Forward facing rowing for canoes and rowboats
Forward-facing hands-free rowing.
Ron Rantilla makes the revolutionary new FrontRower™ rowing system for installation in canoes and touring rowboats. The patented FrontRower™ is not only forward-facing, but it lets you row hands free. You can row it with either your feet or your hands (or both). It is easier to use, faster, and more efficient than rear-facing rigs, and it is becoming the system of choice for long distance touring, daily exercise, and wildlife photography.
Most ordinary canoes make excellent rowboats, and that's what most of our customers are using—canoes they already own. But for those who want something really special, we custom build wooden rowing boats designed specifically for use with the forward facing FrontRower™.
And we offer plans and kits for building these special rowboats yourself.
If you are not familiar with the FrontRower™, we suggest you watch some of our video footage here, then check out this review in Small Boats Monthly. Additional reviews are listed here.
Reason for a new rowing system
Ron Rantilla grew up with three brothers in a small town in Ohio. When he was 16, he purchased a used canoe. This canoe became a part of life for him and his brothers as they explored the local lakes and rivers and went on camping trips in Canada.
Years later Ron moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he worked as an engineer for Polaroid Corporation. He brought his canoe with him and in his free time began exploring the islands off the coast of Maine. His usual canoe partners were far away so he did a lot of solo paddling and canoe camping. The coast of Maine can be windy, and solo paddling a canoe can be difficult in strong wind. On one occasion, he was stranded on a deserted island for three days waiting for the wind to die down enough so that he could paddle back to shore.
When he got back to Cambridge, Ron decided he needed a better way to propel his boat and began studying existing human powered propulsion systems and experimenting with his own designs.
The basic problem
The basic problem with solo paddling a canoe is handling the boat in strong wind. You need a lot of power to make progress against a strong headwind. And the wind can produce strong turning forces on the boat making it difficult to steer.
With two people paddling, the bow paddler can generated forward motion while the stern paddler can use his paddle as a rudder to turn the boat. Two skilled paddlers can generate enough power and turning force to handle a reasonable amount of wind.
But a solo paddler cannot generated that much power and turning force with a hand-held paddle. He can be blown broadside to the wind without the ability to turn, and then blown downwind, which could be disastrous.
A little bit about conventional oars
At this point you will need to know a little bit about conventional oars in order to understand the benefits of the FrontRower™. "Conventional" oars have the oarlocks in the middle of the oar. You sit forward of the oars facing aft (backward) and pull on the handles to make the boat move forward.
Some oarlocks allow "feathering" the oars, meaning that you can twist the oar in the lock so the blade is flat. This presents less resistance to the air as the lifted blade swings forward. This is useful when going into a headwind.
Some wider-beamed boats have the oarlocks mounted on the gunnels (the top of the sides).
Narrow boats like racing shells have the oarlocks mounted on "outriggers", which are arms sticking out from the sides of the boat.
Some boats are set up for "fixed seat" rowing, meaning the seat does not move during the rowing stroke. This means that you do not use your legs to power the oars, only for bracing.
Some boats are set up with a "sliding seat", which is usually on wheels riding on a track. This means that you can use your legs to push your torso away from the oars and get a longer stroke. Your feet are held in place by "stretchers" which are footrests with straps, so you can pull your torso back on the "recovery" stroke.
Using a pair of conventional oars gives a solo boater a lot more power and a lot more turning force than a paddle—enough to handle a reasonable amount of wind. But the awkward rear-facing position of conventional rowing makes it impractical for exploring unfamiliar waters.
Possible solutions
Push-rowing (pushing on the oars instead of pulling on them) allows you to row facing forward. But pushing on oars from a seated position is not as powerful or ergonomically comfortable as pulling on them.
The concept of "bow facing oars" (also know as "articulated oars") has been around for a long time. The idea is to take a pair of ordinary oarlock-on-gunnel type oars, cut them in half at the oarlock, and insert the cut off ends into a direction reversing mechanism which replaces the oarlock. A variety of direction reversing mechanisms have been devised, and some are still in use today. They are non-feathering. Bow facing oars are best known for being used in the movie U. S. Marshals with Wesley Snipes.
Bow facing oars are ok if all you want to do is take ordinary rear-facing rowing and turn it around the other way. This will be enough for some people. But there are a lot of improvements that can be made to rowing with a pair of oars. Improvements that would not be possible with conventional oars and only become possible when a different configuration is used.
The FrontRower™ solution
The FrontRower™ is different from bow facing oars. It doesn't need a reversing mechanism to achieve forward facing rowing with a pulling motion on the handles.
