History & Mission

The Resolute Edge
Our Mission

Our Story: A challenge to change the world of rowing

RESOLUTE was the brainchild of two men who grew up together on the North Shore of Long Island and serendipitously found themselves both living in the Providence, Rhode Island area. In the early 1990s, legendary coach Steve Gladstone was coaching the Brown University men’s crew and premier yacht builder, Eric Goetz, was building winning America's Cup yachts. Eric would occasionally drop by the Brown boathouse and tease Steve about his archaic crafts. But what started as friendly jest eventually turned into the spark of an idea: to build world's finest racing shells. In 1994, Eric and Steve decided to transform idea into reality and form RESOLUTE—a superior rowing shell company whose namesake paid homage to the America’s Cup-winning yacht named “Resolute” - designed by Nathanial Herreshoff and built in Bristol, Rhode Island. The boat was first launched April 25, 1914 and won the America’s Cup in 1920.

Fueling The Dream

Moving forward with their fledgling idea, Eric and Steve approached Brown entrepreneurship professor and eventual co-founder, Misha Joukowsky, in addition to a few others for startup funding. They sought Jim Taylor, renowned America's Cup Hull designer, and Dirk Kramers, famous America’s Cup structural engineer, to design initial boat models. The founding team drew upon the diversity of their collective experiences and expertise to nurture their shared vision into reality: to build racing shells that are faster, stronger and far more durable than any other competitor. In 1995 their first boat, named ‘Black Z One’, was completed and went on to win its first race—the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta. After its first big win, that same RESOLUTE HeavyWeight 8+ is still being rowed and continues to win regattas to this day, demonstrating the resilience and achievement that remain the hallmarks of RESOLUTE.

Changing the Game

Resolute boats have a magic about them. A passion that extends past mere carbon, fabric, plastic and bolts. It's about the heart and passion that goes into designing, building and supporting the developments of this equipment. - Ryan Demaine; Director of Rowing: Headington School, Oxford

RESOLUTE employs the unique design technology of aerospace-grade composites materials. Composites materials utilize the synergistic bonding of two or more materials. Specially designed and engineered, this process yields high- caliber advantages to our shells including increased strength and stiffness combined with lighter weight and greater durability. Aerospace-grade materials meet the standards set by the aviation, military and aerospace industries as being among the highest grades and being suitable for manned flight in an aerospace environment.

At RESOLUTE we are committed to offering our customers the highest possible quality for the best possible price. Evidenced by our unwillingness to compromise the quality of our product for the sake of reducing our costs, our racing shells are designed with durability and longevity in mind. It’s been proven that Resolute shells last up to three times as long as our competitors and offer a greater long-term investment for the novice and professional athlete alike. Race resolute, achieve more.

RESOLUTE is a much better buy. After 9 years at the high school [and] 3 years at Penn, the RESOLUTE is still going strong. RESOLUTES have better hull integrity.  - Ted Nash; World Champion Rower, Parent, Donor

The Latest Innovation: Project Z

Project Z showcases RESOLUTE as a pioneer of design innovation and structural superiority. Our shells maintain a proven history of creating stronger boats for a longer competition life that is three times as long as the industrial average. Using Aerospace-Grade Unidirectional Prepreg Carbon Fiber allows uniquely-tailored strength focused on any direction along with prepreg which yields an optimal resin to material ratio. Additionally carbon fiber supplies resilient hull quality that is stronger than steel yet lighter than aluminum.

The challenge of hull design exists in the trade-off between speed and stability. Optimal boat speed is derived by minimizing wetted surface to reduce drag while also providing sufficient stability to rowers, enabling them to obtain their maximum speed and optimal performance. True monocoque construction supports structural load by using an object’s exterior rather than interior frame, thereby eliminating multiple ribs which loosen over time while fortifying the hull and the deck.

Our heritage in America’s Cup yacht racing has taught us a great deal about fluid mechanics and the relationship between the water and the boat. All of our Intrepid models are wet-sanded with the purpose of promoting smooth laminar flow and reducing unnecessary friction and drag. This process allows boats to slice through the water seamlessly and efficiently.

Contact our Rhode Island-based factory or connect with a regional Z Sales Representative to learn more.