Free Internet Rowing Model 2.32 Released

The Free Internet Rowing Model (FIRM) is a program for Windows-based
computers that predicts hull resistance, velocity, acceleration, and
yawing moments of rowing shells. Users report that it works under WINE
on Macs and Linux computers.

The FIRM page is at: http://www.cyberiad.net/firm/firm.htm.

FIRM version 2.32 contains over 40 example hulls (with offsets) to
help you choose a racing shell or to help you start your own designs.
The hull offset format is identical to that used by Michlet and Flotilla.
DelftShip can be used to design hulls and to create offsets for FIRM,
Michlet and Flotilla.

The fixed seat hulls and example have been omitted from the new version
because I do not have good experimental results to validate and verify
FIRM predictions.

New output files contain many useful calculations, e.g. hull width
at catch for stroke seat and at release for bow seat help to ensure
that rowers will fit into the shell.



"Atkinson energy balance diagrams" (like those at Bill Atkinson's
site http://www.atkinsopht.com/row/rowrpage.htm) can be
created using values in the summary.csv output file. FIRM estimates
of the internal power lost to body flexing (Box G) are lower than in
Atkinson's original work, but closer to those of Kleshnev and
Hofmijster et al. See Section 8 of the FIRM manual for details and
equations.