Equipped: Rowers on stream

Finding the right boat for championship races is like finding the right pair of shoes. The Irish lightweight four in Sydney - one of our main medal contenders - will have experimented with a variety of boats in the build-up to the Games but have now decided on the British-designed Evolution, one of the most popular boats currently on the elite racing market.

The Evolution is made of fully-carbon materials and measures 8.5 metres. Each of the oars that the crew will use measure 3.7 metres, with greatly limited room inside the boat. With their two knees together, there will be just a couple of inches remaining to either side.

The philosophy behind any boat design in this class is to make it as stiff as possible, which prevents it from slowing down.

Research in fluid mechanics, structures and materials science are used to the full in designing these unique, ultra-light racing shells. With computer-assisted hydrodynamic design, these boats are out-and-out racing machines. Their minimum-drag hull geometry knifes through water, smooth or rough, helped by a deep v-shaped bow section.

In fact, the technological advances in boat building over the last decade has more or less gone as far as it can. Again, comfort is the key. The Irish boat has been specifically altered to suit the needs of the four rowers, especially the taller of the four, Neville Maxwell.

In addition, it has been painted an obvious green, white and gold with shamrocks added for good measure. And the cost of all this? Well, there wasn't much change from £8,000.