“You make it look so easy. How hard can it be?” If we only had a nickel for every time we heard that. Rowing a boat is easy but without proper training, it can be dangerous and difficult to master.

One thing boat manufacturers usually don’t tell you when buying a boat, is how to row it! Over the years, we have rescued people from situations where had they known how to row in the first place, they wouldn’t have found themselves in that predicament. Usually it was the lack of understanding of water, direction of the current and how much power it has that landed them there.

Here is what we thoroughly cover with our Swiftwater Rescue Technician trained staff:

–Various rowing seat configurations, how they can affect your ability to safely handle a boat

–Rowers personal fit to the boat with regards to rowing efficiency, regarding fore and aft placement of oars/seat, oar/seat heighth, distance from foot brace, length of oars

–Safety gear for the boat itself, the rower and anglers/passengers, rescue ropes, throw bags, life jackets, cam straps/webbing, spare oars, first aid kits

–Legitimate upgrades in equipment for the boat, oars, anchors, bottom coatings, other manufacturer options

–Boat construction, how it affects your rowing both positively and negatively; weight, width, length, height, chines vs no chines, bottom coatings, anchor set-ups, bottom rocker, seat placement, hull material, gunnel shape/strength

–Boat construction, how to maximize space and comfort but not compromise future uses, width differences and how they affect performance of the boat, seat types/sizes

–Trailer set up, what to look for when buying a trailer, because there are options out there

–Reading water for maximum efficiency while rowing, including depth, speed, direction

–Anticipatory vs reactionary rowing and why the first is where you want to be, for fishing and safety

Hey Dave,

Fantastic class.  You are a stellar instructor.  I can’t wait for the river levels to rise around here so I can get out and start practicing.

Mark Vickers
Forest Grove, OR

One of the biggest parts of the class is learning how to read water. By reading water, you can tell depth, speed, current direction and hydraulic force, all of which play a large role in safely navigating any river.

Hand in hand with learning to read the water is also learning what your boat will do in or on the water when you supply power from the oars. Little tricks of using the rocker of the boat, certain water currents and a stroke of an oar can make your job a lot easier.

For those who already know how to row but want to become better at rowing for fly fishing, this is a perfect class for you. We work on holding on seams, entering large eddies to fish them without spooking fish, crab or sideways rowing and other little things to make the anglers in your boat a little happier.

5 most popular reasons for taking a boat rowing class:
1 – Just bought a new boat
2 – Friend has a boat and you don’t know how to row
3 – Learn to row for fly fishing
4 – Learn to read water for rowing safely
5 – Row more technical water to navigate more difficult rivers

Dave McCoy, the Washington instructor is Swift Water Rescue trained 5 times, and has been guiding driftboats, rafts and pontoon boats through class 4  and 5 whitewater in several western states, including Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah for the past 20 years.