![WACCrew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/WACCrew.JPG)
A coxless four is a
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically found on inl ...
used in the
sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with
sweep oars, without a
coxswain
The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...
.
The crew consists of four rowers, each having one
oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end.
The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...
. There are two rowers on the
stroke side (rower's right hand side) and two on the
bow side (rower's lefthand side). There is no
coxswain
The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...
, but the
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
is controlled by one of the crew, normally with the rudder cable attached to the toe of one of their shoes which can pivot about the ball of the foot, moving the cable left or right. The steersman may row at bow, who has the best vision when looking over their shoulder, or on straighter courses stroke may steer, since they can point the stern of the boat at some landmark at the start of the course. The equivalent boat when it is steered by a coxswain is called a "
coxed four
A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...
".
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section with gradual tapers, causing little drag. Originally made from
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
, shells are now typically made from a
composite material
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
, usually
carbon fiber reinforced polymer, for strength and weight advantages. Fours have a fin near the stern, to help prevent roll and yaw and to help the rudder. The riggers are staggered alternately along the boat so that the forces apply asymmetrically to each side of the boat. A sweep-oared boat has to be stiffer to handle the unmatched forces, and so requires more bracing, thus slightly heavier, inside, than a boat optimally designed (instead) for sculling.
"Coxless four" is one of the classes recognized by the
International Rowing Federation
World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation (former abbreviation FISA; french: Fédération internationale des sociétés d'aviron), is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who ...
and an
Olympic event for men and women. Between 1996 and 2016 it was also an Olympic event for lightweight men.
In 1868,
Walter Bradford Woodgate
Walter Bradford Woodgate (20 September 1841 – 1 November 1920) was a British barrister and oarsman who won the Wingfield Sculls three times, and various events at Henley Royal Regatta including the Silver Goblets five times and the Diamond C ...
rowing a
Brasenose coxed four arranged for his coxswain to jump overboard at the start of the
Stewards' Challenge Cup at
Henley Royal Regatta to lighten the boat. The unwanted cox narrowly escaped strangulation by the water lilies, but Woodgate and his homemade steering device triumphed by 100 yards and were promptly disqualified. This led to the adoption of Henley Regatta rules specifically prohibiting such conduct and a special prize for four-oared crews without coxswains was offered at the regatta in 1869. However, in 1873 the Steward's cup was changed to coxless fours, supplementing the
Wyfold.
[H.T. Steward Henley Royal Regatta, 1903, pp. 133-34]
Quad sculls
If the boat is
sculled by rowers, each with two oars, the combination is called a
quad scull
A quadruple sculling boat, often simply called a quad and abbreviated 4x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four people who propel the boat by sculling with two oars, or "sculls", one in each hand.
R ...
. In that boat the riggers apply forces symmetrically. However most rowing clubs cannot afford to have a four-seat quad-only format delicate boat, which might be rarely used and instead generally opt for versatility in their fleet by using stronger "standard, versatile" shells to be rigged as either boat. Aside from the structural strength, crossways, boats rigged for either format or sweep-oar use tend to have larger mountings/fixings for their riggers than classic, sculling-only vessels.
See also
*
Rowing at the Summer Olympics
Rowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since its debut in the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the wom ...
*
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of th ...
References
External links
{{Oared racing boats, state=expanded
Rowing racing boats