~Light on Your Set~
Written: Apr 03 '06 (Updated Apr 05 '06)
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Pros: ~Very Light, Rides Well in Perfect Conditions.~
Cons: ~Shaky, Hard to Set With Moderate Chop~
The Bottom Line: ~If you have super-flat water everyday and an experienced Crew... be my guest~
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| Kieli's Full Review: Vespoli Racer |
Though Vespoli has long since been the norm in college racing shells, this one is not ready for the choppy St. John's River with 5 Novice teenagers.
But wait, I can explain:
Do I love Vespoli and their long line of terrific rowing shells? Yes, I do.
Does Vespoli create one of the fastest shells on the market? Yep.
Do I want 5 Teenage girls who have never rowed before trying to brave white-caps in a shell that is so light a varsity crew would have trouble setting it on flat water? Not particularly.
During the spring season, our wonderful polluted river gets very choppy, even at 5 am. This boat is so tremendously light, it is very hard to keep it set while you're doing skill and drill pieces.
I've been coaching this year, and I was blessed with the Novice Women (age 12-17) at a local private school. That being said, the novice programs usually get the beat-up boats (ones that are so dinged and banged up that it doesn't really matter). One afternoon, we were allowed to use the Varsity boat. What a fun time. In any case, we got back to the dock, mostly dry, and vowed to not use this shell again.
Our Varsity coach had this to say, "I prefer the tub (heavy, old boat) for Novice because they feel more stable."
Well, I agree. However, the coaches took this boat out and did beautifully. 5 people who haven't rowed, on average, for 5 years. Proof that muscle memory is just as good as the theory of "practice makes perfect".
All side-bars aside, here are some specs:
"Utilizing the same advanced technology as the Ultralite, the Racer hull combines a Fiberglass and uni-directional carbon fiber skin with lightweight honeycomb core and carbon channel ribs to give your crew the competitive edge. Hull is available in DL,DM and DS sizes to perfectly fit the weight and size of your athletes.
Racer Features include:
100% Carbon Fiber Pre-preg & Nomex™ Honeycomb construction, cured at 250°F
Carbon Channel Ribs
Wide carbon gunwale flange
Euro Style Riggers
Bow or Stern Cox
VESPOLI’s own bow cox steering mechanism. Solid push-pull cable. No wires to fray. Completely under deck.
Super Bearing Undercarriages
Carbon Fiber Footstretchers
Complete 5 Year Bow to Stern Warranty"
(from Vespoli.com)
This particular model is a Stern loader (where the Coxswain sits in the stern of the boat) and it is the DM model (medium, basically, for skinnier butts). It is available as a Bow loader, where the Coxswain sits in the Bow (instead of the Stern), and the DL (larger) and DS (smaller) models.
The Carbon-fiber construction is to die for. My Novice girls aren't exactly juicing up, so they have a hard time carrying something very heavy over their heads. After a difficult practice in choppy water, these ladies were thrilled to be carrying such a light boat. (After reviewing the tape, they were less happy with their performance in this shell.)
This shell can be rigged for a Four or a Quad and you can even bucket rig it for a better set. I recommend a Port Stern- Starboard Bow bucket rig instead of rigging the bucket in the middle pair. (All of the stability is there, either way. My girls just need a little more.)
It comes from the factory however you'd like. Deck Stripes, Trim Tape and Lettering come in these colours: Yellow, Orange, Red, Burgandy, Brown, Imperial Green, Purple, Mission Blue, 05 Blue, Dark Blue, Black, White, Gold and Slate This one was a navy blue hull, with a navy deck and orange striping, trim and lettering. Plain black or white is a no-cost option. These options cost us another $2000. It also comes with the riggers and shoes attached to the carbon fiber footstretchers in the sizes you specify. You can also have them adjust your spreads or leave them standard and even rig it for your stroke (Port or Starboard). We are a Port Stroke.
I don't know exactly how long it took for us to get this shell (about 2 mths?) but the dedication was late August and we were all very happy with the results. The Varsity girls love this shell and I can't say that I blame them. My rows in this shell, both collegiately and as a coach have been very productive. My rows as a Novice and as a coach watching my Novice were less than exciting.
On the handling: My coxswains have yet to complain about the steering mechanism. It is basically two large hard plastic knobs attached to a cord which controls the skeg and the rudder. Very easy. You push the port (left) knob forward when you want to go to port, starboard (right) knob forward when you want to go to starboard. See?
More on handling: Be careful not to lay the shell into anything other than slings or low-boys. You can really damage the gunnels, riggers or even the integrity of the shell itself. There are a few "bail-out" holes on the deck and this allows for easy water-removal should your crew be so unfortunate as to swamp, sink, flip or tip the boat. It is probably fairly simple to do, considering the lightness of the shell.
Bottom line: Wait until you have experience before you row this shell. Varsity crews swear by it, and it is a coach's dream in Carbon Fiber.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Kieli
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Member: Kieli Is maith an scathan suil charad B'fhearr liom uisce beatha
Location: ~Go hifreann leat!!~
Reviews written: 76
Trusted by: 92 members
About Me:
~Your ridiculous little opinion has been noted.~
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