What is a Rigger in Rowing?

Definition

A rigger is the metal arm that extends from the side of the rowing shell and holds the oar. It is bolted to the gunwale (top edge of the boat) and provides the pin around which the oar pivots. The rigger moves the pivot point outboard from the boat by 70-90cm (depending on rigging dimensions), giving the rower the leverage needed to pull the handle inboard while the blade stays out near the water.

The word "rigger" is sometimes shortened to "rig" in casual use ("the rig is loose"), and the verb "to rig" or "to derig" means to attach or remove the rigger from the boat. Most racing shells are derigged for transport on a trailer because riggers are bulky and would otherwise prevent boats from stacking properly.

Rigger anatomy

A rigger consists of four main components, each of which can be adjusted or replaced:

• Pin: the vertical metal post fixed to the rigger arm. The swivel rotates around the pin. Pins typically have a stainless steel core with a polished surface for the swivel to slide against, and they include adjustment for pitch (the lean of the pin fore-and-aft and side-to-side).
• Swivel (oarlock): the U-shaped plastic piece that holds the oar shaft. The swivel rotates around the pin and has a top gate that closes over the oar to keep it in place. The swivel translates the oar's rotation into useful work against the pin.
• Sleeve: the plastic collar around the oar shaft that sits inside the swivel. Sleeves are part of the oar (not the rigger) and need to match the swivel size. Common brands include Concept2 Macon, Concept2 Smoothie and Croker.
• Button: the adjustable plastic stop on the oar shaft that bears against the inboard face of the swivel and holds the oar in place laterally. Moving the button changes the inboard length of the oar, which is a rigging adjustment.

Rigger materials

Most club riggers are aluminium - lightweight, strong, easy to repair if bent, and cheap to replace if damaged. Top-end aluminium riggers are usually anodised to resist corrosion in coastal or salt-water clubs. Aluminium is forgiving: a bent rigger can usually be straightened back to true on the bank.

Higher-end riggers are carbon fibre - lighter than aluminium with better stiffness-to-weight, but more expensive and harder to repair if cracked. The rigger arms on top-end racing shells from Empacher, Filippi and Hudson tend to be aluminium for sweep boats (where weight matters less and rigid stiffness matters more) and carbon for elite-level sculling singles and doubles where every gram counts.

Rigging adjustments

The four main rigging adjustments are made by the rigger technician (or coach) and apply to every stroke the rower takes:

• Height: how far the swivel sits above the seat. Too low and the rower bashes their hands at the finish; too high and the catch becomes awkward. Standard heights are around 16-18cm for sweep and 14-16cm for sculling.
• Span (sculling) / Spread (sweep): the distance between the pins (sculling) or between the pin and the centreline of the boat (sweep). Affects leverage and reach. Standard sweep spread is around 84-86cm; standard sculling span is around 158-160cm.
• Pitch: the angle the blade enters the water at. Stern pitch (lean of the pin toward the stern) is typically 4-6 degrees; lateral pitch (lean of the pin toward the rower) is typically 0-1 degrees. Pitch affects how cleanly the blade catches and extracts.
• Pin work / Foot stretcher position: the fore-aft position of the pin and the foot stretcher determines where the rower sits relative to the catch. Moving the foot stretcher closer to the bow gives more leg compression at the catch.

Rigging adjustments cascade - changing one often requires checking the others. Most clubs keep a rigging book recording the dimensions of each boat in the fleet so adjustments can be reverted if a change does not work.

Rigger maintenance

Rigging maintenance is the unglamorous half of the sport but matters more than rowers realise. Pins should be greased every few months to keep the swivel rotating smoothly. Bolts holding the rigger to the boat should be checked for tightness before every outing - a loose rigger is dangerous and will end up bent or broken.

Swivels and sleeves wear over time and should be replaced when they show grooves or have play in them. Most clubs assign a rigger technician (often a senior rower or an experienced volunteer) to oversee rigging across the fleet. Boat maintenance tracking in the admin dashboard lets the technician log work done per boat (rigger straightened, swivel replaced, button adjusted) so the history is in one place rather than scattered across club WhatsApp threads.

Common rigging-related issues

Most rowing technique problems that mysteriously appear from nowhere turn out to be rigging-related:

• Oar slipping in the swivel: the button is loose or the sleeve is worn. Tighten or replace before the next outing.
• Blade angle off at the catch: the pitch has shifted, often because the pin has come loose. A pitch meter check on the bank fixes it.
• Crew unbalanced one side: spread is asymmetric (often after a rigger has been bent and not properly straightened). Measure spread on both sides; if it is off by more than 1cm, return the rigger to a technician.