The Anatomy of a Rowing Shell: Understanding the Parts

The anatomy of a rowing shell comes down to four groups of parts: the hull, the rigging, the rower’s station and the steering. Understanding them helps you follow your coach, report faults accurately and look after the boat. Terms vary slightly between clubs, so ask if your coach uses a different word.

The hull

The hull is the narrow, lightweight body of the boat. Racing hulls are usually carbon fibre or other composites, and training boats may be tougher and heavier. Our history of the evolution of rowing shells traces how hulls reached this point.

The bow is the front of the boat and the stern is the back. In a racing shell, the rower faces the stern, so the rower is looking at where the boat has been. The cox, if there is one, usually faces the bow.

Published figures show how little boat there is. A racing single such as the Filippi F01 is 8.10 m long and 26.6 cm wide, and World Rowing’s minimum weight for a single is 14 kg. An eight, with room for 9 people, has a minimum of 96 kg.

Small fittings on the hull

• Bow ball. A rubber ball on the bow to protect other boats and people if there is a collision. World Rowing specifies at least 4 cm in diameter, and bright white.
• Fin. A small fin underneath that helps steering and stability. It is delicate, so avoid dragging the boat over shallows.
• Hatches and bungs. Covers and drain plugs that keep water out of sealed compartments, which also provide buoyancy.
• Carrying handles or grab points. Some boats have them, but many clubs carry from the riggers and hull.
• Deck. Covered sections at the bow and stern that keep spray out.

The rigging

• Riggers. Metal or carbon arms that stick out from the boat and hold the oarlocks away from the hull. Sweep boats have a rigger on one side per seat, and sculling boats have one on each side.
• Gates (oarlocks). The swivelling fitting at the end of each rigger that holds the oar. The gate closes with a latch or nut.
• Pins. The vertical post inside the gate about which the oar pivots.
• Oars and sculls. Held in the gates. Collars and sleeves keep them in position.
• Spacers. Washers under the gate that adjust its height, which changes how the blade sits in the water.

Rigging numbers to know

Rigging settings are adjusted by a coach or boatman to suit the rower, but it helps to know what the numbers refer to. These are common ranges, not targets.

Setting	What it measures	Sculling	Sweep
Span	Pin to pin across the boat	156 to 162 cm	Not used
Spread	Pin to the boat’s centreline	Half the span	83 to 86 cm
Inboard	Handle end to the blade side of the collar	85 to 90 cm	113 to 117 cm
Overall oar length	Handle end to blade tip	Roughly 2.8 to 2.9 m	Around 3.6 to 3.8 m

Inboard and spread ranges are Concept2’s common settings. See equipment for sweep and sculling for how rigging differs between the two disciplines.

Where the rower sits

• Seat. Rides on wheels along the slides so you can move back and forth with the stroke.
• Slides (tracks). The rails the seat runs on. Keep them clean and free of grit.
• Footplate or stretcher. Where the feet are fixed, with shoes attached. It can be adjusted to suit your leg length.
• Shoes and heel restraints. Hold your feet securely, but let them be released quickly in a capsize. British Rowing says each shoe should be independently restrained, so the foot comes free when the heel reaches horizontal.
• Seat stops. End stops that prevent the seat from running off the track.

World Rowing coaching material gives these starting points for the stretcher, all adjusted to the rower’s mobility and leg length:

Stretcher setting	Suggested range
Angle	40 to 45 degrees
Height, or heel depth	12 to 19 cm
Position, pin to centre of seat at the finish	56 to 60 cm
Shoe width in a single	About 13 cm
Shoe width in an eight	18 to 20 cm

The cox’s position

In coxed boats, the cox sits either in the stern or lying in the bow, depending on the boat design. A cox box and microphone relay instructions to the crew, and a rudder or steering lines control direction. Coxless boats are steered by the rowers, usually with a foot-operated rudder or by adjusting pressure on the oars.

Quick reference

Part	Job	Check for
Hull	Gives buoyancy and shape	Cracks, soft spots
Bow ball	Protects in collisions	Secure, undamaged
Fin	Helps the boat track straight	Bent or loose
Rigger	Holds the gate out from the hull	Loose nuts, bent tubes
Gate and pin	Hold the oar and let it pivot	Grit, a gate that will not lock
Seat and slides	Let you use your legs	Chipped wheels, grit
Footplate and shoes	Fix your feet	Worn restraints, loose fixings
Hatches and bungs	Keep water out	Missing bungs, loose covers

Why this matters

When something feels wrong, the right word gets it fixed. “The bow-side gate won’t lock at 3” is a job your boatman can act on, and “something’s loose” is not. Loose or worn parts affect safety and speed, so check them regularly. See boat maintenance and how to maintain your rowing shell.

To see how the types of boat differ, read rowing boat types, and find more in the boats and kit hub.