Croker Sweep Oars Suggested Rigging

Spreads
Many coaches tend to vary spreads during the full year of competition (tighter in the fall, wider in the spring), but the range is usually from 83.5-86 cm inclusive of all groups. Most common spread is 84 or 85 cm.

Different Brands of Oars
Comparison between brands is challenging because the shape and size of the blade, tracking through the water, and stiffness and resilience of the shaft affect the load that is transferred to the human. We recommend 0.5-1.5 cm less outboard with the Crokers when performing seat-racing or direct comparisons to standard and "apex" Dreher sweeps and Concept 2's "smoothie vortex" or standard sweeps. Direct comparisons to the "fat smoothie" will be limited due to the need to adjust the boat's spread and each rowers footstretchers beyond traditional/common parameters to row that unconventional blade.

Remember--Crokers are designed to speed you along most effectively at the traditional boat spreads you have been using for decades. You need not make a boat in your fleet unrowable for all other oars in order to accommodate our product. Our oars cater to YOU. Now.....rig smart, row fast, and win medals!

Class of Rower	Suggested Length (cm)	Comments
World-Class Elite Men	371-376	M2 Shaft with full slick blade.
National-Class Elite, Pre-Elite & Collegiate Men	370-375	M2 Shaft with full slick blade; some lightweight crews use cutaway blade.
Scholastic & Masters Men	368-374 (greater range due to varied abilities)	M2 Shaft with full slick blade; some crews use cutaway blade; some crews use the M2 Soft shaft.
World-Class Elite Women	370-375	M2 Shaft with slick cutaway blade.
National-Class Elite, Pre-Elite & Collegiate Women	368-373	M2 Shaft with slick cutaway blade; Many collegiate crews use the M2 Soft Shaft instead of the M2, especially where injuries are a concern.
Scholastic & Masters Women	367-373 (greater range due to varied abilities)	M2 Soft Shaft with slick cutaway blade.

NOTE -- Updated July 25, 2008

In the spring of 2008, we fielded numerous inquiries from Croker users who had been unsuccessfully attempting to use excessively short overall lengths, inboards and boat spreads.

Upon further investigation, it came to our attention that certain persons unaffiliated with Croker were offering inaccurate suggestions in their presentations at coaches' conferences for rigging settings of our oars. Given that the information they provided was completely inconsistent with all documented successful use of Crokers, at all levels, we surmise the misinformation appears to either be the result of no actual use of Crokers by these persons, or a deliberate attempt on their part to stack any comparisons in favor of other products by providing ineffective numbers for Croker oars.

We encourage you to ignore these persons, and to reject their "advice" in favor of ours. The rigging numbers we provide are gleaned from successful crews across all levels of rowing.

We know that when you win with Crokers, you'll spread the word and that will grow our business. We don't need to trick you into rowing someone else's oars poorly. You should try all brands of oars as each company's official literature recommends. We're confident that we'll be the one you continue to work with.

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