control of those five items (pressure, time, distractions, tools, knowledge)  almost everyone seems to do a much better job of rigging.

The second way your rigging can be impacted by the environment is by the  SRE (yes, I know . . . another acronym).

SRE stands for Safe Rigging Environment. Safety should be a critical component of your rigging, however, often folks (especially Riggers) tend to forget about safety. Some of the things you should look for in a rigging area are: good lighting; protection from the environment–for both your sake and the boat's; and being out of the way so you can work with a minimum of distractions, hassles and aggravations. If you must put your boat in slings outside be cautious of the wind–even a slight breeze can
knock the boat over and then you've got major repair work in addition to your rigging.

With all that information now in hand, let's try to answer the question of the day, "Where should you rig?"

Usually the most convenient place to rig is inside the boathouse. Usually, but not always. We've seen some pretty crowded boathouses where leaving a boat in slings for more than five minutes causes major hassles. So you have to find the place that suits you best, preferably a clean and safe area.

And from experience Rowperfect can tell you that sometimes you'll find yourself doing rigging in some pretty weird spots.

From rigging standing in water up to my chest, in a barn, in a Russian Army tent, in a parking lot with the shell on stacks of life jackets, in a hotel ballroom, in a parking garage, in the hold of a ferry boat, and on the top deck of a freighter in the Caribbean — just to name a few.
The lesson here, make do with wherever you find yourself rigging. Just use common sense and be safe — no need to get hurt in pursuit of good rigging.

That brings us to our last lesson, #7. It is about How You Should Rig.

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Rowperfect met Mike Davenport at the Head of the Charles Regatta last autumn.  He is a professional rigger employed by Washington Colle ge,  an American University boat club to keep their boats in perfect rig to suit the athletes' needs.  

Mike has been writing about rigging for over ten years and this book is a summary of much of his hard-acquired knowledge.  His biography is here (scroll down).

This is a weighty book - but it's not the sort of thing to read in one sitting.  I leafed through the 21 chapters and four appendices and found the chapter on Buying Rowing Equipment.  The advice was solid and well-judged.  It includes seven steps to a successful purchase 

1. Establish what your needs are
2. Prioritise your needs
3. Determine the amount of money you can spend
4. Determine what make of equipment to buy (consider quality, service and price)
5. Pick your options
6. How much is it going to cost you?
7. Buy it

In step 4 he explains how to assess quality and useful tips on what to look for when buying second hand equipment as well as new.

Here are some shots of the pages of the book showing the clear diagrams, section headings and explanations.

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Exactly when should you rig your rowing equipment? That is one heck of a good question.

We look at when you should do any activity as determined by two criteria. The first one is when you "want" to do something. The second is when you "need" to do it.

In our opinion the "need" to-do-it aspect is almost always stronger than the "want" to-do-it aspect — especially in the world of rigging.

This lesson is designed to do one thing and one thing only, that is to present to you the times that you might "need" to do rigging.

THE NEEDS

There are basically six different times when you may need to rig your equipment. Here are those times.

PURCHASING-RIGGING is the planning and buying of the equipment you'll be using for practices and racing.

PRACTICE-RIGGING is preparing and adjusting your equipment for training practices. This includes rigging to help correct technique problems and also those instances when you might have to adjust or repair riggers, or equipment on the water.

RACE-RIGGING is more involved because you are dealing with traveling, race-day preparations, and those nervous butterflies that makes everything seem like a major undertaking. Specifically, race-rigging is the fine tune adjustments you make to squeeze the last ounce of speed from your boat or team.

PEACE-OF-MIND-RIGGING is simply adjusting your riggers or testing your rigging numbers because you think or feel something may be off.

MAINTENANCE-RIGGING are the steps you take to help your equipment survive longer.

INDIVIDUAL-RIGGING is setting up the equipment for an individual. This differs from practice rigging  in that it is more specific to finding the proper rigging for a specific person.

A DEEP BREATH Okay, six different times that you may "need" to do rigging. Take a deep breath, and don't get overwhelmed. These two points might help.

