WRAPTOR BALANCE:FALLING OFF is an integral part of learning to ride a bike. Falling in is the aquatic equivalent for those learning to row a narrow boat. On land, stabilising wheels help with the bike-learning process. On water, a new product from Cork-based company, Wraptor Balance, does the same for rowers.
Wraptor Balance is the brainchild of Diarmuid Fehily, who has spent the last three years designing and patenting his product. Fehily, an experienced rower, got the idea for a balancing aid for narrow racing boats when his daughter took up the sport. As the idea developed, he also saw how it could benefit experienced rowers with their training.
Fehily is a carpenter by trade and built 14 versions of his prototype before deciding on the final design. It also took exhaustive research to determine the most suitable materials for the device. All of the components for Wraptor Balance are made in Ireland and Fehily is assembling the product in Cork.
The Wraptor Balance product nearly foundered because Fehily ran out of money. It cost about €100,000 to get the product to the brink of production, but by then the kitty was empty. Enterprise Ireland rowed in with €50,000, which allowed Fehily buy the moulds to make the device.
Ease of removal is one of the key features of Fehily’s product. This allows rowers to attach it when they want to practice a specific stroke and remove it quickly to get on with the rest of their training session. A simple but effective pressure device shows the rower how efficiently their boat is moving through the water, enabling them to improve their technique.
The device also makes financial sense for rowing clubs as it can be used on their existing boats. This means they avoid spending up to €6,000 on a training craft. With space at a premium in most boathouses, Fehily says not having to store training boats is another big advantage.
There are about 650 rowing clubs in Ireland and the UK and these are Fehily’s initial target market. The product costs €485 plus VAT.
