7 Best Water Rowing Machines in 2024

Rowing is a superb low-impact full-body workout that everyone can reap its benefits despite their fitness level and goals. By engaging the upper and lower body, you’ll manage to involve all muscle groups with the help of a real-water rowing experience. Being known also as ergometer, or erg, this machine is becoming popular for cardio training nowadays due to its little risk of injuries.

Here we present the list of the best water rowing machines that will bring a unique rowing experience. You’ll feel like a seasoned rowing athlete who pushes their limits to pull the oar with maximum efficiency. Take a look at the outstanding water rowing machines reviews to choose the proper rowing gear for your home gym.

Our dedicated team of professionals and elite athletes has rigorously tested 25 water rowing machines to present you with 7 of the best ones. Each product was carefully evaluated on 6 critical aspects, with our team collectively investing over 350 hours in testing most of them. Beyond their practical assessment, they’ve also analyzed countless reviews from users online. We regularly update our list, so we welcome your input, experiences, and discussions!

Top 7 Best Water Rowing Machines Reviewed

1. Sunny Obsidian Water Rowing Machine – Top Pick
2. Yosuda Water Rowing Machine – Runner-Up
3. JOROTO Water Rowing Machine
4. ECHANFIT Magnetic/Water Rowing Machine – Budget Pick
5. Ironcompany Water Rower – Premium Pick
6. Sunny Dual Resistance Rowing Machine – Dual Resistance Rowing Machine
7. Mr.Captain Water Rowing Machine

Product	Total	Design	Comfort	Portability	Adjustability	Durability	Price/ Quality
Sunny Obsidian	58.5	10	9.5	9.5	9.5	10	10
Yosuda Water Rower	58	10	9.5	9.5	10	9.5	9.5
Joroto Water Rower	56	9.5	9	9	9.5	9.5	9.5
ECHANFIT Rower	55	9.5	9	9	9	9	9.5
Ironcompany Rower	55	9.5	9	9.5	9	9	9
Sunny Dual Resistance	55	9	9	9	9.5	9	9.5
Mr.Captain Rower	55	9.5	9	9	9.5	9	9

1. Sunny Water Rowing Machine – Top Pick

• Item dimensions: 80” L x 22” W x 34” H (folded: 34” L X 22” W X 80” H)
• Item weight: 91.9 lb
• Display: LCD display
• Slide rail length: 42”
• Weight capacity: 300 lb
• Foldability: upright foldable
• Compatibility: 5.3 KHz ANT+ HR strap compatible
• Warranty: 3 years for the frame, 180 days for parts and components

With Sunny water rower, you’ll work out up to 85% of your body’s muscles without high impact on your joints. You’ll burn more calories in a shorter period of time with the instant resistance that caters to your tempo: the faster and more intensive you row, the faster the fan blades will spin and the higher tension you’ll feel.

The machine is equipped with high-density 16 hydro blades that create resistance during rowing while rotating the paddles and pushing against the water. Made of lightweight sturdy steel, the rower is solid and durable.

Being designed with an LCD display, you can track your total time, 500M split time, SPM, total strokes, calories, HR, and temperature. Also, you can adjust a personalized workout via R2 Fitness Meter, or train with the pre-set programs.

This best water rowing machine is also space-saving: you can transport it easily and store it in an upright position against the wall.

2. Yosuda Water Rowing Machine – Runner Up

• Item dimensions: 35.4" L x 18.1" W x 17.7" H (folded: 34.3" L x 17.9" W x 71.57" H)
• Item weight: 60 lb
• Display: LCD display
• Weight capacity: 350 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: Bluetooth, Kinomap, FS
• Warranty: 3 years for the frame, 180 days for parts, 12 months for labor

Our runner-up choice is the Yosuda water rower which will bring you an all-inclusive body workout and will help you to become fitter, burn calories, and have moderate rehabilitation therapy as well.

The water resistance system comes with an Aviation-standard polycarbonate tank, with stainless bearings and screws, and an EPDM rubber sealing ring which guarantees that you won't leak the water while rowing. Aluminum dual slide rail provides more smooth, silent, and stable rowing, by mimicking the water's real sounds.

