Rowperfect met Mike Davenport at the Head of the Charles Regatta last autumn. He is a professional rigger employed by Washington Colle ge, an American University boat club to keep their boats in perfect rig to suit the athletes' needs.

Mike has been writing about rigging for over ten years and this book is a summary of much of his hard-acquired knowledge. His biography is here (scroll down).

This is a weighty book – but it's not the sort of thing to read in one sitting. I leafed through the 21 chapters and four appendices and found the chapter on Buying Rowing Equipment. The advice was solid and well-judged. It includes seven steps to a successful purchase

1. Establish what your needs are
2. Prioritise your needs
3. Determine the amount of money you can spend
4. Determine what make of equipment to buy (consider quality, service and price)
5. Pick your options
6. How much is it going to cost you?
7. Buy it

In step 4 he explains how to assess quality and useful tips on what to look for when buying second hand equipment as well as new.

Here are some shots of the pages of the book showing the clear diagrams, section headings and explanations.