First. That list may look like an awful lot of rigging. Well  . . . it is. But keep in mind that it is not all done at once. In fact, if you look at that list again, you'll notice that those are the times over the course of an entire season that rigging would need to get done, not just during the same day, or even the same week.
That help at all?

Second. You may actually have to only do some of those items.

If you are in charge of an entire rowing programme, or even just your own rowing, then each of those rigging needs should get done by you. But if you are helping out with a program, for instance as an assistant coach or volunteer, you might only be doing one or two of those items on the list.

Please keep this in mind, our philosophy about rigging is that it should happen in such a way that it occurs in the background — meaning that it  happens seamlessly, without taking away from the fun or beauty of rowing.

So, now you have some information to help you answer the question we poised to you at the very beginning of this lesson . . . "When should you rig?"

We would suggest you file that information away for a few while we look at a different aspect in Lesson #6, "Where should you rig?"

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Jon Winter was in US LM4x at the Worlds.  He had to fund the trip himself once he got selected adn did so using a blog and emailing group list.  I paid some money to his campaign and so was part of the group getting his updates.

They were great, insightful and gave much more detailed information about what REALLY was going on for him and his crew than a PR person could possibly have given.

Rowperfect decided to interview him for this blog - here's what he has to say.

1 - what gave you the idea of blogging as payment for sponsorship funding? 

Had you done something like this before?

In the past, I have sent out e-mail messages to friends and family.
Mostly as updates on my rowing travels abroad.  In 2006 when I raced at U23 World Championships, I just did e-mail messages.  When I went to the Banyoles World Cup, I decided to create a google group.  It made things much easier to keep track of.  In Banyoles, I did a similar thing in terms of messages, but the group was smaller.
Usually I would send one every day and then one after each race.  As more friends and family heard about the list, it grew and grew.  I received many e-mails from people telling me how much they enjoyed reading the updates, so when I was approved to go to the Luzern World Cup, I thought maybe other people I didn't know would be interested in reading.  I figured that I was writing these messages regardless, so I may as well see if anyone was willing to pay to be on my private list.

2 - how many people gave you money?  Of these, how many did you not know beforehand (like me)?

For the Luzern World Cup, everything was very last minute.  I think the offer went out while I was already in Luzern, so I only got 2 or 3 people.  I didn't really spend much time marketing the idea, because I was in Switzerland getting ready to race.  For World Championships, we also didn't have much time to get things in order.  We had some other individuals sponsor us, so as people donated, I added them to my list.
 I think there were 10 - 15 people added to the list.  I didn't know about 10 of the people beforehand.

3 - How much did you raise and how much did you hope to raise?

We raised about 10,000 USD.  Some from rowing clubs, some from family, some from our website and e-mail list (www.quadsculls.org).  The total expenses for the trip were 30,000 USD, so I guess our goal was 30k, but I don't think we ever expected to raise all that money.  The main problem is that we were named Aug 7, left for Poland Aug 14, racing started around Aug 23.  30k would be much easier to raise over the course of months rather than days, but that's what you deal with when you are rowing a non-funded event in the USA.

4 - what was the hardest part of keeping the blog going while preparing to race?

I actually really liked to write during the regattas.  Much of the time, you just sit around waiting to race.  It helps me keep my mind off things, and it also helped me analyze my race…mainly because after each race, I would have to write down a re-cap of what happened.
 If I didn't do this, I probably wouldn't be able to remember what I was thinking during the race.  Writing the blogs helped me understand where my strengths and weaknesses are.

5 - which bit(s) of your blog (photo, commentary, questions answered etc) did readers say they liked the most?  Why do you think that is?

I stared doing a Q&A section while in Poznan, and I think most people really liked this part.  I started Q&A because thought the audience would enjoy hearing the answers to questions I received.  To some extent its difficult to give every reader a complete context of what is going on.  Some are rowers and understand what it feels like to race 6 boats across.  Others are not rowers and don't really understand.  I think the Q&A gave both the rowers and non-rowers a better understanding of my experience, and that seemed to really get people excited.

6 - what advice would you give US Rowing as a result of your experience this summer?

