Calves hitting scull at the finish. (Peinert 26)

[h_curtis]

I am sort of new to sculling and have been rowing an Aero a few months back and now most all the time I row a Peinert 26. This is a club owned scull and I cannot raise the foot position. My finish is where I want it and if I move the foot stretchers away more there would be almost no separation at finish. I have a few questions regarding this:

1. If I owned a Peinert 26, what would be the way to fix this issue? Raise where my feet are?
2. Is there any other ideas to correct this issue, considering I can't change a scull that isn't mine?
3. There is a Hudson Racing Hull that I may try at some point. Will most "club boats" have this issue for me?

Thanks for the help. I am setting the Peinert fairly well, but I don't want to row a racing scull until I am ready, so changing to another scull may not be an option at this time, unless the difference between the two wouldn't be that great. I noticed this is bothering me enough that after an hour or so, I don't fully extend my legs. They are ever so slightly bent unless I start forcing the issue, which is a bit uncomfortable, but obviously correct.

[roelanto]

I'm not sure if I understand correctly what the problem is - is it that when you push down the handles to get your blade out of the water, you hit your calves? Is it at the point of extraction, or during your way up to the catch?

If that's the problem, you want to first check that the inboard on the oars is set correctly. Measure the span - the distance between the two oarlocks (I measure from the middle of the pin), divide by 2 and add 8; for example, with a span of 160, the oar inboard should be 160/2+8 = 88.

Perhaps it helps to raise the oarlocks a bit, but that's depending on where exactly you are hitting your calves.

A peinert 26 is an easy, comfortable boat, but it doesn't allow for a lot of setup. The difference between racing shell - peinert is much smaller than between Peinert - Aero. If you can row the Peinert well, you'll have little trouble transitioning to a racing shell.

[newbie]

I think this person's issue is that his/her calves are hitting the deck of the shell, not that the oars are hitting his/her calves. That's the problem with using the same word to mean two different things (scull, in this case). Normally he/she would be getting track bite, but apparently the tracks are not in a position to touch his/her calves.

[bayrower]

I like most things about the 26 except that I can't get my heels low enough.

[h_curtis]

I think this person's issue is that his/her calves are hitting the deck of the shell, not that the oars are hitting his/her calves. That's the problem with using the same word to mean two different things (scull, in this case). Normally he/she would be getting track bite, but apparently the tracks are not in a position to touch his/her calves.

I am sorry that I didn't do a very good job stating the problem. Above is correct, my calves are hitting the boat deck. The tracks are back far enough not to hit.

Is there anything that can be done?

[h_curtis]

The difference between racing shell - peinert is much smaller than between Peinert - Aero. If you can row the Peinert well, you'll have little trouble transitioning to a racing shell.

Thanks for the info. I explained the issue better in the above post.

[newbie]

1. If I owned a Peinert 26, what would be the way to fix this issue? Raise where my feet are?
2. Is there any other ideas to correct this issue, considering I can't change a scull that isn't mine?
3. There is a Hudson Racing Hull that I may try at some point. Will most "club boats" have this issue for me?

My answers (with the caveat that I don't have any familiarity with a Peinert 26):
1. If you're going to transition eventually into a racing shell, just deal with it for now and switch as soon as possible. If you're not going to transition, see below, or find another boat.
2. You could move the feet toward the stern and change the inboard on your oars so that you still have your hands finish in the same place. You'd likely need to compensate for the shorter inboard by changing your outboard and/or spread (span?--I can never remember which is sweep and which is sculling).
3. Try the Hudson out when you get a chance, regardless. With club boats and oars usually being set for the "average" rower, you are likely to run into this and/or other sizing/rigging issues.

I get track bite and calf bruises with many of my club's boats. I know which ones hit me where, and I wear a neoprene "sleeve" to prevent the worst of the issues. You'll see many people wearing long socks, cut off parts of socks, and a whole variety of a items to prevent track bite. Talk to others who row the same boat you do, to see if they have the same problems you do and how they deal with it. At least you're not bleeding all over the boat...consider that a bonus!

[h_curtis]

Yeah, I am just living with it until I can set the boat well all the time. Then I will try the Hudson. Never knew this kind of thing would be an issue. Not a huge deal, but sort of a drag or now.

[Estara]

I would actually recommend just jumping into the Hudson. In 1x sculling in particular how comfortable you are in a boat makes just a huge difference in how difficult it is to row/set. If the one you're in right now isn't comfortable you're probably better off just trying the switch. One of the nice things about Hudsons is that you can adjust just about everything on them and they actually tend to be fairly stable (IMHO).

[terry]

This all sounds very odd, usually folks hit the seat rails with their calves, not the deck.

Where is the footplate in relation to how much adjustment you have. Is it all the way back towards the bow or the otherway or somewhere in the middle. How tall are you? What's the span set to and how much inboard do you have on the sculls?

Terry