The monitor shows the following stats as calories, speed, time, SPM, distance, and strokes. It's also possible to sync the rower with your smartphone by downloading the Kinomap app where you can join virtual classes coached by trainers.

3. JOROTO MR23 Water Rowing Machine

• Item dimensions: 73" L x 17.5" W x 33.5" H (folded: 23.5" L x 17.5" W x 73" H)
• Item weight: 55 lb
• Display: LCD display
• Weight capacity: 300 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: Bluetooth, Kinomap
• Warranty: 1 year for parts

This rowing machine is equipped with 12 blades that bring real-life water rowing: the faster you row, the more resistance you'll train with. So, you can adjust the intensity of your rowing on your own and make it more or less challenging.

You get a big LCD monitor that depicts your time, distance, calories, count, and total count. It's also adjustable to various angles that can fit people of different heights.

The rower is Bluetooth-compatible and you can link it to the fitness app Kinomap. Thus, you can track your progress much easier: you can record your workout performance, build your personal training plan, and even compete with other app users online.

4. ECHANFIT Magnetic/Water Rowing Machine – Budget Pick

• Item dimensions: 72.24" L x 17.32" W x 35.24" H
• Item weight: 60 lb
• Display: LCD monitor
• Slide rail length: 42" inseam length
• Weight capacity: 400 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: Bluetooth, Fitlog
• Warranty: 12 months for parts

ECHANFIT rowing machine is designed with multiple staggered hydro fan blades that simulate real water rowing. Its unique feature is a dual resistance system: it has both 6 levels of water and 32 levels of mechanical resistance to gain even more visible progress.

You can track your progress by following your stats in speed, time, distance, calories, stroke, 500 M pace, and stroke rate in rea-time. Additionally, you can synchronize this water-resistant rowing machine with the Fitlog application to have more opportunities for excelling in your rowing technique, gaining strength, and improving performance with the coaching classes. Also, you can arrange a customized workout plan concerning your fitness goals and fitness level.

The rower’s solid performance and the sturdiness of the slide rail vouch for long-lasting operation. Due to the 42” inseam length, this rowing machine can be suitable for heights under 6'6".

5. Ironcompany Water Rowing Machine – Premium Pick

• Item dimensions: 21" L x 84" W x 22" H
• Item weight: 24 lb
• Display: LCD display
• Weight capacity: 1000 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: ANT+ HR chest strap
• Warranty: 5 years for the frame, 3 years for the components

Due to exceptional construction, you'll take your rowing experience to the next level with this wooden rowing machine. With the powerful blades, water tank, and flywheel, you'll be able to adjust the resistance level according to your capabilities, making it self-regulated. That means when you row faster, the drag mechanism creates more resistance.

The LCD monitor has six QuickSelection and three navigation buttons, so you can change the intensity of your rowing session in a moment. Also, you can get information about heart rate, activity zone, rowing duration, and distance. You can synchronize the machine with a heart rate chest strap and receiver, which improve your training session and gain your training goals.

The great difference from other rowing machines is that it's made from solid ash and stained honey oak. The wood was chosen due to its engineering properties and the ability to absorb vibration, which promotes quiet and smooth performance.

The rower is equipped with dual rails that increase seat stability. The frame itself can be flipped upright for easy storage.

6. Sunny Hydro+ Magnetic Rower – Dual Resistance Rowing Machine

• Item dimensions: 77.2” L x 18.9” W x 44.1” H (folded: 44.1” L x 18.9” W x 77.2” H)
• Item weight: 73.6 lb
• Display: LCD monitor
• Slide rail length: 46.9”
• Weight capacity: 275 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: Sunny Health & Fitness app, ANT+ HR chest strap
• Warranty: 3 years for the frame, 180 days for parts and components

This authentic rowing machine is designed with a water-resistant mechanism of 16 hydro blades that adapts to your pulling forces, and also magnetic resistance with 16 levels of tension will bring you an extra challenging feeling while rowing.

The water tank is located at 60 degrees and boosts the feel of resistance up to 45% more than with the flat tank design (when placed horizontally).

A 2-way swivel performance display indicates the following data: general time, time per 500M, distance, SPM, strokes, calories, heart rate, as well as having a race function.

