Train Smarter, Row Faster
(a bolt-on, removable swing seat for ergs)
(a bolt-on, removable swing seat for ergs)
Designed a new rowing system for rowing shells and boats.
This rowing system re-thinks and simplifies the traditional seat/slide system of rowing shells. It provides a simpler, more efficient and more easily built and maintained rowing system for boats. Existing row boats can be retro-fitted with this rowing system. The same system can be implemented as a new type of in-room rowing machine and as a bolt-on attachment to existing rowing machines to convert them for a training session away from sliding seats to a swing seat.
This rowing system re-thinks and simplifies the traditional seat/slide system of rowing shells. It provides a simpler, more efficient and more easily built and maintained rowing system for boats. Existing row boats can be retro-fitted with this rowing system. The same system can be implemented as a new type of in-room rowing machine and as a bolt-on attachment to existing rowing machines to convert them for a training session away from sliding seats to a swing seat.
Download a brochure here
Swing Air Adapters for Rowing Machines
Rowing machines, such as Concept 2, have seat assemblies that slide back and forth on a metal beam. The metal beam cannot rock or sway, as a boat would.
In a boat on water, a rower must maintain careful balance along the center line of the keel throughout each stroke. Otherwise, the rower heels the boat to port or starboard. This reduces the effectiveness of the rower's ability to transfer full power through the oar, and also seriously degrades the power of the other rowers in the boat.
Existing rowing machines do NOT train rowers for a sense of balance. They measure pure strength on the machine, but it may not translate well once the rower is on the water. In other words, existing rowing machines do not train rowers for all that is needed to be the most effective rowers in a boat, and, in fact, risk embedding techniques that are actually detrimental to on-water rowing.
The Swing Air Adapter for rowing machines solves for this problem. It replaces slide seats with swinging seats in order to give the rower a dynamic sense throughout every stroke of where the rower's center of balance is.
Other benefits of the Swing Air Adapter include:
(1) reduced friction by removing seat
(2) way more fun ... swings just put smiles on everyone's face from when they were a little kid on a swing in a park, to an adult swinging in the same park years later.
(3) training for the faster rowing shells that replace seat assemblies with swinging seats.
Swing Air Rowing Shells
Rowing shells that implement swinging seat assemblies promise to be faster than shells with traditional sliding seats for many reasons, including:
(1) sliding seats cause the bow of the boat to be driven into the water at the end of every stroke, thereby significantly stalling the forward motion of the boat after EVERY stroke. The reason is that the weight of the rowers moves towards the bow as they finish each stroke. In contrast, swinging seats have a stable fulcrum that minimizes the forward shift of the weight during a stroke, enabling the boat to glide forward taking full advantage of the speed imparted by each stroke of the rowers.
(2) swinging seats promise to reduce wind resistance caused by the flat backs of the rowers. This is achieved by designing the upper curved portion of the swinging seat assembly to aerodynamically direct the air flow around the rower's back.
(3) simpler boat construction and maintenance (because there is no seat or seat sliders)
(4) elimination of seat friction on every rowing stroke
(5) low center of gravity (because curved mast assembly is anchored at the center baseline of the hull.
(6) plus more
Rowing shells that implement swinging seat assemblies promise to be faster than shells with traditional sliding seats for many reasons, including:
(1) sliding seats cause the bow of the boat to be driven into the water at the end of every stroke, thereby significantly stalling the forward motion of the boat after EVERY stroke. The reason is that the weight of the rowers moves towards the bow as they finish each stroke. In contrast, swinging seats have a stable fulcrum that minimizes the forward shift of the weight during a stroke, enabling the boat to glide forward taking full advantage of the speed imparted by each stroke of the rowers.
(2) swinging seats promise to reduce wind resistance caused by the flat backs of the rowers. This is achieved by designing the upper curved portion of the swinging seat assembly to aerodynamically direct the air flow around the rower's back.
(3) simpler boat construction and maintenance (because there is no seat or seat sliders)
(4) elimination of seat friction on every rowing stroke
(5) low center of gravity (because curved mast assembly is anchored at the center baseline of the hull.
(6) plus more
Images of sculls with Swing Air assemblies coming soon.
US Patents issued. Continuation pending.