Our Quick Guide to rowing seats 

Keeping Your Backside in the Rowing Game

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One of the biggest worries for ocean rowers is their “back sides” and getting blisters or salt sores during their row. These at best can be an irritation and at worse, will mean you cannot row for any length of time and possibly ruin a row.

Having rowed the Atlantic with The Entrepreneurship we went through many different seating options, both for my mega ERG sessions, training confirmation rows and also during the row itself. I found discomfort fits neatly into three categories

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`Common Seat-Related Issues

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• Salt Sores: Caused by constant saltwater exposure, can escalate to infections.

• Friction Sores: Rubbing from wet or poorly fitted seat pads.

• Pressure Sores: Occur where sit bones meet the seat—muscle and flesh wear thin over time.

 

So what can rowers do about this and what are the options?

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Every ocean rowing boat comes with a seat as standard. Often with just a simple foam cut out with holes around the sit bones for you to just sit on. Not something you would want to spend any length of time on – let alone rowing an ocean!

So after much research and what worked for us was a variation or seating options – all tried and tested, both on the ERG and in training. During our testing some worked some did not. One thing we noted was as the row went on, our choice of seat would change, due to many factors such as heat and weather, in the end we used a combination, putting one on top of another or just one. Sometimes changing seats two or three times in a shift.

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⬛ Top Tips for Prevention

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• Variety: Bring multiple seat options—swap as needed during shifts and weather patterns.

• Dry Off Regularly: Baby wipes or similar—clean, dry skin prevents salt buildup.

• Barrier Cream: Alcohol-free creams, or chamois cream from the cycling world are a must.

• Test Thoroughly: Try all options in varied conditions during training.​

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​Below is a table of pros and cons of some of the choices 

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´Our Team’s Final Choices

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• Ventisit 3mm Drysit

• Professionally Made Memory Foam/Sponge Combo

• DIY Multi-Layered Camping Mat Sandwich

(Pregnancy mats and Amazon specials didn’t make the cut)

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So in summary, there are options. From my experience, we took with us, the Ventisit 3cm and 2cm Drysit, a professionally made memory foam and sponge option and a homemade multi layered sandwiched camping mat. The pregnancy mats never made it to La Gomera and the Amazon special we left behind.

If you would like to discuss option and order a Ventisit then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me –