Boat weight classes across your fleet can be assessed against members’ weights.
Timestamps
01:00 Your boat fleet should match the needs of your group.
Many masters group ‘inherit’ boats but for optimal club alignment match the boats with the membership needs. Assess the current fleet – look for the manufacturer’s label – serial number, year of construction and athlete weight. Log these for your whole boat fleet.
Different boat moulds accommodate the water displacement for heavier and lighter athletes. Variations can be built in by lowering the deck or the saxboards. When my club did the survey we added in a “state of repair” for each boat. Some are used more than others. And the frequency of boat use – we have some which are favourites and get used a lot more than others.
05:45 Athlete weight survey
All members were asked anonymously what their weight is in kg and if they are men or women. We had fallen into the habit of calling boats “mens boats” or “womens boats”. This was erroneous – we had men and women in three out of four weight categories. Masters do a lot of mixed rowing and so we need boats suitable for mixed and single gender users.
08:00 Do your boats mach your membership weights?
We found a spread of needs across 4 ranges of boat weights. Remember crew weights are averaged to align with the boat. 4 Sizes of boat – Lightweight 60kg boats – Mid lightweight 70kg boats – Mid heavyweight 80kg boats – Heavyweight 90kg boats 48% of our members could fit into a 60kg lightweight boat; 60% of our membership can fit into a mid lightweight boat; 44% can fit a mid heavyweight boat; and 23% fit a heavyweight. Our club is skewed to female members and older females who are smaller in height and lower body weight. This affects the fund raising, boat purchase plan and the boat maintenance plan where club resources are focused.
10:30 Considerations for purchases
The resale value of second hand boats is important to consider. This is not just about the boat’s age and state of repair – it’s who wants to buy this type of boat. Resale values for coxless quads is high in New Zealand due to a lack of supply. Few clubs choose to buy 60kg double sculls because lightweight rowing is being phased out of schools and international rowing.
12:00 Boat builders’ weight ranges
Boat builders can advise what size of boat they typically build. Size inflation has happened in boat weights – classified at one weight but will fit a bigger range of athlete weights than previously. It used to be +/- 5 kg and I believe it’s larger than this now – maybe 10kg range. I believe that you want the oarlocks to sit half way up the pins for the average weight of the athletes when they sit in the boat with oars squared and buried at the finish.
Too heavy athletes in a boat and you find insufficient freeboard to get the oars out at the finish or to row square blades. Too light athletes in a boat and you find you have to hold your handle higher up your chest in order to keep the oars buried at the finish and you cannot keep your wrists level with your elbows in the power phase.
Gain an understanding of the number of years you use a boat before you replace it. Plan a replacement strategy so you can get the right range of boats for your needs. For example, we boat a lot of quads and now have a quad in three of the four weight ranges. Champagne tastes on a beer budget – we always want more equipment than we can afford to buy!
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