I think there are plenty of other US National Team athletes who keep up private e-mail lists.  The e-mail updates could be a way to let the donors feel more involved.  Its great to have your name on a list in the brochure, but if you really wanted to get donors excited about regular giving, you would give them an insight into the experiences of the athletes.  The donors would have a chance to get to know the people they support, and that is much better than your name on the side of a boat.

7 - do you know how the US Lwt 8+ did in their fund raising compared to yours?  Did anyone else do stuff like this?

I think the Lwt 8 raised about 20k USD.  With a bigger boat, you have a larger contact list and thus more donors.  The per-capita amount raised is about the same as us.  Other athletes wrote blogs and e-mail updates, but I think they were confined to family and friends.

8 - anything you'd like to ask us…?

GB seems to have excellent corporate sponsorship for the rowing team.
Do you think this is due to a higher status of rowing within the culture, or do you think it is based on the success of the team?  What do you think US Rowing/USA athletes could learn from the sponsorship situation of the GB team?

[ I answered this last privately - but what do you all think?]

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Over the past few lessons we've discussed quite a few items. Now its time for a critical question. Let us ask you this,

"Who should rig your rowing equipment?"

The simple answer to that simple question would be,

"You!"

A simple answer, yes. But maybe not the best answer.

Let's look at it from this perspective. When your car is broken, who should fix it? Twenty, thirty, fifty years ago the answer was, you, the person who owned the car.  Cars were simple enough, and many people had the time, desire, and energy to fix a car when it broke down.

Things are different now.

Cars are as complex as many computers, heck, they even contain computers. And people are usually too busy, too stressed, or too tired to try to fix a car even if they could figure it out.

Well, the same sort of thing is happening to rigging and rowing equipment. A lot of equipment is becoming more and more complex. Just look at oars today — adjustable handles with a multitude of blade shapes and handle sizes to choose from. And most rowers/coaches are too busy, stressed, or tired to take on the task of rigging.

However . . .

That doesn't mean that NO ONE should do it. There is rigging that still should be done.

Unfortunately, one thing we've noticed happening more and more frequently in the world of rowing is that a lot of important rigging isn't getting done. Or is only done only at those clubs well-off-enough to hire a full time boat person.

Boats are degrading well before they should for lack of attention. Athletes are rowing with poorly rigged equipment, and are getting hurt needlessly. And equipment is traveling on our highways often in an unsafe manner.

We understand why this happens, but it shouldn't be. Because the benefits of rigging well are worth the time and effort (especially the safety benefit)., and the down-side of poor rigging is sometimes a heavy price.

So, now, back to the question of the day,

"Who should rig your rowing equipment?"

We come back to the answer of "you" again but with this perspective. If you cannot rig your equipment, be responsible enough to make sure it gets done, by someone.

In school and university programmes the task of rigging usually falls upon one of the coaches, or a designated Rigger or Boatman (oftentimes a parent). This situation works well because athletes tend not to have the knowledge, experience or objectivity to rig correctly; although we've seen one or two rowers who were wizards at rigging.
Once you get outside a well-organized programme it's not so clear-cut who does the rigging, but like we said, it still has to get done.

In a situation like this have the same people always do the rigging to ensure consistency — that is, if they can do a good job. In club programmes, work schedules can cause big problems and it is often very hard to get rigging, especially good rigging, done. But it still needs to be done.
Consider appointing a rigging coordinator at your club– someone who will be in charge of getting the rigging done.

Regardless of whoever ends up doing your rigging, they need to have three things: a dose of common sense, a willingness to learn and conscientiousness in their work.

And remember, it needs to get done.

Well . . . that's today's lesson. As promised, short but important.

Lesson 5 is on When You Should Rig. See you then.

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Let us ask you this: "Why should you rig your rowing equipment?" Can you list a few reasons? How about three? Five? (There are even more than that!)

