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A four with four oarsmen which can be coxed or coxless
Coxed Four aka 4+ or IV+
Coxless Four aka 4- or IV-
An eight with eight oarsmen and a cox
Sculling:
If they scull each oarsman will have two sculls (or blades) identical in design to an oar but smaller.
At Radley boys scull in four types of boat:
A Single or Single Scull with one sculler (oarsman) which is always coxless
Single Scull aka 1x
A Double Scull with two scullers (oarsmen) which is almost always coxless
Double Scull aka 2x
A Quad or Quadruple Scull with four scullers which can be coxed or coxless
Coxed Quad aka 4x+ or IVx+
Coxless Quad aka 4x- or IVx-
An Octuple Scull or Octo with eight scullers and a cox
Octuple aka 8x+ or VIIIx+
POSITIONS IN THE BOAT
Starting at the front
Responsibilities:
The Cox either sits at the back of the boat or can lie down in front of the Bow man.
The Cox has two key tasks:
- to motivate the crew; and with the stroke respond to the opposition tactics as the race unfolds.
- to follow the race plan worked by the coach before the race and steer a course with minimum los of momentum.
The Stroke (No 8 in an VIII and No 4 in a IV) sets the rhythm and rate of any peace of rowing. If the boat is traditionally rigged the stroke will row with his oar on stroke-side. If the crew member that sets the best rhythm rows on bowside then the boat can be “bow-rigged”
The rest of the crew is numbered from the front - two through to seven. Positions 4-7 are sometimes called the ‘engine room’ or ‘powerhouse’ as these crew members are frequently the most powerful and probably heaviest members of the crew.
PARTS of A RACING BOAT
Bow: Front end of boat
Bow ball: safety ball fitted to sharp stem of racing boat
Button: Leather or plastic sheath on oar or scull to prevent it from slipping through the rowlock; adjustable on modern oars.
Canvas: the canvas on fore and aft decks of a boat; in race verdicts, the distance between the bow ball and the gunwale in front of the bowman
Deck: The canvas covered area at the bow and stern
Fin: a small thin brass plate towards the stern of the boat, just in front of the rudder, that helps maintain a straight course
Gate: a U-shaped rowlock with a lockable horizontal top bar that holds the blade (or oar) shaft in place. The button pushes up against the in-board side of the gate.
Gunwale: horizontal plank at the top of the hull running all the way round the crew area
Keel: a spar running along the internal centre line of a boat
Length & Weight: the length and weight of a boat
- 8+ is typically 17 metres and 100kg
- 4s is typically 13 metres and 50kg
- 2- is typically 10 metres and 27kg
- 1x is typically 8 metres and 14kg
Outrigger (rigger): a metal framework or a carbon-fibre reinforced arm to support the rowlock which is placed approximately 760 mm from the centre of the boat
Pin: The vertical part of the rigger attached to the mainstay and holds the oarlock in place with a top-nut.
Ribs: spars that join the keel to the gunwale and support the hull
Rowlock (Gate): the device to support the oar which swivels at the end of the outrigger
Rudder: steering device attached vertically under the hull - behind the fin
Saxboard: the top edge of a boat, usually of heavier material onto which are bolted the riggers.,
Slide: the rails on which the seat wheels run.
Stern: the rear or aft of the boat
Stretcher: a frame onto which shoes are fixed either side of the centre line to anchor the oarsman’s feet. They can be moved forwards or backwards relative the stern end of the slide to adjust for the length of the crew member’s legs.
Swivel (Gate): the square pivoting rowlock or gate
PARTS OF THE STROKE
Back-stops: when the oarsmen’ sliding seat is as far back as it can go and the blade is feathered as if a stroke has just finished
Catch: the start of stroke when the blade is first put into the water
Feather: as the blade is taken from the water at the end of the stroke it is feathered or turned parallel with the water. This reduces wind resistance and reduces the amount that the boat slows
Finish: the last part of the stroke - covers all the activity of abstracting the blade from the water with minimum resistance or check and turning the blade from vertical to horizontal (feathering).
Front-stops: when the oarsmen’ sliding seat is as far forward as it can go and the blade is feathered just before the start of a stroke
Hands away: dropping the oar handle at the end of the stroke so that the blade leaves the water and is feathered
Puddles: whirlpools left i by the blade as it is pulled through the water
Pull-through: the part of the stroke between the catch and the finish
Rating (beat): the number of strokes per minute that a crew is rowing
Recovery: after the blade is feathered the rower slides forward to the front of the slide compressing the legs in preparation for the next stroke. Also during this phase the oarsmen breathes in to take in as much oxygen as possible.
Release: removing the oar from the water at the end of the stroke
Rhythm: the tempo of the stroke – from explosive catch, through recovery to accelerating in preparation for the next stroke. The sense that all oarsmen are rowing precisely together so that there is no check. A boat with rhythm is more efficient and enjoyable to row.
Run: the distance between one set of puddles and the next or the distance a boat travels with one stroke
PROBLEMS
Bad timing: a crew will go faster if all members undertake the various parts of the stroke at exactly the same time.
Blow-up: ‘running out of steam’, going to fast at the start of a race and not being able to sustain the effort
Crab: an oarsman catches a crab when he looses control of the blade in the water and then fails to get it out. In bad cases the oar can pitch the oarsmen out of the boat. Sever or multiple crabs are known as shipwrecks or boat stoppers
Digging: if a blade goes too deep during a stroke it is usually called ‘digging’
Early: a crew member who puts his oar in the water ahead of the stroke is “early”
Late: a crew member who puts his oar in the water after of the stroke is “late”
Skying: The blade should remain as close to water as possible during the recovery phase. If the blade rises just before the catch (start of the stroke) it is known as ‘skying’
Washing: causing problems for a bot that is behind and caught in the wake from the leading boat.
Washing out: taking the blade out of the water before the stroke has been fully pulled through.
OARS & RIGGING
German rig: an eight, rigged so that the outriggers or seats 4 & 5 are on the same side, while the others alternate. 
Inboard: the distance between the far end of the handle of an oar or scull and the face of the button. The remainder is called the outboard
Italian rig: an eight rigged so that the bow seat and stroke seat outriggers are on the same side, with the others alternating from side to side in pairs.
Loom: the shaft or part of the oar between the blade and the handle
Oar: a leaver approximately 3800 mm long by which the rower pulls against the gate to move the boat through the water.
Pitch: Pitch commonly refers to the angle of the blade perpendicular to the water while in the oarlock. A zero pitched blade is perfectly parallel to the water on the recovery and perpendicular when square. A five degree pitch indicates that the tip of the blade closest to the bow on the recovery is higher than the tip closest to the stern by five degrees. A range of three to six degrees is common. Too little pitch results in a blade leaving the water early; too much pitch results in a blade digging deep into the water.
Standard rig: alternate sides for outriggers and thus oarsmen
OTHER TERMS
Cox Box: the on-board pa system which enables the coxes commands to be heard throughout the boat
Repecharge: a second heat to afford another chance of qualifying to those running second best in preliminary heats
Ergometer: or Ergo a rowing machine to measure the energy of an oarsmen expended during a defined period work measured in ergs (unit of work)
Outing: training session on the river
Sculling: using two oars or sculls
Sculls: a short oar used in each hand for single, double, and quad sculling boats
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