Greetings,

My name is Travis Sippel. I am a senior University of Kansas (USA)
Mechanical Engineering student and am on a team that is designing a new
piece of rowing/sculling training equipment designed to make the sport
and training more competitive by allowing a slight amount of control
over a boat's speed. In order to make our equipment as useful as
possible, we would like to talk to some rowing experts (YOU!) to better
understand what you expect from rowing equipment.

If you're interested in helping, below I've attached a list of
questions you could respond to. Any information you provide us with
will be used strictly for classwork and product development only. We
are a group of engineering students, not a company. Your responses
would help our project team to understand the equipment needs of avid
rowers and scullers such as yourselves. Our group has a class deadline
on Tuesday morning (Feb. 14th), so input provided before that time
would be even more beneficial. If you would like to respond but can't
respond before then, that's OK. The more input the better!

We appreciate your input. Hopefully our final product will be
something that all rowers and scullers can benefit from.

Travis Sippel
Student, Univ. of Kansas Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
tsippel_AT_ku.edu


~~~~~
QUESTIONS:
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1. Please describe your current rowing skill level (beginner,
recreational, advanced, expert):

2. What brand and type of canoe/boat do you use?

3. Do you currently use any aftermarket boat accessories for training
or leisure purposes? If so, please list them and describe their
purpose.

4. If a product was available that increased the competitiveness of
rowing by providing some control over a rowing team's top speed,
would you use it for training or enjoyment?

5. What type of demands would you have of a training product like this
(in terms of portability, strength, versatility, ease of setup, ease of
use, attachment to boat)?

6. How much would you be willing to spend on a product like this?

7. Can you think of any training products or boat accessories you have
used that didn't meet your expectations? Why were they inadequate?

Thanks again for your input!