Rigging
is how the boat is outfitted, including all of the apparatuses (oars,
outriggers, oarlocks, sliding seats, etcetera) attached to a boat that
allow the rower to propel the boat through the water. The term comes
from an old Old English
wrigan or
wrihan, which means "to clothe." It literally means to outfit or clothe a boat.
Rigging
also refers to the configuration of the boat and settings of the
apparatuses. The following terms are often associated with a boat's
rigging, along with other often used terms for equipment used in rowing.
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| The inside of a double scull. Shows the seat, slides, backstops, footplate, shoes and riggers. |
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- Backstay
- A brace which is part of the rigger of sweep rowing boats, which extends toward the bow from the top of the pin.
- Backstop
- The stop mechanism on the seat slides which prevents the rower's
seat from falling off the sliding tracks at the back end (towards the
boat's bow) of the slide tracks. Also, in the UK, the sliding seat
position closest to the boat's bow. As a command, it instructs the crew
to adopt this position. (The US calls this seat position the "back
end").
- Blade
- The spoon or hatchet/cleaver shaped end of the oar. Also used to refer to the entire oar.
- Bowloader / bowcox / bow steered
- A shell in which the coxswain seat is near the bow of the boat
rather than its stern. The seat in a bow loader partially enclosed and
is designed so that the coxswain is virtually lying down, in order to
reduce wind resistance and distribute coxswains weight so as to create a
lower center of gravity.
- Bow
- The front section of a shell; the first section of the shell to cross the finish line.
- Bow ball
- A small, soft ball no smaller than 4 cm diameter securely attached
to a rowing or sculling boat's bow. Primarily intended for safety, but
also used in deciding which boat crossed the finish line first in very
close races.
- Bow number
- A card displaying the lane number assigned to the boat for a race.
- Bow rigged
- (UK) The person stroking the boat has their oar on the Bowside
(Starboard or right side) rather than the typical Strokeside of the
boat.
- Bowside
- (UK) The Starboard
or right side of a boat. Derives from the tradition of having the bow
rower's oar be on the starboard or right side of the boat.
- Canvas
- The deck of the bow and stern of the boat, which were traditionally covered with canvas
- Cleaver blade
- Modern oar blades that have a more rectangular hatchet-shape. (also hatchet blade)
- Collar / Button
- A wide plastic ring placed around the sleeve of an oar. The button stops the oar from slipping through the oarlock.
- Cox box
- Portable voice amplifier; may also optionally incorporate digital readouts displaying stroke rate, boat speed and times.
- Coxmate
- A portable amplification device, similar to a coxbox, incorporating a
digital readout. Higher models may also have a built in radio and speed
sensor.
- Empacher Slot
- A UK term for the clip at the on the top of the bow for holding racing number plates.
- Ergometer (also ergo or erg)
- An indoor rowing machine.
- Foot stretcher
- An adjustable footplate, to which a pair of shoes is typically
attached, which allows the rower to easily adjust his or her physical
position relative to the slide and the oarlock. The footplate can be
moved (or "stretched") either closer to or farther away from the slide
frontstops. (also "Footplate", "Footchock", or "Footstop")
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| Two sculling oars. The "blades" are at the top of the picture and the
handles are at the bottom of the picture. The blades are "hatchet
blades." |
- Frontstop
- The stop mechanism on the seat slides which prevents the rower's
seat from falling off the sliding tracks at the front end (towards the
boat's stern) of the slide tracks. Also, in the UK, the sliding seat
position closest to the boat's stern. As a command, it instructs the
crew to adopt this position. (The US calls this seat position the "front
end")
- Gate
- (UK) Bar across the top of rowlock, secured with a nut, which
prevents the oar from coming out of the rowlock. Also historically used
to refer to the oarlock or rowlock.
- German rigged
- A boat where a pair of oarsmen, usually seats 4 and 5 in the engine
room, both row on the same side of the boat (also known as Italian
rigged or Tandem rigged, as favoured by Cambridge in the 2012 and 2013 Boat Races).
- Gunwales
- (pronounced: gunnels) The top rail of the shell (also called Saxboard)
- Handle
- The part of the oar that the rowers hold and pull with during the stroke.
- Hatchet blade
- Modern oar blades that have a more rectangular hatchet-shape and which are not symmetrical. (also cleaver blade)
- Hull
- The actual body of the shell.
- Inboard
- The length of the oar shaft measured from the button to the handle.
- Keelson
- A structure timber resembling the keel, but on the inside of the shell.
- Launch
- A motorboat used by rowing instructors, coaches or umpires. Referred to as a "coach boat" in Canada.
- Leather/Sleeve
- A thick piece of leather (plastic on modern oars) around the oar to
keep the oar lock from wearing out the shaft of the oar (typically wood
or carbon fiber).
- Lines
- The ropes held by the coxswain to control the rudder.
- Loom
- The part of the oar between the blade and the handle.
- Macon blade
- Traditional U-shaped oar blade. (also spoon blade and tulip)
- Oar
- A slender pole which is attached to a boat at the Oarlock. One end
of the pole, called the "handle," is gripped by the rower, the other end
has a "blade," which is placed in the water during the propulsive phase
of the stroke.
- Oarlock
- The rectangular lock at the end of the rigger which physically
attaches the oar to the boat. The oarlock also allows the rower to
rotate the oar blade between the "square" and "feather" positions. Also
historically called 'Rowing Gate' by some manufacturers.
