What is the Speed Coach?
Will it make my boat faster?
Give me an Example
How do I use it with a Cox-Vox?
How does the current affect the speed readings?
How much drag does the impeller create, and will it slow me down?
Does the SpeedCoach have to be used only by the coxswain?

The Speed Coach is an easy-to-use, affordable performance monitor which provides speed and distance measurements together with elapsed time and stroke rate, Speed is measured by a low-drag, foul and impact resistant impeller which does not require through-hull holes or external wiring for mounting. Memory functions make it easy for the crew to save speed and rate information for later review.

The Speedcoach speed display updates every stroke, giving you crew instant feedback on how effectively they are rowing. You and your crew can see if changes in technique and stroke rate are increasing the speed of the boat. You may find that concentration on quick catches is the key to efficient speed. Or, you might find that concentration on the catch generates nothing but check and slower speed. You could try stretching out lay back a few inches. If the boat speed jumps, you'll know that's a good technique modification to concentrate on.

The SpeedCoach makes it easy to determine your crew's most effective stroke rating. Try the following exercise:

Start out rowing as a comfortable base rating. Every 20 strokes, increase the stroke rating 2 beats. Keep track of the speed of the boat during each shift up. As some point the hull speed will almost certainly start to decrease in spite of the shift up in rate. You will now know the maximum stroke rating that your crew should row at, whether for the start, base, or sprint of a race.

You can simply add the SpeedCoach and wiring harness to a coxed boat already equipped with a Cox-Vox. The Cox-Vox will continue to work normally whether or not the SpeedCoach is present.

Simply put, the current does not affect speed readings on the SpeedCoach. The SpeedCoach accurately measures speed and distance though the water so current does not affect you workout distances or times over those distances. By using the distance shown on the SpeedCoach instead of a land-measured distance, you will always be rowing the same length piece regardless of current. This is because the impeller on the boat doesn't 'see' the current in the water. Tot he impeller, you are always sitting on still water.

If this is a little confusing, imagine sitting in a current without rowing. One minute later, your boat will have traveled some distance down river, even though you haven't rowed a single stroke. The SpeedCoach will read a distance of 0 meters. Conversely, if you row upstream at the exact speed of the current, the SpeedCoach will display this speed and track the distance traveled even though you will appear to be making no forward progress on land.

The benefit of this is that you can compare times for upstream and downstream pieces of equal length measured by the SpeedCoach. For example, if you row a land-measured 2000 meter course both upstream and downstream, this is how far you might have actually rowed through the water and the corresponding time to finish the piece:

Next workout, ignore the land course and use the SpeedCoach to measure the 2000 meters rowed. Now look at the distance and time for the piece:

The SpeedCoach eliminates the effect of the current on the time of the piece. Now you can compare pieces from day to day and in any current.

Laboratory tests were performed on the hull mount impeller to determine the drag effects on a rowing shell. For single sculls, the drag from the hull mount impeller is approximately 0.1% of the total boat drag, and proportionately smaller for larger boats. Depending on the size and speed of the shell, the added time corresponding to this drag is at MOST 0.2 seconds over a 2000 meter race.

The Coxswain is definitely no the only person who can benefit from having a SpeedCoach display. Giving the stroke their own display lets them see the stroke rating without having to be told by the coxswain. They will know imsfimagestely when the stroke rate starts to vary, and they will be able to confirm stroke rate changes on the second stroke.

For maximum benefit, however give every rower in the boat their own display unit. NK provides shell setups for all team boats which allow all display units to be hooked up to a single impeller so every rower sees the same information at the same time. The motivational power of seeing the speed jump when the crew makes a move a tremendous. Elite crews are training with multiple SpeedCoach setups and seeing the benefits on the results.