7. Mr. Captain Rowing Machine

• Item dimensions: (folded: 22” L x 20” W x 84” H)
• Item weight: 58.5 lb
• Display: LCD monitor
• Weight capacity: 320 lb
• Foldability: upright foldability
• Compatibility: Bluetooth, FitShow app
• Warranty: 1 year for the frame, 180 days for parts and components

This wooden water rowing machine is made of a real red walnut wood material that imitates the real-life rower while bringing exceptional durability.

There's an opportunity to set up 3 modes: manual, interval customized training, and target. It’ll assist you manage your time and intensity of the workout by accomplishing your goals.

The monitor can be connected to the training FitShow application, so you can improve your performance and switch between different training modes. All your metrics will be stored in the app and you can easily track and analyze it at any time.

With the transport wheels, you can easily move the machine and fold it vertically to store it against the wall or closet. The protective cover that is included in the package can protect the machine from dust, UV, and scratching.

The indoor rowing machine is designed with dual rails that enhance the seat's smooth glide. Also, it operates silently, with no odd sounds. It also has a thickened water tank that has graduated lines, so you can add the needed amount of water based on how much resistance you want to train with.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Rowing Machines With Water?

You'll open up numerous advantages for your health with rowing machines: this low-impact, high-intensity training will develop ultimate power in every muscle, promote cardiovascular health, boost stamina, and facilitate gaining a lean body.

✅ Getting a Full-Body Training

Rowing workout incorporates both the upper and lower body, although with a ratio of up to 35% is for the shoulders, arms, and core, while the rest 65% comes to the legs work. You'll manage to strengthen dominantly quadriceps, glutes, and calves, and also tone up your pecs, arms, obliques, and core muscles.

✅ A Low-Impact Workout That Doesn’t Hurt Your Joints

One of the main reasons why this type of training is becoming popular both among starters and advanced athletes is rowing provides low impact on your knees and joints. So, the feature makes it preferable to running or plyometrics. You won't feel discomfort, pressure, or pain during the rowing session. What's more, this workout can be a good option for rehabilitation therapy or for people with arthritis.

Studies have demonstrated that rowing can improve joint rotations in the lumbar, shoulder, knee, and elbow, by activating motor coordination. Hence, it’s a great opportunity to promote muscle reaction, agility, and flexibility.

✅ A Decent Substitution for Other Conventional Cardio Workouts

Unfortunately, rowing workout is quite underestimated and the majority would rather choose to buy a treadmill or elliptical for their home gym. Rowing machines with water can bring more advantages for the whole body, not just for the legs or arms.

This is a great option for everyone, no matter what their fitness level is because it’s possible to control the intensity of the training on your own. The resistance depends on how effectively you row, so you can adjust your tempo easily. Additionally, you can save some money by buying equipment that separately targets the upper and lower body. Here, you get a 2-in-1 tool.

✅ Improving Your Overall Health Condition

First, rowing targets the whole major muscles: you can strengthen your abdominals and back muscles, and improve your posture. Second, as for cardio training, this is a worthy option to burn calories and tone your whole body. Third, you can promote those muscles’ flexibility and put them in a fit shape.

Besides, rowing boosts your cardiovascular health, improving your heart, lungs, and vessels' health. Consequently, it lowers the risk of heart disease. Being an aerobic training equipment, you can increase your endurance, strength, and mental health, and even improve the quality of your sleep.

✅ It Doesn’t Require Much Time to See the First Results

This type of workout is quite time-efficient, so if you’re out of time and want to see some results just in a short time, rowing will meet your preferences. Why is it so effective? Since you can work out the whole body's muscles at the same time, you burn more calories. So, you can feel pleasant fatigue in your muscles just after several minutes of persistent rowing.

With such a feature, the rowing session can last up to 30 minutes and it’ll be enough for an intermediate athlete at least. But for a beginner, it’ll be enough to row for 15-20 minutes since an individual should keep a stable rowing pace to make the exercise more effective. By gaining power and stamina, you’ll be able to improve your performance progressively and will do longer distances with higher intensity.

