Here's a Hack that might be a good add for the fall head race season--and could be handy for newbies and veterans alike: using a bubble level to keep an eye on the balance of your in the single.

This hack--the 1x Bubble Level--came to us from long-time sculling coach Jamie Whalen, who casually mentioned it in one of our Youth Coaching Corner columns:

"I sometimes install a small bubble level," Whalen told us in this column on teaching tricks, "to help young athletes learn how to row their boats on an even keel and with their blades at the same depth."

With a cheap bubble level taped to the deck, wing or a convenient cross brace, Whalen's charges can see clearly if they are down to port, which commonly happens to scullers new and old simply because of how a scull is typically rigged: with the starboard oarlock a centimeter higher to help athletes with the left over right hand position common in (most) sculling programs.

That pretty standard sculling rig can mean, as Whalen pointed out, "many sculling boats are consistently down to port or the starboard blades are rowed significantly deeper during the drive than the port blades."

The Bubble Level won't fix that all on its own of course, but the sculler gets pretty constant feedback about both the set and the relative depth of the blades--or the respective height of the handles, depending on how you want to look at it.

There are probably as many ways to mount the level itself as there are single designs out there, but as long as the boat is level when you install it and you mount it securely, the 1x Bubble Level will do its work whether you are out for a practice paddle or hauling butt down a certain river in Boston the third weekend in October.

In fact, the Rowing Hacks think this is such a good idea that we bet Coach Whalen a cup of coffee that we will catch at least one bubble level out on the course in our Head of the Charles galleries. Will it be you, dear reader? If so, we'll be sure to add your photo to this column for posterity...and get coach his well-earned cup of joe.

Do you have an "scull better" trick like this one? If so, share your ideas--and hacks--in the comments below.

If you have a great rowing hack to suggest for future inclusion, then please send it to us and we will feature your idea in a future column.