Hey there, it’s Chris with Swift Racing, and I’m here to talk about racing shells and help you determine which boat is right for your program.
Selecting a brand and construction, or grade, of racing shell can be a difficult decision for many programs. Price, performance, and availability are often some of the first considerations. Once you start digging in you are quickly bombarded with additional options, and additional costs, such as construction, rigger type and location, shoes, electronics, accessories, and delivery just to name a few. The process can be frustrating and a little overwhelming, especially for newer coaches.
Before we begin, I want to take a moment to discuss and dispel a myth. Over the past 10-15 years the marketing machines of some brands have done a remarkable job of convincing boards, program directors, and coaches that they need the latest and greatest boat from that brand in order to win. The truth is ‘horses win races, not chariots.’
To be fair, having good equipment that your athletes are comfortable in does help. A 15 or even 20+ year old boat will likely have a weight disadvantage compared to newer boats and almost always requires more maintenance to keep on the water. Refurbishing your older boats can help but it’s expensive, your boat is out of commission while being refurbished, and at the end of the day you still have a 15+ year old boat with the same weight disadvantage – or worse, it now weighs even more because of the new paint.
The best way to improve the quality and speed of your program is to focus on the athletes. Find a good boat at a great price point, make sure it is comfortable for the rowers and coxswains, and invest the remaining money you would have spent on the latest and greatest boat from the “top brand” of the day on coaching salaries and professional development. Great coaches produce great athletes and great athletes who are happy with the program tell their friends and help increase awareness for your club.
Now that we know the athlete is more important than the boat, we need to start the decision making process by looking at the rowers and making sure we have the right boats in the boathouse for them.
Understanding the average weight of your rower’s will help you avoid reactionary purchases because you have a good group of small girls or big boys this season. For example, most junior’s programs would be well served with a mixture of lightweight and midweight shells that support a range of 132-165 lbs or 154-187 lbs respectively whereas a college men’s team might need to look at heavyweight and super heavyweight shells that will support rowers between 165-198 lbs or 187-220 lbs respectively. While you can put a lighter rower in a slightly heavier shell, it’s best to avoid putting heavier rowers in lighter shells. The boats will sit lower in the water and could capsize in rough conditions.
Try to also think about where your program will find success. Many programs focus on fours and eights to be able to get people on the water but often find more success and member enjoyment with quads, doubles, and singles. Think about your members, the boats they like to row, and the race events your program can be competitive in when prioritizing future boat purchases. When buying doubles, fours, and quads, strongly consider getting both sets of riggers to make the boats more versatile. They take some space to store but need a lot less room and cost a lot less than buying two boats!
Next, consider the water you row on. A river with floating debris and obstacles to avoid might not be a good place for a full carbon shell that will crack or stress fracture more easily than a shell with a Kevlar outer skin, which is much more impact resistant. The same is true for boats used by juniors. Carbon fiber is a very lightweight and popular material, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best material for all programs.
Lastly, many programs carefully consider whether they should purchase used or new. Used boats are often cheaper to purchase but you have to think about the additional costs of a used boat such as repairing damaged areas on the hull, repainting if needed, new shoes and potentially shoe plates, new tracks, new wheels, new wiring & speakers, a new skeg & rudder, purchasing spare parts to have on hand, and the cost of picking the boat up or having it delivered.
To put these costs into perspective, a 5-year old 4+ in good condition is likely to cost between $18,000 – $20,000 and a 10-year old 4+ in decent condition is between $10,000 – $15,000. Depending on where you live and where the used boat is, delivery is likely to be between $450 – $750. New shoes are going to cost between $400 – $500, tracks are about $240, wheels are about $200, fins and rudders are about $70, a wiring harness & speakers are about $400, and an exterior hull repaint is about $4,500. That means you need to budget an additional $6,250 – $6,660 so a 5-year old used 4+ is between $24,250 – $26,660 or a 10-year old used 4+ is between $16,250 – $21,660 while a brand new Swift Racing Elite Plus 4+ is only $18,400 (in 2023) with everything you need including delivery! Even if there is nothing to replace on the 5-year old boat it’s still cheaper to buy a brand new Swift Racing shell when you include delivery on the used shell!
Swift Racing offers three grades of construction to better support all customers: Club A, Elite Plus, and Carbon Pro.
Club A shells are training workhorses at a great price but that price comes at a weight disadvantage of about 4 lbs for singles and 2.5 lbs/athlete for doubles, fours, quads, and eights. Club A boats are incredibly durable and long lasting due to their sandwich construction of a Kevlar inner and outer skin and foam core.
Elite Plus shells are a great option of competitive programs looking for a lightweight boat that is also durable and impact resistant. They are made using sandwich construction with a Kevlar outer skin, honeycomb core, and carbon fiber inner skin. This combination makes them strong, lightweight, and long lasting while only weighing about 1.5% more than World Rowing minimums. Your athletes will never notice the difference compared to a full carbon shell but your boat purchase and maintenance budgets will!
Carbon Pro shells are the lightest and stiffest boats Swift Racing makes. They feature 100% pre-preg carbon with a honeycomb core and are at World Rowing minimum weight with aluminum riggers. When selecting carbon reverse wing riggers, these shells come with removable weight plates to bring them up to World Rowing minimum weight.
On top of Swift Racing’s great pricing, all boats come with a 3-ply padded boat bag, rigger bag(s), a pair of either steel or aluminum slings, a small bag of tools, quick release rigger plates (for aluminum riggers), the wiring harness and speakers (for coxed boats), and standard delivery to your club – making Swift Racing an unbeatable value!
Are you looking for a new boat? Check out our current inventory or custom order a new boat!
