Thoughts on "New" Pocock XVIII?

[photofinish]

Link: https://www.pocock.com/shells/xviii-small/

"New" is in quotes because the design isn't actually new as it released in 2016. But I haven't seen any of them around yet / haven't heard much about them and it's the first redesign of their 8 hull since 1998.

I was doing some research into new boats and came across it and got very excited. It looks like their new hull has slimmed down a bit to fit the profile of other elite hulls which I really like. In addition, the weight class ranges have changed a bit to be less awkward compared to the older hulls.

However, I also did a bit of calling around and a friend of mine told me the Washington women tried it out and hated it, switching back to the 1998 hull for practices and using their empacher for racing.

Anybody have thoughts, insights, or ideally experience with it?

[lt.wolf]

I have wanted to try this out for a while. It looked slick when it was on display at the Charles.

Maybe it was a bit too slick for the UW women. Sometimes it takes a different type of crew to row a certain type of hull.

[rowingallday]

Cal women seem to be able to go fast in the new 8+. Won NCAA’s in 2018 in it.

Was interesting to see Dave O at Texas start moving into Hudson’s. Didn’t he just switch everything to Pocock a moment before?

[Mango]

Cal women seem to be able to go fast in the new 8+. Won NCAA’s in 2018 in it.

Was interesting to see Dave O at Texas start moving into Hudson’s. Didn’t he just switch everything to Pocock a moment before?

Rumor has it, that switch to Hudson was sort of accidental. A Hudson was in the boathouse from the previous regime, just sort of sitting around. For whatever reason (I forget why) the V8 too it out one day either for practice or race. He/the 8 really liked it, so he just kept them in it for the season. Then he switched the fleet.

It seemed to be serendipitous from the way I had heard the story. Maybe somebody with a source can clarify.

[Slim]

The pocock x8 is nice and solved the “it doesn’t look cool” problem that the old comp 8s had. It’s stiff, so can take some time for crews to adapt - especially if they’re used to a floppier Kevlar boat like an empacher. Good adjustability, athletes are comfortable sitting in it. Fast crews go fast in them.

[Stelph]

The pocock x8 is nice and solved the “it doesn’t look cool” problem that the old comp 8s had. It’s stiff, so can take some time for crews to adapt - especially if they’re used to a floppier Kevlar boat like an empacher. Good adjustability, athletes are comfortable sitting in it. Fast crews go fast in them.

The age old problem of getting the balance between a hulls stability and its stiffness/speed - one years crew may be skilled enough to reap the benefits of a super stiff and fast boat where as the next years may struggle with it, its why most clubs in the UK generally play it safe with a yellow one despite the occasions that someone tests it other manufacturers show up as faster (thinking 2000 GB Sydney crew for example)

[JD]

Louisville had their two new pocock eights at Oak Ridge this weekend. I'll say this for the boat: it comes out of the mould with no ripples or print through. I've seen all the other boat brands up close and while some small boats are this good, I don't recall any other eights this gorgeous. Maybe the newest Huds and Empachers arriving here this week will show it up.

[rowingallday]

I've noticed that Pococks in general come out looking very fair without print though.

I'm not familiar enough with composite boat building to know what that means, though. Could you have less print through by spraying down a much thicker layer of gel coat into the mould? Or is there something with the actual quality of the building that is reflected in more or less print through?

[JD]

Pocock uses closed cell foam instead of honeycomb in their layup. Same as much of aviation industry. It's said to Make a more even finish

[sandor]

other than appearance, what’s the advantage?

i’m going to assume cost (whether material or labor) is the main disadvantage.

[Withoutmercy]

gellcoat vs paint primer, layup method, and skill level/shop turn over.

[JD]

I have wanted to try this out for a while. It looked slick when it was on display at the Charles.

Maybe it was a bit too slick for the UW women. Sometimes it takes a different type of crew to row a certain type of hull.

[oldman]

I have wanted to try this out for a while. It looked slick when it was on display at the Charles.

Maybe it was a bit too slick for the UW women. Sometimes it takes a different type of crew to row a certain type of hull.

[Slim]

I have wanted to try this out for a while. It looked slick when it was on display at the Charles.

Maybe it was a bit too slick for the UW women. Sometimes it takes a different type of crew to row a certain type of hull.

[caustic]

other than appearance, what’s the advantage?

i’m going to assume cost (whether material or labor) is the main disadvantage.

Gellcoat is IMHO superior because it's an integral part of the hull layering, and can't flake or chip off. Offers a smoother and more consistent surface area because in the vacuum seal process it ensures a pretty even layering of all the materials together. Saves in weight, which can be put towards allocating CFRP into areas with higher stress.

Overall Pocock's method is more labor intensive; like Empacher and I believe Filippi, they use a wet-layup process using a custom mixture of resin and monofilament carbon fiber sheets that they apply manually, instead of using pre-impregnated sheets which are then cut to shape.