For dragon boat, kayak & outrigger
From a 75-stroke dragon boat start to a steady outrigger change-out, paddle speed means nothing without timing. Tap the catch, hear the strokes per minute read aloud, and keep your eyes on the blades.
Free to download. Try every feature free for 3 days.
In a dragon boat, sprint kayak, or outrigger canoe, the line between a hull that glides and a crew that is rushing the recovery comes down to a few strokes per minute. When the front bench climbs from 68 to 74 without adding length in the water, the boat feels busy—and slows down.
Most paddle crews do not carry wired impeller electronics on every hull. Strokes Per Minute gives coaches, drummers, and sweeps an instant, accurate stroke-rate meter on the phone or Apple Watch they already bring to the dock.
Because paddle sports run at higher cadences than sweep rowing or sculling, you can adjust the number of strokes timed in Settings. Timing five or six strokes at a time smooths out human reaction time and gives you both strokes per minute and seconds per stroke the instant your thumb hits the screen on the final catch.
Whether your crew is paddling an aerobic piece at 50 SPM or sprinting at 85+ SPM, raise the sample count in Settings to average across 5 to 10 strokes cleanly.
Dragon boat drummers and callers can tap the rhythm with one thumb and immediately give the sweep and front row the exact stroke rate.
Turn on spoken results so the app announces the rate aloud. Keep your eyes on top-hand extension and blade entry instead of staring at a stopwatch.
With continuous mode enabled, the final tap of one measurement immediately starts the next—ideal for checking whether a crew holds rate through the middle 250m.
Coaches filming or timing from the bank on iPad see a live column of past readings alongside seconds per stroke, making cadence drop-offs obvious.
Dragon boat, K1/K2/K4 sprint kayak, C1/C2 canoe, surfski, SUP, and OC1/OC6 outrigger crews all use the exact same catch-to-catch math.
From the drummer's seat, the sweep's deck, or the safety boat.
Use 3 strokes for low-rate technical drills, or increase to 5–8 strokes for high-cadence dragon boat and sprint kayak pieces.
Watch the front left stroke's blade bury at the catch and tap anywhere on the screen to start timing.
Count the chosen number of strokes, then tap on the final catch. Both strokes per minute and seconds per stroke appear immediately.
If the rate creeps up while boat run drops, call the number and settle the crew back onto target cadence.
Something else? Contact support
Free Session Cards & Excel Logs
Structured rowing workouts for the ergometer and the water—complete with segment-by-segment stroke rate targets, seconds per stroke, printable boathouse cards, and downloadable Excel logs.
A classic 20-minute continuous rate pyramid climbing from 18 to 26 strokes per minute and stepping back down. Builds rhythm discipline on the erg or on the water.
The foundation of rowing endurance. Low-rate aerobic pieces at 18–20 strokes per minute (3.0 to 3.33 seconds per stroke) for the rowing machine or on the water.
High-intensity 500m sprint intervals at 2000m race pace and cadence (30–34 strokes per minute, 1.76 to 2.0 seconds per stroke) for the ergometer or on-water race prep.
Trusted on the water since 2014. Download Strokes Per Minute on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch and try it free for 3 days.