✅ A Worthy Cross-Training Training

Generally, a rowing session will benefit an athlete of any sports discipline by developing their overall fitness. It’s also a useful workout for rehab, overcoming physical or psychological fatigue, and overtraining. It’s highly versatile: you can boost your speed and mobility if you’re a runner who focuses on sprints, or you can develop endurance skills and cardio capabilities to further improve your performance in HIIT or fitness.

Rowing can be used also by those who train with weights since it can improve the control of your grip; it’ll benefit cyclists too - they’ll succeed to enhance their aerobic and anaerobic capabilities to develop their overall stamina for long-distance rides.

Factors To Consider When Choosing A Water Rowing Machine

When picking up a water rowing machine, you should check numerous features to get assured that it fits you well and your workout will be comfortable at the max to meet your goals.

1. Dimensions and Foldability

If you want to arrange a home gym, apparently, you have little space to place some equipment there. So, you need to consider compact rowers that can be folded and transported easily throughout your apartments. The best option for the water rowing machine is the model that can be stored in the standing position against the wall in the corner.

2. Monitor Functionality

If you want to get more than just simply pulling the handle back and forth with minimum stats shown on the monitor, you need to search for a rowing machine that has a wide range of functionality.

Besides a basic monitor that displays such data as time, distance, SPM, split time, calories, etc., would be more interesting and engaging to synchronize the rower with your smartphone and have more opportunities to track your performance. Hence, choose a model that is Bluetooth and fitness application compatible.

3. Resistance Option

Despite the fact that we’re talking about water rowing machines, it’s absolutely possible to find a rowing machine with a water tank you can fill in manually and that also has magnetic tension. Sure, there are not so many models with double resistance systems, although this feature will enhance your training greatly.

You’ll be able to challenge yourself by adding more resistance. What’s more, what can be easier: you can change the amount of water in the tank to adjust the needed resistance level.

Tips For Most Effective Water Rowing Machine Usage

Effective rowing machine usage refers to understanding the proper motion set and body position. It’s also vital to keep in mind that rowing is first about power and control dominantly, but not about speed.

1. Stay Relaxed

There’s no need to grip the handles too hard. You should be relaxed and have no pressure on your arms and legs. The more tension you put on the handle, the more achy feelings you’ll have in your forearms, shoulders, and even neck. Remember to keep your core tight and in proper posture.

2. Prioritize the Legs Work

Your legs are the driving force while rowing because this type of training is about legs predominantly. Your quadriceps and glutes should do the majority of the movements to perform each stroke. Remember the rule “legs, hips, back, arms - arms, back, hips, legs” which is a sequence of the rowing motions.

Your legs should push you back with power. Don’t make your arms work earlier than your legs because your upper body will get tired quickly. It’s important not to straighten your legs fully when pushing the foot pedals.

3. Keep Your Shoulders and Knees in Place

Stop shrugging with your shoulders when you drive back with each stroke. You should keep them straight in line, in parallel with the slide rail. Speaking about your knees, don’t bend them earlier. They should be straight till the handle is above the middle of your shin. Keep in mind that you need to bend them just after the handle passes your knees.

4. Start With the Initial Position

Start your rowing workout with the proper body positioning on the machine. Sit properly, put your feet on the foot holders, and fix them with the strap. When sitting upright, bend your knees, and lean forward. You should feel comfortable, make sure that the slide rail length and inseam length is enough for your height. Stretch your arms to grip the handle.

5. Start Pulling

Pull on the handles and bend your elbows simultaneously. Lean back slightly while pulling your arms, and keep your upper body and neck straight. The right pulling motion is when you pull the handle to the area between your navel and the lower part of your chest, by involving your back and biceps muscles. When finishing the pull, you should keep your elbows tight to the trunk.

6. Preserve the Right Technique

The rowing technique itself includes the following stages you should perform in the defined order:

• The catch phase: you grip the handle by keeping the wrists flat. Extend your arms, and keep your back straight and slightly forward. Bend the knees with your body bent forward.
• The drive phase: extend the arms to reach the foot pedals. Maintain a firm trunk and upright body position. Pull the handle and lean slightly back before stretching the legs.
• The finish phase: pull the handle to your navel and chest. Fully extend your legs and lean back.
• The recovery: extend the arms and lean forward. Bend your knees and hips to move to the catch position. Then perform the next stroke.

