Thread: Forward Facing Rowing System

I couldn't find the boat you were referring to, however, I row all my boats either facing forwards or facing backwards, depending on what I need to do. Nor am I averse to rowing the boat backwards to get out of a spot. It's just rowing after all, not as efficient as sitting backwards because it's harder to use your back and you're pushing instead of pulling, but it is still a very useful method, much used by fishermen of years past.

Richard

Originally Posted by Daddles

I couldn't find the boat you were referring to, however, I row all my boats either facing forwards or facing backwards, depending on what I need to do. Nor am I averse to rowing the boat backwards to get out of a spot. It's just rowing after all, not as efficient as sitting backwards because it's harder to use your back and you're pushing instead of pulling, but it is still a very useful method, much used by fishermen of years past.

Richard

When I was a kid we use to stay for the 3 months of summer on a fruit orchard. The produce would go to the market via a river launch powered by... rowing forward. This way of rowing is only effective when it is done standing up on very large boats. The weight of the body can be thrown forward and the rower can take a step forward and back to make the rowing stride longer. On the way back the oar is turned and slides over the water since they are way too heavy to lift.

No, disagree with you Marc. Sure, it's done that way and for heavily laden boats with visibility problems, standing is a good move, but it's not necessary. Countless fishermen have sat facing forwards and rowed ... not to mention myself. Like a lot of things in this boat game, there are no hard, fast answers (except that sinking the thing is undesirable ... but then you have submarines where it's positively expected )

Richard

I think everyone has missed the point of Rob's question. There is a type of articulated oars thetwhen you sit facing forward , you still pull on the oars as if rowing normaly.
Have a look at this website for an australian version of a very old idea.
http://www.hotkey.net.au/~robruce/Easyrow.htm

Cheers
Robert

I'd be a little worried about the durabilty and freedom from slop of such a setup.

with the fulcrum located so close to the end the load in the link pivot will be around 15 times the load on the blade.

Might be worth trying though - theory has been wrong in the past - particularly mine.

MIK

I agree Mik, that contraption looks very home made.
I have seen much better versions. We use to go hunting carpincho http://www.guiafe.com.ar/argentina-p...?image_id=1011 on a boat and had to row in very tight spaces in heavy vegetation and the advantage of those things has to do with keeping the power of a long oar with a very short one that enables you to go among mangrowes and reeds. Of course to go facing forward has also the advantage to see your game in time to get a shot.
I couldn't find the version I am talking about, comon in the swamps made with universal car joints, short and powerful.

Here are a couple of videos of some versions for turists.

http://www.ez-row.com/video.htm
http://www.frontrower.com/
http://www.forwardfacingrowingsystem.com/

In the Wooden Boat "Small Boats" magazine there is an article on a sail/row 15 ft Christmas wherry.
There is a photo of the designer/builder Walter Simmons rowing the Wherry standing , facing forward.
Rob J.