Instead, it uses a different class of lever, with the pivot (oarlock) at the innermost end of the oar, rather than in the middle. With this convThe oarlock is mounted on a pedestal in the center of the boat, rather than on an outrigger, making it easy to come along side a dock or another boat.
The oars are balanced so they lift and dip automatically depending on weather or not power is applied to the handles. The oars are self-feathering, making it easy to use without any tiring wrist rotation.
And, rather than using a sliding seat to develop leg power, the FrontRower™ uses a stationary seat and moving pedals. This has two important advantages: (1) it is more efficient than a sliding seat (less oscillating mass), and (2) it makes it possible to row hands free (using just your feet). On longer trips you can switch between your feet and your hands (or both).
And it has a comfortable seat with a backrest.
Where does it fit in?
The Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts typically has more than eleven thousand participants and a quarter of a million spectators lining the banks of the Charles River. This is what most people think of when you mention rowing—a highly competitive sport with elite athletes and requiring a lot of training. But the FrontRower™ did not evolve out of this tradition.
The FrontRower™ evolved out of a different tradition. One of taking occasional breaks from everyday life to experience the beauty of nature. This involves slowing down and focusing on your surroundings. Taking a trip in a small human powered boat is good way of doing this. This is where the FrontRower™ excels. Helping you focus on your natural surroundings in a wholesome and interesting way.
A FrontRower™ equipped rowboat or canoe is perfect for watching the scenery unfolding around the next bend. Moving quietly and efficiently through the water. Sitting comfortably in seat with a backrest. Having the ability to switch between using your feet or your hands or both. Knowing you can handle all the conditions you are likely to encounter. Knowing you are getting good exercise without damaging your muscles or joints. It makes solo navigation easy, and it also gives you the ability to bring a passenger and some cargo along.
Other uses at which it excels:
Daily exercise. The FrontRower™ gives you the same high quality exercise as rear-facing sliding-seat rowing or indoor rowing on an erg. But it's really easy to use, has a quick learning curve, and is more fun than rowing in a gym. And you don't need to be athletic to use it. At low intensity levels it is easier than walking. At higher intensity levels it can be vigorous exercise for cardio and interval training. The forward-facing position makes everything more enjoyable and safer.
Photography an birding. The ability to handle photographic equipment or binoculars while rowing with your feet is a great feature for photographers and birders. And the forward-facing position lets you see wildlife before you scare it away.
And for those for whom going fast is important it is nice to know that the FrontRower™ can outperform rear-facing sliding-seat rowing rigs in the same boats (see bragging rights).
Most ordinary canoes make excellent rowboats, and that's what most of our customers are using—canoes they already own. But for those who want something really special, we custom build wooden rowing boats designed specifically for use with the forward facing FrontRower™.
And we offer plans and kits for building these special rowboats yourself.
If you are not familiar with the FrontRower™, we suggest you watch some of our video footage here, then check out this review in Small Boats Monthly. Additional reviews are listed here.
Reason for a new rowing system
Ron Rantilla grew up with three brothers in a small town in Ohio. When he was 16, he purchased a used canoe. This canoe became a part of life for him and his brothers as they explored the local lakes and rivers and went on camping trips in Canada.
Years later Ron moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he worked as an engineer for Polaroid Corporation. He brought his canoe with him and in his free time began exploring the islands off the coast of Maine. His usual canoe partners were far away so he did a lot of solo paddling and canoe camping. The coast of Maine can be windy, and solo paddling a canoe can be difficult in strong wind. On one occasion, he was stranded on a deserted island for three days waiting for the wind to die down enough so that he could paddle back to shore.
When he got back to Cambridge, Ron decided he needed a better way to propel his boat and began studying existing human powered propulsion systems and experimenting with his own designs.
The basic problem
The basic problem with solo paddling a canoe is handling the boat in strong wind. You need a lot of power to make progress against a strong headwind. And the wind can produce strong turning forces on the boat making it difficult to steer.
With two people paddling, the bow paddler can generated forward motion while the stern paddler can use his paddle as a rudder to turn the boat. Two skilled paddlers can generate enough power and turning force to handle a reasonable amount of wind.
But a solo paddler cannot generated that much power and turning force with a hand-held paddle. He can be blown broadside to the wind without the ability to turn, and then blown downwind, which could be disastrous.
A little bit about conventional oars
At this point you will need to know a little bit about conventional oars in order to understand the benefits of the FrontRower™. "Conventional" oars have the oarlocks in the middle of the oar. You sit forward of the oars facing aft (backward) and pull on the handles to make the boat move forward.
Some oarlocks allow "feathering" the oars, meaning that you can twist the oar in the lock so the blade is flat. This presents less resistance to the air as the lifted blade swings forward. This is useful when going into a headwind.
Some wider-beamed boats have the oarlocks mounted on the gunnels (the top of the sides).
Narrow boats like racing shells have the oarlocks mounted on "outriggers", which are arms sticking out from the sides of the boat.
Some boats are set up for "fixed seat" rowing, meaning the seat does not move during the rowing stroke. This means that you do not use your legs to power the oars, only for bracing.
Some boats are set up with a "sliding seat", which is usually on wheels riding on a track. This means that you can use your legs to push your torso away from the oars and get a longer stroke. Your feet are held in place by "stretchers" which are footrests with straps, so you can pull your torso back on the "recovery" stroke.
Using a pair of conventional oars gives a solo boater a lot more power and a lot more turning force than a paddle—enough to handle a reasonable amount of wind. But the awkward rear-facing position of conventional rowing makes it impractical for exploring unfamiliar waters.
Possible solutions
Push-rowing (pushing on the oars instead of pulling on them) allows you to row facing forward. But pushing on oars from a seated position is not as powerful or ergonomically comfortable as pulling on them.
The concept of "bow facing oars" (also know as "articulated oars") has been around for a long time. The idea is to take a pair of ordinary oarlock-on-gunnel type oars, cut them in half at the oarlock, and insert the cut off ends into a direction reversing mechanism which replaces the oarlock. A variety of direction reversing mechanisms have been devised, and some are still in use today. They are non-feathering. Bow facing oars are best known for being used in the movie U. S. Marshals with Wesley Snipes.
Bow facing oars are ok if all you want to do is take ordinary rear-facing rowing and turn it around the other way. This will be enough for some people. But there are a lot of improvements that can be made to rowing with a pair of oars. Improvements that would not be possible with conventional oars and only become possible when a different configuration is used.
The FrontRower™ solution
The FrontRower™ is different from bow facing oars. It doesn't need a reversing mechanism to achieve forward facing rowing with a pulling motion on the handles.
Instead, it uses a different class of lever, with the pivot (oarlock) at the innermost end of the oar, rather than in the middle. With this convThe oarlock is mounted on a pedestal in the center of the boat, rather than on an outrigger, making it easy to come along side a dock or another boat.
The oars are balanced so they lift and dip automatically depending on weather or not power is applied to the handles. The oars are self-feathering, making it easy to use without any tiring wrist rotation.
And, rather than using a sliding seat to develop leg power, the FrontRower™ uses a stationary seat and moving pedals. This has two important advantages: (1) it is more efficient than a sliding seat (less oscillating mass), and (2) it makes it possible to row hands free (using just your feet). On longer trips you can switch between your feet and your hands (or both).
And it has a comfortable seat with a backrest.
Where does it fit in?
The Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts typically has more than eleven thousand participants and a quarter of a million spectators lining the banks of the Charles River. This is what most people think of when you mention rowing—a highly competitive sport with elite athletes and requiring a lot of training. But the FrontRower™ did not evolve out of this tradition.
The FrontRower™ evolved out of a different tradition. One of taking occasional breaks from everyday life to experience the beauty of nature. This involves slowing down and focusing on your surroundings. Taking a trip in a small human powered boat is good way of doing this. This is where the FrontRower™ excels. Helping you focus on your natural surroundings in a wholesome and interesting way.
A FrontRower™ equipped rowboat or canoe is perfect for watching the scenery unfolding around the next bend. Moving quietly and efficiently through the water. Sitting comfortably in seat with a backrest. Having the ability to switch between using your feet or your hands or both. Knowing you can handle all the conditions you are likely to encounter. Knowing you are getting good exercise without damaging your muscles or joints. It makes solo navigation easy, and it also gives you the ability to bring a passenger and some cargo along.
Other uses at which it excels:
Daily exercise. The FrontRower™ gives you the same high quality exercise as rear-facing sliding-seat rowing or indoor rowing on an erg. But it's really easy to use, has a quick learning curve, and is more fun than rowing in a gym. And you don't need to be athletic to use it. At low intensity levels it is easier than walking. At higher intensity levels it can be vigorous exercise for cardio and interval training. The forward-facing position makes everything more enjoyable and safer.
Photography an birding. The ability to handle photographic equipment or binoculars while rowing with your feet is a great feature for photographers and birders. And the forward-facing position lets you see wildlife before you scare it away.
And for those for whom going fast is important it is nice to know that the FrontRower™ can outperform rear-facing sliding-seat rowing rigs in the same boats (see bragging rights).