Winter\’s Upon Us: A Boathouse Clean-up Checklist
In the Southern Hemisphere, winter is settling in – you can feel the chill on the water, right? It\’s time to clean out the boathouse before winter training. Below we\’ve put together a checklist of things to do around the boat club. Did we forget anything? Add to our list!
- Wash boats – Wash them off and hose them down! USE SOAP – washing up liquid is great and don\’t forget to rinse off all the dirty suds.
- Service boats – Make a list of repairs needed for each boat. Don\’t forget the lights.
- Motor Boats – Check the oil in the engines, and that they\’re running smoothly.
- Check the rigging – Span, pitch, heel restraints, oarlocks aren\’t too worn, make sure slides won\’t cut anybody if they have lost their rubber end stoppers.
- Coxing wires – Coxless boat steering wires, steering shoes – check they all work and wires move freely – add WD 40 lubricant if needed.
- Tidy up! – Make sure that boats, oars, life vests, riggers, are stacked and hung. Take a good look at your space and judge whether it\’s well utilized. Consider hanging oar racks or wing rigger racks to free up more space.
- Sweep out the club – No it won\’t remain sparkling clean through the winter, but trust me, it\’ll help!
- Go out for drinks – There\’s nothing like a few beers among mates after a hard day of labour to make you feel like you\’ve accomplished something. (If it\’s seriously cold out, consider hot toddys instead.) After all, a rowing club is all about community.
