I am a beginner who is taking my first rowing class tomorrow... I am wondering if there is a weight requirement for people who just want to learn. I am overweight, but still fit into normal chairs or through a turnstyle with ease.

-- Wendy Sheldon (lunabrillar@hotmail.com), April 30, 2004

Answers

Dear Wendy,

I don't know of any maximum weight limits. Anyone who'd impose them should be ashamed. My advice to you is - Just Do It!

Yours,

Andre de Bardelaben

-- Andre de Bardelaben (middlepath@aol.com), April 30, 2004.

Hey Wendy --

I hope your rowing classes are going well! I am also in the middle of rowing classes. I am six feet tall and 250 pounds, and I'm doing just fine. Except for some nasty track bites and for shoulder bruises from being the tallest person at the bow carrying the 8+ shell, everything is great! :-)

I'm VERY glad that I'm "only" 250 now, though. I was 299 this past October. I don't think I could have gotten in or out of the boat if I was much heavier!

-- Ione Smith (amazondoc@mindspring.com), May 25, 2004.

Congratulations on learning to row! That's awesome!

Don't know if you'll see this beore your class or not.

If you fit into normal chairs or through a turnstyle you should be OK.

It is possible to sink a boat past the point stability. I've done it with kayaks, however that was when I weighed over 300lbs.

The weight requirements depend on the type of rowing you'll be doing.

For sweep rowing (crew) I've heard that the seats at the very front and back are narrower so the size of your hips may be an issue to comfort.

For racing you can get boats to handle up to 250lbs.

For recreational rowing there's lots of options including sliding seat wherrys (looks like a rowboat sort of) that will take you and a passenger without problem.

AND there's no weight limit on the erg (indoor rower) which is where I started last october.

BTW I had my first rowing class about a month ago. You can read about my first race (3 days after I learned to row ) at: www.dykebert.com/row/first_race.htm

Good luck! Have fun! And welcome to wonderful world of rowing from one newbie to another!

Sharky

-- Sharky (sharky@pacific-ocean.com), May 26, 2004.