The Case for the Oar Board® in Rowing Clubs
The Oar Board® Rower straps onto any paddleboard 10′ or longer in less than five minutes transforming it into a performance sculling rowboat. It also quickly and easily disassembles for transport or storage in handy wheelie bags.
Elite Rowing Coach & Olympic Gold Medal Rower Xeno Muller says:
“This is an amazing coaching tool as the sliding rigger makes it feel totally natural to drive with the legs before engaging the upper body. New rowers experience less difficulty understanding and learning a proper row stroke.”
Olympic Gold Medal Rower Adam Kreek says:
“Every rowing club needs some Oar Boards®. They are a lightweight, compact, stable sculling platform. Perfect for novice rowers to learn the row stroke or for afternoon fitness sessions even in wind and waves. Imagine a rowing-camping adventure launched from your boathouse.”
The Case in Point:
Learning to row with the Oar Board® while sitting on a stable standup paddle board, practically eliminates the ‘fear factor’, a major reason new rowers quit the sport before getting in enough time and experience to fall in love with it. As Zeno Muller stated, the natural inclination to use the legs with a sliding rigger totally speeds up the process towards learning a proper row stroke, the ability to row and basic skills involving blade work.
An inflatable paddle board is much tougher than a fragile racing shell or even a hard fiberglass paddle board. New rowers can learn boat handling and maneuvering skills without breakage problems, and avoiding extra cost to a club’s bottom line.
Storage is not a problem. The Oar Board® unit and paddle board can be left inflated and stacked together on a rack. Alternatively, the Oar Board® rower can be detached, disassembled and stored in its wheelie bag. An inflatable paddle board can be quickly deflated, rolled up compactly and also stored in its own wheelie bag perfect for transport or travel.
All weather rowing in colder seasons, cold water, waves, or boat wakes is no longer a problem as the chance of capsize is virtually eliminated. Should it actually occur, self rescue is very easy as the paddle board is totally buoyant, virtually unsinkable and it’s easy to climb back aboard.
The Oar Board® is ideal for use as a fitness trainer for novices, competitors, masters, or anyone who loves to row and wants to stay fit and in top form.
The Oar Board® unit by itself is easily attached to almost any stand up paddleboard over 10’ long. However we strongly recommend the custom designed inflatable paddle boards we supply that are specifically designed for sculling and equipped with special deck rings that make setting up simple with no strap drag while rowing.
The History of the Oar Board®
The sliding rigger rowing system is not a recent invention. An early patent was filed for a similar rowing unit way back in 1905 however the German Olympic rowing challenge of 1985 saw a revival of the technology. Thorough development and testing was conducted by the German Olympic challenger team.
When it was found that the sliding rigger system was substantially faster when used on a racing shell, the Olympic governing body banned the German sliding rigger technology from being used in the 1988 Olympic challenge on the grounds of an unfair speed advantage. Sliding rigger rowing systems disappeared from the rowing scene until now, with the development of the Oar Board®.
Why the Oar Board® Rows So Well
On a sliding seat, the rower’s full body weight moving back and forth on the tracks causes a boat to slow down on the glide or recovery part of the row stroke. This does not occur with the Oar Board® with its fixed seat and sliding rigger. Maintaining steady trim as the hull passes through the complete duration of the row stroke is also what makes it possible to smoothly row with the much shorter paddle board type of hull.
Rowing at Clubs and Elsewhere
A paddle board with an Oar Board® Rower unit is not as fast as a sleek light racing shell so competition rowing is simply not relevant. What is relevant are the points mentioned above plus helping the sport of rowing to expand not only at clubs but also out onto lakes, rivers and oceans, at cottages, cabins, yachts, to benefit existing rowers and newcomers to the sport.
Contact Us
For further information regarding ordering the Oar Board® Rower, the custom designed paddle boards, or the unique two-part carbon fiber sculling oars, please contact: