The new Rowperfect—available soon!

With all the great features of the original Rowperfect, the new machine has been rebuilt from the ground up, with many improvements, new features and a totally new look.

I have added a recent review article from Ivan Hooper of the AIS which will  explain some of the reasons that make Rowperfect the better choice. Great reading, and not to be missed! Read Article.

We have just uploaded a video of the latest prototype to the YouTube site. To view, simply click on the link below and you can view a 2 minute video comparing the original Rowperfect and the prototype: Rowperfect on YouTube.

The machine in the video is actually the third prototype, and as you can see there have been some revolutionary changes. With only two or three minor refinements, the machine you see will be the production version.

Feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated. We will respond individually.


Regards, Mark Campbell

P.S. If you’d like to be added to our new release email list, and receive priority updates on developments, send us your email address. Email Us


Rowperfect
4 Moore Road, Harbord NSW 2096, Australia
t: (61-2) 9939 9777 f: (02) 9939 5572 mob: 0417 782 655
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Feedback

We have had some wonderful feedback, thanks to all who took the time—it is greatly appreciated. Meanwhile I have taken a sample of some of the responses on the assumption that many others may have been asking the same questions, or will appreciate the ideas raised.

regards, Mark Campbell

Hi,
Had a look at the demo. Looks sleek, but am I right in thinking that movement of the seat along the main bar is now restricted, and that the seat no longer tilts from side to side?
Cheers, Michael

(The seat definitely still tilts—this is almost a defining feature of the Rowperfect and we believe the benefits of the Limited Tilt Seat are enormous. Even if the user has never, or will never, sit in a rowing boat there are multiple benefits:
* Firstly for your spine—equal loading of both sides of the spinal column is virtually assured, further reducing the potential for injury which has already been substantially mitigated by the dynamic, lightweight resistance mechanism.
* Secondly there are substantial benefits for your overall coordination inherent in learning to perform a complex movement like the rowing stroke in a dynamic environment.
* And lastly the utilisation of the CORE muscles we hear so much about is greatly enhanced by the Limited Tilt Seat. Mark Campbell)

Hi
My wife and I enjoyed your YouTube item. Nice to see the brief but useful demonstration of technique! Certainly your machine seems to encourage nice differentiation between the initial leg-powered stroke from the later arm/leg pull. (Good observation Bob. The differentiation you can achieve on the Rowperfect is a function of the dynamic action—on the RP, as on the water, the rower has very little momentum as he approaches the catch. On a fixed-head ergometer (whatever brand) the opposite is true—lots of energy has to absorbed before the body's momentum is reversed, and at the "catch" the rower takes quite some time to feel the load despite having placed quite a lot of effort into the legs—instead of using them to pull on the handle, he has simply used them to stop his body moving forward. Mark)

You appear in the film to lock the seat, which clearly cannot move far anyway. (No, I simply stabilised myself—I had started too far along the rail so needed to stop myself briefly. Could have done "Take Two" but YouTube is all about informal, spontaneous video so I left it in! Mark)

Is it usual to have the seat "floating"? I ask because I was taken to task by the well informed (name deleted) on the Water rower chat site when I wrote about the Rowperfect and said that the rower was stationary and the mechanism moved - he forcefully chided me that both moved—I’d love to have back at him! This was at a time when there was a lot of chat comparing the water rower and the Concept II, and I thought your "baby" deserved mention. (Thanks for the mention of our "baby", but I'm afraid the seat always moves, just as a scull's seat slides freely on the tracks as the scull itself slides back-and-forth underneath the rower. It IS theoretically possible to fix it, and in fact Richard Smith at Sydney University has demonstrated that doing so actually increases the user's conversion of effort to output—but it feels unusual, certainly not a lot like rowing and would probably increase the chance of injury so we don't recommend it. Mark)

All success with a beautiful machine. I could be a future buyer, but at 70 I guess the WR will outlive me.
Thanks Bob

… remember there is no reason you shouldn't have two rowing machines in the same house! :-)

Bob T , Canberra.

This is the machine we should buy to replace PBC ergs as they are retired. Their value for training for actually rowing boats is impossible to overstate. Ask Cam and Matt about the row perfect. I'll be trying to get one to PBC for you all to try as soon as it is available. This man is obviously a genius!

Chuck S
PotomacBoatClub Float Captain

Thanks for the update. I especially like the ability to stand the machine on end when not in use. I have limited space and this is a HUGE benefit for me. In general the machine is looking good.
Dave Z

I appreciate the update and the video. Well done, looks like you're almost there. The folding space-saver feature is great to see.
Gus

(Many people appreciate the ability to stand the machine on end so easily, and the potential to remove and fold for easy stow-away—we listened to the feedback, thanks for yours! Mark Campbell)

Excellent news Mark looks great will look forward to getting my hands on one - hopefully before winter?? (silly) question—will they come in different colours?
Daryl

(Thanks for the feedback—and colour is definitely not a silly question. I think the final version will be matt silver, the blue is gloss and matt finishes are certainly easier to maintain. Powder coating can be done in a variety of colours, and if someone wanted to pre-order a relatively large number, at least 8 units, which is the batch size, it is theoretically possible they can have them in any of those colours. Mark Campbell)

Likely candidate for the best short film produced for under $1!
John D

(Still waiting for Martin Scorcese to call....:-) Mark Campbell)

I'm shocked no one has commented here yet! I just bought a Concept2 D last night and found this video today. Oh well, I'm not a real rower anyway and am just trying to keep in shape.
Entrophy56

Just touching base with an update on the development of the new Rowperfect. We (Rowperfect) provided the Athlete Warm-up rowing machines at the Australian Masters Rowing Championships, held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre last weekend. The two older machines and two prototypes were in virtually continuous use for the three days of racing. The latest prototype proved very popular and the modifications to the model shown in the last YouTube update

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUe1q7X4mwo

both performed flawlessly. The modifications were a side-roller system which improves the performance of the Rowperfect when rowed with one leg, and a new cage design which results in improved performance as well as being significantly quieter. As a result we will incorporate both in the final version, which will be produced as quickly as possible. As soon as we can we will forward photos of that first model with the modifications included.

The testimonial below from Mike Hawkins in a note to our UK agent Rebecca Caroe is a fair reflection of the general reaction to the new model. (As a follow-up to what Mike has written, the seat on the prototype was itself slightly different to the one which will be produced; the tilt will be the same as the old model)

Regards, Mark Campbell


Dear Rebecca,

I tried out the latest iteration of the new Rowperfect model, as well as the previous prototype, today at the Australian Masters Games (Sydney International Rowing Course).

They are fantastic: smoother than my current model. Mark had them plus two older models available for rowers to warm up on before their on-water event. The ergos drew a lot of interest, and more than a few rowers commented on the curved handle.

The seat and the main body of the most recent prototype tilt more readily than the old models, but are still easy to use and more than ever have that single scull feel.

Regards,
Michael Hawkins
03 June 2007

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