ROWING FAQ:
What is crew?
Crew is the sport of rowing a lightweight boat (shell) as fast as it will go! There are two basic forms of rowing - sweep rowing and sculling. Most high school and college rowing is done in sweep boats. In sweep rowing, each athlete handles a single oar. Sweep boats are designed for two, four or eight rowers and are generally steered by a coxswain (pronounced "cox'n"). An eight, the largest sweep boat, is over 60 feet long, weighs only 200 pounds, and can handle eight men with a combined weight of over 1700 pounds!!
What is a racing shell?
The “racing shell” got its name because the skin (hull) is thin, usually, 1/8” to 1/4” thick. Until the mid-1970’s, racing shells were constructed out of wood. Today, most boats are made of composite materials including fiberglass, carbon fiber Kevlar etc. Stiffness and weight are the two most important factors. The Vespoli Millennium eight that won the Gold and Silver medals at the 2000 Olympics, holds eight, strapping 200 pound + rowers and a 110 pound coxswain while weighing ONLY 204 pounds!
Racing shells fall into two broad categories, sweep and sculling boats. Rowers in sweep boats have one oar each while scullers have two oars apiece. Most high school and college rowing is done in sweep boats while club and international rowing includes both sweep and sculling boats.