- Outboard
- The length of the oar shaft measured from the button to the tip of the blade.
- Outrigger
- (See Rigger)
- Pin
- The vertical metal rod on which the rowlock rotates.
- Pogies/Poagies
- A type of mitten with holes on each end, which allow the rower to
grip the oar with bare hands while also warming the hands, used
frequently by rowers in colder climates.
- Port or Portside
- (US) The left side of the boat when facing forward. (Strokeside in UK)
- Ribs
- The name given to that part of the boat to which the skin of the
hull is attached. They are typically made of wood, aluminum or composite
materials and provide structural integrity. (see also shoulder).
- Rigger
- Rowing slang name for an Outrigger. It is a projection from the side (gunwale) of a racing shell.
The oarlock is attached to the far end of the rigger away from the
boat. The rigger allows the racing shell to be narrow thereby decreasing
drag, while at the same time placing the oarlock at a point that
optimizes leverage of the oar. There are several styles of riggers,
typically attached either to the side of the hull or to the top of the
gunwhales. The most common is the triangle frame or Euro rigger (USA),
with two points attached to the boat (and almost always with a backstay
in addition), and the third point being where the oarlock is placed. Rigging
refers to whether a boat is stroked by a port or starboard (i.e.
port-rigged, starboard-rigged). With sweep rowing, riggers typically
alternate sides, though it is not uncommon to see two adjacent seats
rigged on the same side of the boat.
- Roller
- The wheels upon which the seat slide travels along its track.
- Rowlock
- Often used in the UK to for an Oarlock (see above). Also historically called 'Rowing Gate' by some manufacturers.
- Rudder
- Adjacent to the skeg and used by the coxswain (or in some coxless
boats, by a rower using a "toe" or foot steering mechanism) to steer the
boat via attached cables. Extra-large rudders are used on narrower
and/or bendier rivers.
- Saxboard
- The sides and top edge of a boat, to which the riggers attach - see also Gunwales
- Scull
- (a) An oar made to be used in a sculling boat where each rower has
two oars, one per hand (b) A boat (shell) that is propelled using
sculling oars, e.g., a "single scull," is a one-person boat where the
rower has two oars.
- Seat
- Molded seat mounted on wheels, single action or double action.
Single action is fixed bearing wheel, double action is wheel on axle
that rolls on track and rolls on horns of seat. A secondary meaning of
location in the shell, the bow seat is one, and is numbered upward to
the stroke seat (8, in an 8 man shell). Thirdly can mean a competitive
advantage in a race, to lead a competitor by a seat is to be in front of
them by the length of a single rower's section of a shell.
- Seating
- Seating positions in a racing shell are generally numbered from the
bow to the stern in English-speaking countries, unlike many
non-English-speaking countries which count from the Stroke forward.
Generally the forwardmost rower is called the "Bow" and the aftmost
rower the "Stroke", regardless of the number of rowers in the boat, with
all other seats simply being numbered. So for instance the crew of an
eight (with coxswain) would number off from the bow: "Bow", "Two",
"Three", "Four", "Five", "Six", "Seven", "Stroke", whereas a four (with
or without coxswain) or a quad would number off: "Bow", "Two", "Three",
"Stroke".
- Shell
- The boat used for rowing.
- Shoulder
- Load bearing supports that mount rigger and attach to keel of boat. (also knee)
- Skeg (or fin)
- Thin piece of flat metal or plastic that helps stabilize the shell in the water.
- Slides (or tracks)
- Hollow rails upon which a rower or sculler's sliding seat will roll. Older shells might be convex rails with double wheels.
- Slings
- Folding, portable temporary boat holders. Two are required to hold a boat.
- Smoothie
- A blade design in which the face of the oar blade is smooth, without the traditional central spine.
- Speed coach
- A device mounted on the keel of some high-performance shells that
determines the boat's speed based on the speed of a small propeller and
transmits this information to the coxbox.
- Spoon blade
- Traditional U-shaped oar blade, which is symmetrical down the center of the shaft. (also Macon blade or "Tulip")
- Starboard (or Starboard side)
- (US) The right side of the boat when facing forward. (Bowside in UK)
- Starboard rigged
- (US) A boat where the stroke rower is a starboard rower. (Bow Rigged in UK)
- Starting gate
- A structure at the starting line of the race. The shell is “backed”
into the starting gate. Once in the gates a mechanism, or person lying
on the starting gate, holds the stern of the shell.
- State room
- The space between the gunwales (UK).
- Stern
- The rear section of a shell.
- Stretcher
- A slang abbreviation for Foot Stretchers.
- Strokeside
- (UK) The port or left side of the boat (even if the boat is bow
rigged). Derives from the tradition of having the stroke rower's oar be
on the port or left side of the boat.
- Swivel
- The rowlock/oarlock. Often referred as gate due to the securing bar/gate at its top.
- Toe
- In some boats without a coxswain, a rower may be able to control the
rudder and steer the boat by changing the direction his foot points.
This is called "toeing a boat." And the mechanism is called a "toe."
(also: "foot steering")
- Top-Nut
- The nut which screws onto the top of the pin holding the Rowlock in place.
- Tracks
- (see Slides)
- Tulip
- (see Spoon Blade)
- Wheel
- (see Roller)
- Wing Rigger
- More modern version of an outrigger in the shape of a wing. It has a
stiffer workthru which makes the boat more responsive to the power of
the stroke. This can also have the extra support of a backstay. Wing
riggers can either be stern or bow rigged.
