Racing boats come in all shapes and sizes. You will see the the various boats used in disciplines of the World Championships and the Olympic Games. Seats in a boat may be rigged for oars on one side or on both sides. Athletes with only one oar are ‘sweep’ rowers. Athletes with two oars are called scullers’. The 8+ and 4+ boats carry a coxswain (hence the ‘+’ in the boat category) to coach and steer a boat. In general, the 8+ is the fastest boat, because it has the most rowers.
Rowing using other kinds of boats
Coastal rowing
Coastal rowing is the extreme version, the adventure side of rowing. It involves rowing along a sea coast and out into the sea. It can be found in all corners of the world including the Maldives and many parts of Africa. Rowing on rough water means that coastal rowing is quite different from the flat-water Olympic style of going in a straight line. Coastal rowing is easier to learn than flat-water rowing, due partly to the stability and robustness of coastal rowing equipment. The standard boats are singles (or solo), doubles and coxed quadruple sculls (4x). Good coastal rowing crews must be aware of tides and currents, learn about the course's topography and know how to cope with maritime traffic and bad weather.
Indoor rowing
Indoor Rowing is also known as ergometer rowing after the name of the equipment which is used. The ‘erg’ has been widely used in training and preparing athletes for many years. Recently indoor rowing has grown from off-the-water training for the serious rower to a sport in its own right. The ergometer has become the standard tool for judging a rower’s speed over 2000 metres. It has become a fixture in boathouses and fitness centres around the world and is also widely used by athletes of other sports for cross training. Nearly every rowing nation now holds national indoor rowing competitions. The longest running and best known is the C.R.A.S.H.B’s, held every year in February in Boston, USA. It is unofficially known as the World Indoor Rowing Championships