Much has been said of what 'elites' are capable of, especially when it comes to technique.
Yet, there are many cases where 'elites' struggle to perform with standard equipment; catching crabs, washing out and nearly capsizing. On one hand, it makes the everyday rower feel alittle better seeing top athletes experiencing difficulties, but it also raises questions about current oar design.
The difficulties that EVERYONE experience with oars warrants a design change. A design improvement will make our sport safer and top performances more achievable.
What has been shown is that the application of a RANDALLfoil to the top edge of a blade eliminates the possibilities of crabbing and unexpected blade movements during the stroke.
Everyone deserves to achieve the results they have been working for.
Watching the World Cup II in Poznań highlighted the importance of stability in rowing. Many 'elite' rowers found the unfavorable conditions greatly affected their performances, especially in small boats.
Standard oars are greatly affected by adverse and changeable water conditions and offer little to no stability, especially when you are trying to apply maximum force to the blade. One rogue wave can knock you completely off your balance and cost significant boat speed.
One of the overwhelming review comments of the RANDALLfoil design is the incredible stability the design offers. Blades with foils are simply not affected by the changing water conditions as wave energy does not disrupt the movement of the blade and loom during the stroke.
Consider how your oars would perform under these race conditions?
I started rowing in the fall of 2009. Since that time, I have rowed almost 27,000 km combined on the water and the erg. I set my best 2K time (7:12.2) in 2011 and came within one second of matching that this February. In terms of Concept2 rankings, I am best at 5K pieces and worse at 1K pieces and in between on 2K pieces. In summary, my fitness has been relatively constant since 2012 and my physiological strength is head racing rather than sprinting. I am also a lightweight (5'-8", 160 lbs).
Between 2011 and 2017, I have completed 15 1K sprint races in my single. I would rate two of these races as excellent with good starts, good overall speed, and great overall times (e.g. raw time in the low four minute range). However, in the 13 other races, I had various problems that slowed me down. My biggest problem has been very bad starts that alone cost me several seconds and one or more placings in the medals.
So my recent result at Dogwood in the F 1x was a dream, especially since I have not done a sprint race in my single for two years. Sure, I have areas for potential improvement (e.g. gearing) but I am now a real competitor in sprint races. I have never had such confidence with my starts until I started using the RANDALLfoils. I am gaining confidence, getting faster, and getting older. This is a great combination for a 60-year-old masters rower.
Do I have hard numbers comparing results with foils and without foils? No, but who cares. I row with more control, confidence and speed with the foils so that is what matters. The bottom line is that the foils help me do better. race to do my best and win medals so I like that.
[Footage of a 1km practice piece with Bob and Karen]
Standard blades require pitch to create stability during the drive phase of the stroke. Without pitch on the blade the rower has very little control over its depth and can wash-out or deep dive.
Blade pitch, however, reduces the efficiency of the blade as a total horizontal force. Instead of the rowers' energy being translated into horizontal boat speed, some is transferred downward.
While blade pitch makes taking powerful strokes with conventional blades possible, 'elite' crews try to find that sweet spot between crew stability and maximizing blade efficiency, always trying to reduce pitch as much as possible.
With RANDALLfoils, blade pitch can be minimised (some users report 1-degree) without the loss of any stability, but gaining total horizontal blade efficiency. All of the rowers' power is transferred into direct horizontal motion.
I have been surprised by the generosity of people willing to post on rowing web forums and the time they give to crafting arguments and responding to the points of others. One such generous contributor is called 'Platypus' (Yarra, Australia) who has modeled for us best practice when it comes to 'posting.' They have followed up the debate about the efficacy of RANDALLfoils on the popular forum "Rowing Illustrated" with a trial of their own. Platypus presented a review of the design from a position of actual experience and I thank 'Platypus' for taking the time to test the design and to share the findings with the rowing community.
Re: RandallFoil
by platypus - Sun Jun 02, 2019 3:37am "To all you doubters and hecklers out there that need scientific evidence before you get on-board with a new product: I've been using Randall Foils with Braca-Sport oars for the past month and are 100% certain that they offer at least one advantage over oars without them. STABILITY. I don't give a rat about time trials, I know when I feel so much more stable at the catch. The foils have completely transformed the stability of the boat for me, particularly when sculling in boat wash or rough water. Some people might say that the foil creates more wind resistance. Sure that might be true, but the stability and confidence that you gain in rough water to me kills any negative wind drag effect. Furthermore, I've seen novice scullers being able to sit at the catch with blades squared and buried, for the very first time with Randall Foils. Then when they change back to standard blades they look so nervous and unbalanced and can't do that. Therefore, from what I've experienced and seen, Randall Foils definitely offer more boat stability and go a long way to help novices overcome fear of the water. As for scientific time trials for more boat speed: Don't know and DON"T CARE. Sculling well has a lot to do with stability and confidence. Randall Foils offer that.
