BOAT-BUYING BASICS, Part Three • Hydrophobic Exterior: Remembering that a boat needs to be straight to limit the degree to which water passing over the hull “bounces” of the structure and results in resistance or drag, it is easy to understand the importance of a hydrophobic (water resistant finish) that causes water to slide as easily as possible over the hull. Lower friction and resistance means higher speed. • Run/Trim: A good shell makes the most of inertia. This means that even between the moments when the engine (you) is driving the boat forward by delivering power through the oars, the boat is making the most of the momentum it has acquired from your stroke. Good run means the hull glides and doesn’t squat, flounder, bounce (stern check) or dig in (burrow) when the oars are out of the water. • Stability at the Catch: The catch is the moment of truth when blades are up and off the water just this side of the point of entry into the water. If you think of yourself again as the engine, the catch is the moment when the pistons fire. And for winning performance – the pistons need to fire in perfect unison time after time after time. Understandably, wobble or uncertainty at this instant is disastrous. We can help you tailor a shell that will optimize stability at the catch. • Material Strength/Flex/Stiffness: Again, think of your rowing experience and what you are looking to achieve with your shell. The stiffer the boat, the better the acceleration. But they also get less comfortable with stiffness. Just as variation in width becomes a matter of inherent balance and/or experience, stiffness becomes a matter of taste or preference. For example, the benefits of training longer and harder because the boat is more comfortable may offset the increase in acceleration you get from a stiffer less comfortable hull. Only you and your “tailor” can work out what is exactly right for you.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 10:21:16 +0000
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