Stand-up rowing
By Fleur
@Fleura (29128)
United Kingdom
October 10, 2022 6:18am CST
I have been meaning to ask about this for a while, but keep forgetting!
Spending quite a lot of time around the river, I have seen various types of craft in use - narrowboats, rowing skiffs, punts, pedalos, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, coxed and uncoxed rowing crews of various sizes from single skulls to eights, motor boats, Dutch barges, butty boats, even the traditional camping rowing boats as immortalised in Jerome K. Jerome’s ‘Three men in a boat’ (one of my all-time favourite books, incidentally).
But one vessel I have only seen a couple of times, and am not familiar with, is these stand-up type of rowing boats.
Does anyone know more about them – where do they come from? Is rowing standing up easier or harder than sitting? Are they stable? Is it difficult to master compared to seated rowing? Do the boats have a special name? Is it more popular in other parts of the country/world? Have you ever tried it?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2022.
15 people like this
14 responses
@BarBaraPrz (45498)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Oct 22
I would think it'd be harder as you'd have to use leg muscles to keep from falling in.
2 people like this
@hexeduser22 (7253)
• Philippines
11 Oct 22
I don't think I've seen one before. The closest thing I can compare is a boatman standing on a surfboard and paddling
1 person likes this
@hexeduser22 (7253)
• Philippines
11 Oct 22
@Fleura for some reason, I didn't see the photo earlier when I first responded. Now that I see it, really is different from what I was imagining.
It looks cool
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130064)
• India
11 Oct 22
It is just that I think these guys prefer to stand than sit while rowing!
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130064)
• India
11 Oct 22
@Fleura You could be right If there are no seats I suppose they will stand
@CarolDM (203452)
• Nashville, Tennessee
10 Oct 22
I have a friend that used to enjoy the stand-up paddleboarding. I also had a friend that tried these stand-up boats in Italy. But I have never tried one. She said they felt very safe to her and you push with your body, making it easier to maneuver. I think they are called stand-up rowing boats. No, I have never tried one.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29128)
• United Kingdom
10 Oct 22
Thanks for answering all my questions! I would be interested to try one but I don't know anywhere round about where I could hire one. I don't have a great sense of balance but that makes me think they must be more stable than I might expect!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95226)
• Marion, Ohio
10 Oct 22
I have never seen that. It dont look easy
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
10 Oct 22
I think you would need a very good sense of balance & synchronisation. I guess the only thing l can compare it to is he Traghetti in Venice where passengers (Locals) stand for the trip across the grand canal. Usually two gondoliers operate it one at each end.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (18923)
• United States
11 Oct 22
Never seen it, but I would think this would hard to do.
1 person likes this
