11/02/2017
‘Sliding Riggers’ or ‘Sliding Seat’ Sculling Frames:-
‘Sliding riggers’ are sometimes chosen as they reduce the fore & aft pitching motion caused by the crew weight moving up and down the slide. There is a more noticeable advantage in a short boat.
However, the weight of the moving footplate, oars, out-riggers and slide mechanicals does continue to contribute towards pitching and the gain is small in say, an 18 foot recreational boat.
On the negative side, sliding riggers are structurally complex, vulnerable to contact damage and a disadvantage in anything other than smooth conditions for the following reasons:-
• A fixed rigger conventional sliding seat frame propels the boat by the force of oar leverage in the swivel gates and the sculler merely rides on the seat while securely located in the boat by his foot straps.
• The sliding rigger frame propels the boat by the seat of the scullers pants!
• Quite obviously, any sudden check to the boat by a wave may cause the seat of the sculler’s pants to shoot off the seat.
• Some designs have a slightly raised back to their seats to provide some location, but there is a limit to the height of seat back as the scullers body should be able to ‘swing over’ with a straight back and with the axis of the swing at the hip joint.
• Flexing the lower back during the drive causes back strain.
There is more: Riding on a sliding seat can be a pain and we all get the ache. But when your backside has to push the boat as well (sliding riggers) the fore & aft stress reversals of the buttocks each stroke are better imagined than experienced.
