A bowloader or bow-coxed shell is a

racing shell In watercraft, a racing shell (also referred to as a ''fine boat'' (UK) or simply a ''shell'') is an extremely narrow, and often comparatively long, rowing boat specifically designed for Rowing (sport), racing or exercise. It is equipped with lon ...

(a type of

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 or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

used in

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 a ...

) in which the

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 wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

lies semi-

supine In grammar, a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages. The term is most often used for Latin, where it is one of the four principal parts of a verb. The word refers to a position of lying on one's back (as opposed to ' prone', l ...

in the bow, as opposed to the normal seated position at the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

. Bowloaders are often seen as

coxed four A coxed four, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell 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 ...

s and also

coxed pair A coxed pair, abbreviated as a 2+, is a racing shell used in the rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat with sweep (rowing), sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain (rowing), coxswain (cox ...

s. A small number of bowloader eights exist, and one was raced by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in the 1988 Olympics and the 1989 Royal Henley Regatta, as well as the Russian men's crew at the 2002

World Rowing Junior Championships The World Rowing U19 Championships, former name World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31 Decemb ...

. Steering is difficult because the bow swings less than the stern, so that the coxswain has trouble judging how much the boat has moved laterally, and this problem is exacerbated in an eight. A bowloader is slightly faster than a stern-coxed boat, since the mass of the coxswain in the bow reduces

porpoising In car design, ground effect is a series of effects which have been exploited in automotive aerodynamics to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic focus on streamlining. The i ...

, and the semi-supine position puts the coxswain's center of mass below the waterline, reducing roll. Both of these factors help to reduce drag. The cox also has better forward vision in a bowloader: in the conventional stern position the cox cannot see directly ahead. Novice coxswains often have difficulty with bowloaders, however, since the rowers and their oars cannot easily be seen. Experienced coxswains learn how to feel the movements of the rowers in the boat, as well as visualising the position of the shell itself to safely and effectively maneuver it. Bowloaders require an

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

(usually using a

cox box A cox box is an electronic device used in competitive rowing that combines a digital stroke rate monitor, stopwatch, and voice amplifier. It is generally used by a coxswain to monitor the crew's performance, and amplify instructions given by the c ...

) and

loudspeakers A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or, more fully, a speaker system) is a combination of one or more speaker drivers, an enclosure, and electrical connections (possibly including a crossover network). The speaker driver is an ...

, to be used so that the cox can communicate with the crew, and unlike in the conventional coxing position there is no opportunity for personal communication between cox and

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

on race tactics.

References

{{Reflist Rowing racing boats