Rowing the Oar Board®
Oar Board® Design
The seat is positioned on the balance point of the board. This is where the carry strap or indent handle is located, or where you would stand.
Simply strap the Oar Board® into place using two ultra-thin straps that pass around the board and fasten with a pair of quick lock buckles. And, you’re ready to row!
On our stand up paddle boards, you pass the strap through special deck rings that are integrated on the board instead of going around the board. To remove the Oar Board®, simply remove the straps and lift the Oar Board® off.
Inflatable SUPs have many advantages over hard body ones. The main one is how well they can handle bumping up on beaches or hitting hard objects like rocks or being dinged by paddle blades without substantial damage. Another advantage is how small they are when deflated and rolled up inside their backpack. The weight of an inflatable is about the same as an average hard board. The downside is they are not quite as crisp as a hard board. Overall though, for recreational rowing or adventure travel an inflatable is the top choice.
Our Oar Board® line of inflatable SUPs featuring the Fitness Row 12, the Adventure Row 13’4″ , Racer Row 14′, Junior Row 10’10” and the Adventure Row 16 are especially designed for heavy-duty use and are equipped with special deck rings that make installing the Oar Board® super easy and the straps do not have to go around the board itself.
Yes, our custom carbon fiber two-part sculling oars are included with all Oar Board® Combo Packages as well as the Oar Board® Travel Package.
These high-performance carbon fiber two-part sculling oars are also available for purchase separately.
The Oar Board® features a sliding rigger system. The seat is fixed and does not move. The rigger and foot stop are mounted on a special carriage, which slides. The rower grips the oar handles in exactly the same way as a regular slide seat boat and the stroke is identical. This system avoids the full weight of the rower sliding back and forth with every stroke so there is no pitching or hobby horsing.
The sliding rigger concept was originally developed over 50 years ago. It was significantly faster than a sliding seat when used in a racing shell because with little to no pitching the glide between strokes was smoother and speed is maintained. As it was quite a lot faster it was subsequently outlawed from competitive racing in the 1988 Olympic rowing event. It quickly fell out of favour. Lucky for us it works perfectly as a way to convert a stand up paddle board into a single or even a double person sculling boat.
With a sliding seat the rower’s weight slips back and forth with each stroke. With a sliding rigger the rower’s weight remains virtually stationary. This means that on a relatively short Stand Up Paddle Board pitching or “hobby horsing” is eliminated with a fixed seat/sliding rigger. The stroke itself is the exact same coordinated motion as the sliding seat stroke. It takes only a few strokes to get used to a sliding rigger and it is very smooth.
A huge breakthrough in the construction of inflatable SUPs came a few years ago with the innovation of ‘drop stitch’ construction.
On the inside of almost all inflatable SUPs are hundreds of tiny strings spaced a centimeter or so apart, that run from the deck to the bottom of the board.
When the board is partially inflated to about 4 lbs pressure these stretch proof strings get tight, making the board extra rigid. At 15 lbs pressure they are fully inflated and are extremely rigid, ideal for rowing or paddling.
The Oar Board® is constructed using non-corrosive material specifically and built for salt water. It features an ultra-tough black polymer plastic frame, carriage, foot stretcher and seat with powder coated marine-grade aluminium outriggers and struts with stainless steel and nylon insulation fittings. These marine-grade materials mean the unit requires nothing more than hosing off to keep any grit off your tracks wash away any salt and keep it a clean looking machine.
Assembling the Oar Board®
Storage and Transporting the Oar Board®
Shipping
Safety
