Eight (rowing)

An eight, abbreviated as an 8+, is a racing shell used in competitive rowing (crew).

It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox".

Because of the size, weight, and speed of the boat in comparison to the 4+ and 2+, it is generally considered unsafe to race the 8+ coxless or to have a bowloader cox.

[2] Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum.

"Eight" is one of the classes recognized by the International Rowing Federation and one of the events in the Olympics.

Eight icon

Eights at the end of the 2002 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Coxed eight on the River Severn at Worcester