Editing Racing shell (section)

=== Materials ===
[[Image:UVMCREW.JPG|thumb|University of Vermont 8+ oar shell]]
Originally made from [[lapstrake]] [[wood]], shells are now almost always made from a [[composite material]] for strength and weight advantages. The first composite shells were made from a form of [[papier-mâché]] and became popular in the 1870s. These paper shells were sold world-wide by the Waters Paper Boat Factory of Troy, New York. The next evolution of rowing shells were mainly created from thin plywood sandwiching a cardboard honeycomb structure with a fiberglass outer hull. Modern shells are usually made of [[carbon-fibre reinforced plastic]] in a [[Honeycomb structure|honeycomb]] structure. They are manufactured by either cold laying up of the carbon, which is then left to set, or by using heat curing, which ensures that the carbon fibre composite is properly set. The best shells are characterized by their "stiffness", as the lack of flexing means none of the force exerted by the rower is wasted in twisting the boat.