Rigging

Terms and Measurements

CLAM

Clip-on Load Adjusting Mechanism. The CLAM slides on and off the shaft and fits over the sleeve to quickly adjust the inboard of an oar or scull. Adding one CLAM increases the inboard by 1 cm, thereby decreasing the load you feel on the oar(s).

Oarlock Height

Vertical distance from the lowest point on the front edge of the seat at the front stop position to the midpoint of the oarlock shelf. This determines the level of your hands during the pull phase of the stroke, when the blade is just buried. If your hand level is too low, you will not have room to maneuver and feather your oar. If it is too high, you will feel uncomfortable as you pull through the water, and your oars may tend to wash out (come out of the water prematurely) during the stroke.

Inboard

The distance from the end of the handle to the blade-side face of the collar or CLAM The greater the inboard, the lighter the oar will feel in your hands, and the lighter your load will be when pulling through the water.

Load

Also called gearing. Just as the gearing on a bicycle determines the force felt at the pedal, the load defined by certain rigging measurements determines the force felt at the oar handle. For example, you can increase the load by doing any of the following: decrease the inboard; increase the outboard; increase your reach; use a longer oar without changing inboard or spread.

Outboard

The distance between the tip of the blade and the blade-side face of the collar or CLAM. The greater the outboard, the heavier the oar will feel and the greater the load will be.

Overlap

The amount by which the hands cross each other at the midpoint of the sculling stroke. The overlap is a function of the inboard and the spread and is generally described as half of the difference between the spread and twice the inboard. Increasing the inboard will increase the overlap, unless you increase the spread accordingly at the same time. Overlap is a matter of personal preference, but is generally recommended to keep it between 12 and 20 cm. In general, taller people row with more overlap and shorter people row with less.

Pin

The vertical axle extending up from the end of the rigger around which the oarlock rotates. The expression “through the pin” refers to the relative position of the pins and your seat at the beginning of the stroke. If the seat passes to the stern of the pins, you are said to be rowing “through the pin.”

Pitch

The angle of the blade away from perpendicular during the pull phase of the stroke. This is the net result of the pitch in the oar itself and the pitch in the oarlock and the pitch in the pin. Too much pitch makes it hard to bury the blade; too little pitch makes it too easy to pull too deep through the water.

Spread

The distance between the two pins on a sculling boat, or the distance between the pin and the center line of a sweep boat. Spread interacts with the inboard setting to determine the overlap of your hands when the oars are perpendicular to the boat. Also, the greater the spread, the smaller the arc that your oar blades sweep through the water.

You want to adjust the rig of your boat so that:

• The height of your hands is comfortable. If your hands feel too high, lower the height of your oarlocks. In most boats, this can be done by removing the nut at the top of the pin, and transferring washers from below the oarlock to above the oarlock. Then be sure to replace the nut at the top of the pin. Alternatively, if you are not able to adjust the boat, you can raise yourself higher by using a seat pad of the desired thickness on top of the seat in your boat. If your hands feel too low, raise the height of your oarlocks by reversing the directions given above.
• (Sculling) You can row with your left hand over your right had without colliding at the middle of the stroke. There is differential in the height of your oarlocks so you can row with your left hand over your right hand, as is customary throughout the rowing community. If your hands tend to collide at the middle of the stroke, or if your boat is constantly down to the port side, you may need to increase the height differential between your right and left hands. This differential commonly ranges from 1.5 cm to 0.5 cm.
• (Sculling) You have a comfortable amount of handle overlap through the middle of the stroke. If it feels like you have too much overlap, decrease the inboard dimension or increase the spread. Remember that decreasing the inboard will also increase your load. Increasing the spread will slightly decrease the arc that your oars sweep through the water.
• You have an inch or two of clearance between your hands and your body at the finish of the stroke. If you do not have this clearance, try moving your foot stretchers further toward the bow of the boat. You can also decrease the inboard, but be aware that this will increase the load you feel on the oars. If you have too much clearance at the finish, move your feet closer to the stern of the boat.
• Your oars come through the water at a comfortable speed given the force that you are able to apply. If it feels uncomfortably heavy and slow pulling your oars through the water, shorten the length of your oar by adjusting at the grip, then move the collar toward the blade to maintain the inboard dimension. Other rigging adjustments that can be made to lighten the load are to increase the inboard dimension by moving the collar toward the blade. You may need to increase the spread in order to accommodate the change in inboard. If you feel you would like more load, lengthen the oar by adjusting at the grip, then move the collar toward the handle to maintain the inboard dimension. You can also increase the load by moving the collar toward the handle, decreasing the inboard dimension.
• The oars maintain a consistent and appropriate depth throughout the stroke and release the water well at the finish. If your oar washes out or seems to ride too far out of the water, you may need to lower the height of your oarlocks, or you may try subtracting a degree of pitch. Note: If the oar blades seem to dive too deep during the stroke: First, check to be sure that you are not pulling up on the oar. Pull evenly and horizontally. If it is not comfortable to pull at that level, adjust the height of your oarlocks to make it comfortable. If the oar continues to dig too deep, you may need to add a degree of pitch to your oarlocks.
• Your seat does not hit either end of the track during the stroke. If your seat hits the stern end of the track at the catch of the stroke, check to be sure that your shins are not moving past vertical and that you are not rushing too fast to the catch. If you still hit the end, you should move your foot stretchers closer to the bow of the boat. If your seat hits the bow end of the track at the finish of the stroke, you will need to move your feet further toward the stern of the boat.

Common Ranges for Rigging Settings