For a Faster Boat, Go Naked

Dear Doctor Rowing,

I have begun to scull again recently after years away from our fair sport. I row on salt water and yes, I do spray my boat and oars after every row. But despite this, there is rust on the hardware of the sleeves of my Concept2 sculling blades. How can I get rid of that oxidation and get them looking pristine again?

Sincerely,
Rusty in more ways than one

Just when Doctor Rowing, who has noticed the same issue with both his oars and his sculling stroke, was about to surrender, (I can’t know everything), an answer came via text.

“I am happy to report that soaking the screws in vinegar for about 30 minutes completely removed the rust…. I used an old toothbrush. Nice and shiny now!”

But who was my mystery savior?

I texted back, confident that it was not a scam. I knew the number but had never added it to my contacts. The reply came quickly.

“Shelly.”

A masters sculler whom I had met over the summer.

Good for her.

Dear Doc,

Is there any speed treatment I can do to my hull?

Sincerely,
A veteran sculler

The best thing to do would be to feed and water your horses and not worry too much about your chariot. In rowing terms, don’t obsess over the boat. Get yourself as ready as you can. The boys I work with talk constantly about finding “free speed.” Unless you’re an Olympic medalist, I don’t think you’re going to find any answers looking in the “free file.” Believe me, those gold medalists who looked so great—they got there with hard work; there was nothing free about it.

But I understand. Time was, I spent hours preparing my crew’s boat to race, too. Here’s the best description of what you can do from former USA boatman Mike Davenport:

Waxing a rowing shell has benefits, such as protecting the hull from damage from the sun and from pollutants. (Of course, there are also downsides, like messing up a nice pair of pants.) However, one of the benefits of waxing is not speed. A good wax job will actually slow your hull down.

What is the best treatment for a hull when you’re looking for speed? The answer is, “Nothing!” A naked hull is usually the fastest. You see, when a hull is gliding through the water, you want to have the smoothest possible surface that you can. Smooth is fast. The smoother the hull, the less friction…and that is good.

If your hull has a good paint job and is free of dings and checks, then its maximum speed will come from being clean. Think of it in these terms: “Clean is fast.”

So waxing a rowing shell can slow you down. So how do you clean the hull? In my opinion, it’s a two-step process. [For more details on this, read “3 Steps To A Sparkling Clean Rowing Shell Hull” in Mike’s book MaxRigging.]

My first step is to use a rubbing compound. I usually treat the hull once or twice a year with the compound to remove the gunk that attaches to the hull over time. This is critical if you do wax your hull, or if you row in water that has pollution in it (and, unfortunately, today most water does have it).

Rubbing compound is an abrasive, usually in a liquid or almost-liquid form, and it comes in different levels of grit. I think of it as liquid sandpaper. There are two critical components of successfully using rubbing compound. One is selecting the correct grit (I use 1500). The other is to follow the directions, and I mean follow.

Using compound can be a mindless job, but that doesn’t mean that you should be mindless. Care needs to be taken that you only clean the hull, and don’t damage the paint. Gentle strokes, usually in a circular pattern, work fine. Some people profess that using a bow-to-stern motion is best. This does have its merits, but usually only if you are using a heavier grit.

My second step is to wash the hull prior to each race. I try to do this the day of the race, when the boat is ready to go. That means if we’ve transported the boat, I’ll wash it right at the racecourse. That’s not usually a hardship. A bucket, a sponge, a little soap (I use dishwashing detergent), a little water (which tends to be available at racecourses…hint, the river or lake), a little scrubbing, and in 10 minutes the hull is clean. I then just rinse off the soap and let the boat drip-dry.

(For what it’s worth, one thing I’ve noticed is that people love, I mean love, to help wash a racing hull. There must be something sensual to it. Almost without fail, every time I wash a hull, people flock to help.)

So if you’re thinking of waxing your rowing shell, clean off the wax before race time.

Remember: Naked is fast!

Whatever you do, don’t trade time in the boat for time cleaning your boat. As noted earlier, “it’s not the chariot, it’s the horses.”

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