How To Maintain The Water Rower Properly?

To make your water rowing machine serve you for a long time, you should follow simple maintenance rules to keep it clean and operating smoothly. The key point is to maintain the water condition in the tank periodically to avoid bacterial growth inside it. Manufacturers advise using municipal tap water.

Also, it needs to be refreshed with the help of a water purification tablet: usually, you should add one tablet every six months. If the water is dirty, it’s better to empty a tank in advance, wash it properly with clean water, refill it, and add a purification tablet. Avoid using pool chlorine because it can damage the polycarbonate tank.

Concerning the drive system, rowing belts can wear out after some time, so you need to tighten them. How to do it properly? You need to leave the handle in the full forward position and adjust the belt buckle to provide additional tension. Also, don’t forget to look after the appearance of the rower in general: remove the dust from the surface and slide rails with a wet cloth.

FAQ

How Does a Water-Resistant Rowing Machine Work?

Water resistance rowing machines are believed to be a novelty, but they gain popularity gradually among avid fitness lovers. Being equipped with a water tank, it uses water and paddles to create resistance. It has a water flywheel (paddles) in a tank that is connected to a chain and handles.

When you pull the handle, the paddles start to spin in the water. The moving water creates resistance against the paddles. So, the faster you row, the greater the resistance you’ll get. The water rowing machine mimics the real water rowing and feels smooth during the whole stroke.

Are Rowing Machines With Water Effective in Weight Loss?

Being a low-impact full-body training, rowing in general is an excellent workout to lose weight and pump up your heart rate. Although, when rowing for weight loss, the result may depend on several factors: the intensity of the workout, body weight, height, fitness level, basal metabolic rate, age, and so on.

Even your nutrition regime can be a contributing factor. For instance, if your weight is 132 lb and you train with a moderate tempo, then, you’ll succeed to burn around 400-430 kcal per 1 hour. If you prefer to row intensively, you’ll burn more than 600 kcal in one hour.

Is a Water Rower Better Than a Magnetic One?

Despite the pros and cons of each rowing machine, the assessment may occur quite relatable. Unlike the water rower, a magnetic-resistant machine can’t provide you with such a real water rowing and natural feel of water pressure.

It’s electric-powered and provides you with a consistent resistance level you set at the beginning of the workout. A big advantage of a water rowing machine is its ability to provide athletes with the combination of natural resistance and their personal output, so they can control the tension level during the rowing session.

Conclusion

Considering the above-mentioned information on the gear functionality and describing the most prominent models of the best water rowing machines, we advise you to pay attention to our top pick rower - Sunny Water Rowing Machine. Providing low-impact training, this best water rower can become an even better substitution for everyday running or dynamic HIIT. By providing a mild effect on your joints and improving your general body conditioning, this rowing machine will help you to meet your fitness goals and improve your health state.

Hesitate whether you’re able to make a good decision in picking up a worthy rower? Want to skip the problem of money wasted on useless home gear, rely on our rating. Select a fitting water rowing machine considering your needs and preferences to get fit and come into shape in several intensive rowing sessions.

Also read:

• Best Compact Rowing Machines
• Skierg vs Rower
• Hydrow vs Peloton
• What Muscles Does a Rowing Machine Work
• Rowing Machine Benefits
• Best Magnetic Rowing Machine
• Is Rowing Good for Weight Loss
• Best Rowing Machine for Beginners
• Best Rowing Shoes
• Best Gym Flooring for Home Gym

References:

1. Does on-water resisted rowing increase or maintain lower-body strength? // NIH: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov /22996030/
2. Ergometer training volume and previous injury predict back pain in rowing; strategies for injury prevention and rehabilitation // Bmj: https://bjsm.bmj.com/ content/48/21/1534
3. Does extensive on-water rowing increase muscular strength and endurance? // NIH https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 22364374/
4. Kinematics of Cervical Spine during Rowing Ergometer at Different Stroke Rates in Young Rowers: A Pilot Study // NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC9265975/