2001 Van Dusen Advantage — Hebdon Hammers

Dear Van Dusen (the company); Everyone loves you, but why aren’t you the current sales leader in racing singles? Your designs were historically way ahead of the game, in almost a mind-bending way. Many competitors are only now incorporating the design features you pioneered. Everyone knows your brand name and respects it.

Van Dusen, I think we should talk…

Looks and “Cool Factor”

Van Dusen, you really pushed the envelope everywhere you could. Your designs (you know, the ones with the thin membrane decking supported by a lattice framework?) were so lightweight that FISA had a fit and implemented mandatory minimum weight guidelines. When that happened, did you get upset? No, you adapted and developed a super-stiff carbon wing rigger way before wing riggers were cool. You used that mandated extra weight to make your boat even stiffer and more efficient. Just check out that trademark white wing rigger; it makes this thing look like some kind of spaceship. Same goes for the carbon splash guard, which is inverted from what everyone else does.

The design of your Advantage hull reminds me of a Wintech FLX, FluidDesign or Empacher. It’s more apparent in a lightweight model, but there’s a long arcing curve from stern to bow, with a thin taper at either end. Also, check out the way the boat just sort of ends at the stern; another company with a very new design has adopted this feature as well (review coming soon!).

This is one distinctive looking shell, and it still looks as modern as anything else being produced today (and it still is!). The shell pictured is a model year 2001! And you’re still smokin’ hot!

Stiffness

Van Dusen, you guys did a fantastic job with the construction of this Advantage hull. It meets the FISA minimum weight guidelines, and is nearly as stiff as any other high performance modern single I’ve rowed. That huge, thin aerofoil-like rigger has no give to it that I could perceive. While underway, There’s no softness or bending in the hull, despite this particular boat being 21 years old. The foot stretcher has no give to it whatsoever, giving me the confidence to push off as hard as I want. The connection of the rigger to the boat, however, is a little suspect (for reasons that I’ll get into later.)

Handling

You know, Van Dusen, you really work hard to bring out the best in me. Sometimes, that looks like tough love; at slow speeds there’s no helping hand here. You’ve forced me to do those warm-up balance drills that are really good for me, but I try to skip out on to save time. It’s super hard to row at a slow stroke rate (~16 spm) and get the blades off the water on the recovery. But, you know, I can tell that you care: I’ve never felt unsafe in rough water, thanks to the high, wide gunwales and the way the Advantage hull cuts through chop.

And boy, when things get hot and fast, you’re right there with me; you give me a super stable platform at speed with very little to no bow-stern rocking. We just seem to work so well together in the heat of the moment; blades off the water, stable, easy to hold a straight line. In fact, you remind me so much of a boat I reviewed earlier, the 2021 Hudson USP… Wait wait wait, come back! I meant that as a compliment! You designed your boat to handle this way long before those other companies took notice; you’re the OG! Once again, you were so far ahead of the curve!

Comfort and Features

For a boat designed near the end of the 90’s, this is a very comfortable place to be. At the time, it was all the rage for boats that seemingly wanted to hurt you, with tracks placed right in the center of your calves, and ribs sticking out into the interior (especially unfriendly for women!). But not you, Van Dusen, you made a place that was welcoming and could accommodate almost anyone.

But you’re not without your own quirks, are you? You see, the shell pictured is a heavyweight model. And yet, there wasn’t enough room for my size 12 shoes to fit. I had to modify the rigger mount with additional bushings to give it enough lift for the toes of the shoes to clear the rigger and the heels to clear the bottom of the boat. This has introduced a small bit of flex, although I’m not really that worried about it.

The footboard of the boat is designed with a bend in it (although I’ve heard this one is not original, but a replacement made by Van Dusen). The bend corresponds almost exactly with the shape of BatLogic footplates, which is intended to help you use your leg muscles more effectively. Once again, you were so far ahead of the game!

Oh, did I forget to mention that this shell is my personal boat? That’s how much I like you, Van Dusen.

There’s enough room in the interior to stick a small life jacket under that splash guard, as required by the coast guard. The porthole covers are huge, which I appreciated when it was time to adjust the slides and had to stick my large hands into the interior.

Look closely at those oarlock pins; they’re titanium, not steel, which is a pretty good place to save weight. The spread is set by bolting the aluminum plate that holds the oarlocks to the rigger in a different location, which I actually like. While it’s limited in how much adjustment you can make, honestly I think there’s a point of diminishing returns. How much of a difference does half a centimeter actually make to your average rower?

That rigger mount, though. The footboard connects to the rigger mount, and not to toothed plastic slides as seen in many other shells. In order to move the footboard, you have to first remove the rigger from the boat. There are quick release pins that hold the footboard in place through holes in the aluminum rigger mount, but there’s interference issues with the gunwale that seem to defeat the point of quick release pins. However, this isn’t an issue if you’re a private owner of the boat, where you’re setting the foot position once.

Oh, and that rigger mount? Boy does that look and work similar to the one Fluid uses. I know it’s rude to compare you to the upstarts, but you need to know just how advanced you were!

Price

Van Dusen, I just don’t understand. Maybe it’s a me problem, not a you problem. All the bits and pieces are right there in front of us; This Advantage hull is so forward thinking that others are only now catching on. It’s distinctive, it’s as fast as it is demanding, it’s super stiff 21 years after manufacture, and it’s an eye-catching blue color (in this example).

Surely, then, the price must be a barrier for adoption? As it turns out, this is not so; the original purchaser of this boat mentioned that they paid (in 2001 money) less than 10 grand, for a brand new racing shell. That’s a very good value considering many shells now sell for around 14 or so. This one was used, but judging from how well this boat is holding up, I would highly recommend buying a used one should it come available. Or frankly, a rower could do a lot worse than to pick one of these up brand new.

Everyone I talk to about Van Dusen singles really likes them, or at least respects them. I’ve not heard anyone disparage the brand or the boats.

I suppose I’m confused as to why this boat hadn’t taken the world by storm? It’s fantastic, albeit a bit quirky in some respects.

We all love you, Van Dusen.