REASON #1: COMFORT

Ever take a long drive while sitting in a car seat that just didn't fit very well? How about writing an essay paper with a pen that is too big? Or talking on a phone where the cord is way too short? (Remember those days when phones had cords?)
If you've ever endured any of these things, or have done anything else with a piece of equipment or with a tool that didn't fit right, then you have a pretty darn good idea of what it's like to row with equipment that is not adjusted correctly.

• It can be terribly uncomfortable.
• And when it's uncomfortable, it's inefficient.
• And when it's inefficient, it's discouraging.
• And when rowing is discouraging, well . . . it misses the mark.

When you rig, the comfort of the rower has to be of prime concern. Okay, we know that rowing is a tough sport and we like that image, and Martha Stewart has no real place in our sport. However, when people row, especially long distances, the equipment has got to be as comfortable as possible for the rowers because if it's not, then all but only the truly masochistic rowers will survive.

Simply put, rigging can help rowing be more comfortable.

REASON #2: SPEED

For rowing coaches, speed is our Holy Grail. It is that elusive item we seem to spend hours, days, weeks, months, and years chasing. 

Rigging is critical to generating maximum boat hull speed. If it is speed you're after, then you must rig; without it, you may find max hull speed to be very elusive.

REASON #3: SAFETY

Rowing is about as equipment-intensive a sport as there is. That means that a rower's body is going to be in contact with the equipment.

To be specific, there are four places where the body touches the equipment:
The butt, the back of the calves, the hands, and the feet. These areas make up only about ten percent of a body's surface, but boy, that ten percent is important. I call these places the "hot spots," and if there is a problem in one of these areas, it can really mess up your rowing.

For example, little nasties like blisters have been known to stop armies dead in their tracks, and they certainly can make your rowing uncomfortable and inefficient. So can a smashed knuckle. Or even worse, an incredible case of screaming "boat butt" or janni-bum.

In Mike Davenport's clinics he often relates the story of seeing eight stud-type rowers get off the water after a spin in one of the first boats in the country with adjustable slides. The boat was new and no one was quite sure how to adjust the slides –in this case, they were adjusted about five inches too far toward the stern. With each stroke, the end of the slides jabbed into their calves, and the end product was eight bleeding, limping, and grumbling rowers.

Correct rigging won't totally eliminate these types of injuries, but it sure can help reduce them.

REASON #4: SMART MONEY

Another benefit of rigging is one of which you may not have thought: helping you to make a wise purchase of equipment.

Knowing exactly what you need when you buy something, whether new or old, is critical to a good purchase. And rigging can help you know what you need to buy.

A few of the base rigging measurements that may come into play here would be:

1. Boat size
2. Specific rigger adjustment (e.g., height, pitch, spread)
3. Boat weight
4. Shoe size
5. Oar length and pitch

Today, most rowing equipment comes with many options. The days of "making the man fit the boat," as George Pocock used to say, are long gone. Now the boat, and most other equipment, is made to fit the person rowing it, which means there are plenty of choices.  When you start looking at the options available you may get overwhelmed.
Where do you put the coxswain: in the bow or in the stern? What pitch do you want on the oars? What height range do you want on your riggers? What shoe sizes? What color?

The list goes on and on.

Being versed in rigging when you are purchasing equipment is critical to spending your money (or someone else's) wisely.

REASON #5: HELPING THE EQUIPMENT LAST LONGER

Your rowing equipment represents a big chunk of money. Like most folks, you want to get as much from that investment as possible. Rowing stuff is designed to survive the hardships of daily use; however, even the toughest equipment isn't ready to withstand the hardest challenges of its life, like transits, storage, novice rowers, and abuse from incorrect rigging numbers.

How does rigging make a difference?

It's similar to the air pressure in your tyres. When properly inflated, tyres will last a lot longer. When over- or under-inflated, the tyres wear incredibly fast. And the same goes for rowing equipment. For instance, significantly incorrect pitch settings on a rigger can cause premature wear of an oarlock or of a collar.
Proper rigging can make the difference in rowing equipment lasting two years or twenty years, and who can afford to replace oars, riggers, and shells every two years?

Lesson 4, the next lesson, is about Who Should Rig and we'll get into the nitty-gritty of rigging.

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