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Boat dreams
Feb. 22nd, 2018 09:27 amChilly this morning. When I get in the Vespoli, I start thinking about saving up for my own racing shell. Realistically, I'm not going to get one until I'm situated in New York, though.
It's just - this Vespoli. Some time ago, they started making a style of adjustable shoe. But the adjustability comes the cost of structural stability, and even when these shoes are as tight as I can get them they're still floppy and at the wrong height and angle. The footstretcher adjustment system is also terrible. Instead of normal notches that make it easy to count and reposition the footstretchers, the footstretchers have tiny notches, and weird, clumsy bolts instead of simple wingnuts.
And then there's the seat. I don't know why they think it's a good idea to have shallow divots in the fiberglass for one's sit bones, instead of holes that can accommodate a range of butt bone shapes. My sit bones are always in contact with the bottom of the divots, so my weight isn't distributed as well across the full seat. I'm reminded of the time in high school when we had a chance to test out a Pocock women's 8+ and we were all amazed by how it felt to sit on seats that were actually designed for female anatomy, after we'd been rowing in Vespolis and other shells with suboptimal fit.
Rowing in the Vespoli 1x amplifies a lot of things that might otherwise be more minor issues, because your connection points to the boat (feet, butt, hands/oars) are what give you fine control over boat balance. And if your boat doesn't feel stable, it's difficult to master the more finessed aspects of rowing - especially the quick catches that make it possible to get maximal power application on the drive. And if the rowing isn't fun, it's that much harder to sustain the motivation needed to get out of bed on cold, dark mornings.
It's just - this Vespoli. Some time ago, they started making a style of adjustable shoe. But the adjustability comes the cost of structural stability, and even when these shoes are as tight as I can get them they're still floppy and at the wrong height and angle. The footstretcher adjustment system is also terrible. Instead of normal notches that make it easy to count and reposition the footstretchers, the footstretchers have tiny notches, and weird, clumsy bolts instead of simple wingnuts.
And then there's the seat. I don't know why they think it's a good idea to have shallow divots in the fiberglass for one's sit bones, instead of holes that can accommodate a range of butt bone shapes. My sit bones are always in contact with the bottom of the divots, so my weight isn't distributed as well across the full seat. I'm reminded of the time in high school when we had a chance to test out a Pocock women's 8+ and we were all amazed by how it felt to sit on seats that were actually designed for female anatomy, after we'd been rowing in Vespolis and other shells with suboptimal fit.
Rowing in the Vespoli 1x amplifies a lot of things that might otherwise be more minor issues, because your connection points to the boat (feet, butt, hands/oars) are what give you fine control over boat balance. And if your boat doesn't feel stable, it's difficult to master the more finessed aspects of rowing - especially the quick catches that make it possible to get maximal power application on the drive. And if the rowing isn't fun, it's that much harder to sustain the motivation needed to get out of bed on cold, dark mornings.
