Fit More Boats into your Boathouse
We know what your boathouse looks like. It's cramped. And it's time for a change. Ours is the same.
Be unconventional. We recommend “Height over width”.
If your boathouse has space above the top vertical rack – we can help you use it profitably. In an urban setting, we are sure we can help you find ways to store more boats in less area. Take a look at the moveable steps and mechanical stacking racks.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty of boathouse reordering, here's our top 4 suggestions.
1. Boats of a Feather (fit together)
Design your program so that the equipment you buy will make sense in your space. Instead of specializing in a variety of different boat classes, get more that are exactly the same. You want them to be interchangeable for those days when more rowers show up. They're easier for people to get in/out of the shed, no matter where they're positioned. In a school environment, simply buy 1 or 2 elite boats, stored up high in a corner, and develop a quorum of 80% of your fleet of sturdy, strong boats for novice rowers, since at a school, turnover is fairly quick.
If you have a youth weight program, half of the boats can be lightweight (70kgs). Think critically about your members, and how you can utilize having more boats of the same models, for them.
Schools in New Zealand never row coxless fours – all their four man boats are coxed. In this way they can do coxed fours, coxed quads, lightweight coxed fours. The regattas support this strategy by only offering coxed events in fours.
2. Space Management
Good storage equipment is designed to bring everything as close together as possible. Use sliding racks to reduce the vertical spread from one rack to the next one above.
If you want to gain 50 per cent more storage space invest in boats that have quick-release removable riggers as they take up 20 per cent of the horizontal storage space on each rack. The Stampfli boathouse in Zurich, Switzerland stores singles two on each horizontal rack – after every outing, the athletes remove the rigger so they can get two boats into the space of one rigged single scull. Using wing rigger racks enables you to store them in the wasted space gaps between the boat bays.
3. Get Organised
Disorganisation takes up the most space in a club house. Have you thought of getting adjustable shelving to account for the varying objects that your boathouse will collect over the seasons? All these things will need to be stored properly. But a collection of replacement shoes, backstays and seats will get lost if stored on the same depth shelf. Create a shallow shelf for the backstays and a deeper one for the shoes and seats.
Now think about the horizontal boat racking. You can (theoretically) in the space of an 8, get another quad in there along with some small boats. But. the hull depth of doubles is a lot smaller, than an 8 or quad and so if you want to change an 8s rack into a small boats rack. you lower the height differential in the shelving. Think about the space where you're going to throw your double, by lowering the rack, can you get another boat into the height saved?
Using the Space Saver Racking system, the singles/doubles sliding arms are more expensive, but you can shift them around or remove them to whatever you require the space – and that flexibility is worth paying for now. Your fleet will adapt with the demands of your rowing club and what's normal today will probably not be the same in 3-5 years time..
4. Equipment that Makes your Life Easier
Use storage boxes for any equipment you have just lying around. Whether this is tools, nuts and bolts, electronic wiring or spare fins. It helps to create space; keep things safe and orderly.
For electronics, SSRS have a cox box storage unit where you can put all the NK Cox Boxes or Coxmate amplifiers, and keep your electronics charged as well as safely stored. Cox boxes suit school programs or anywhere that you have multi-use sheds because they can be locked so only the users know the combination.
Plan to improve your boathouse
What are you waiting for – go for a slow walk around your boathouse and review the storage and racking – where do you need more space? SSRS team would be delighted to help you design a re-racking plan – just send us your photos of the current shed and a list of boats and the height / width / depth of each bay.
Let us take the challenge for you!