> I guess a drawback is it doesn't really lend itself to a nice big screen like OP's project.

I don't see why not. My RP3 uses any Android tablet. I have like a 7-8" tablet in there, but there is no reason I couldn't put a much larger tablet like an 18.4" Galaxy View.

How do you like the RP3 in general? I thought seriously about that before getting the Oartec, mainly because it was cheaper and I didn't have a strong need for portability.

I never tried the Oartec so I can't compare to it, but I'm really happy with it. There's also now the RP3 Model T that was released a few months after I got the regular RP3. I'm in the PNW, so I was able to save on shipping by picking up the RP3 in person from the US distributor.

I'm really quite happy with it and far prefer it to a C2. The software is pretty decent too and the force curve in particular is quite useful to help you figure out how to connect all three motions smoothly for mostly consistent even power.

Family and friends that have used it have struggled with getting started with it but mainly because they've learned such bad form from static machines like the C2. But near as I can tell that will happen with anyone used to a static rower that's never been on the water or coached on proper form.

Cool, thanks. Didn't know about the new one.

Do you feel like the RP3 teaches proper form, for someone who hasn't had coaching or been on the water?

A drawback of the Oartec is that the display is rudimentary. It'll show you speed/distance, watts, or cal/hr, and that's it.

I wouldn't say it teaches proper form, but it does encourage it. If you're not using at least somewhat proper form, the seat really isn't going to go back to the neutral position and you're going to occasionally be bouncing off the bumpers at the front or rear of the rower.

While I don't know how to make a machine that promote the following without putting telemetry in the handle, I also coach people using my machine to row with a D-shaped motion that mimics taking the blade out of the water and almost scraping the top of your knees on the return. The goal is to force people to mostly return the handles with their forearms and torso before collapsing their knees.

The RP3 display is definitely something worth trying out. It's not perfect, but I really like it. Contact the US distributor and he might be able to put you in contact with someone local to you that has one.

I have not seen any quantitative data on this, so just going of my own anecdotal evidence. I think there is a couple of aspects to this. One, beginners tend pull way too much with their arms and that tends to tire you out very quickly (your arms are pretty small muscles compared to your legs). It also requires some experience on the ergo to learn that you can make hard or soft pulls at the same stroke rate (again this is difficult if you pull mainly with the arms), so beginners tend to just adjust stroke rate. The other aspect is that rowing produces lactate in pretty high rates because of so many muscles being involved. That takes a bit of getting used to.

Ah, interesting. My back has gotten significantly stronger and that has also taken a lot of load off my arms. I've been working on "legs then back then arms" and keeping my back straight, and with a good pull from my back, my arms can almost coast. I've also been working on getting good speed with low stroke rate.