The spring season is over; all of the boats are on the racks and the athletes are gone. It is time to lock up the boathouse until the summer, fall or next spring program begins.

NOT SO FAST! Now is the time to check your boats, launches and the boathouse. We all know that maintenance work is not done during the season; there is never enough time or energy. Take the time now to get these tasks done; it will make the coming season easier and safer.

Rowing Shells

• Repairs to the hulls should be done now, especially if the repairs are complicated. Waiting until a day or two before the boat is to be used again will lead to a rushed and possibly inadequate repair.
• Give the hull, inside and out, a good visual inspection. You may find scratches or honeycomb crushes (especially on the inside gunwale opposite the rigger where the oar handle can get stuck) that went unnoticed during the season. Although not an emergency, this kind of hull damage can lead to more problems down the road.
• Check the shoes, heal-ties, tracks, steering and riggers. All of these parts need a good visual inspection, and if possible, thorough cleaning. If you row in salt water, all of the rigger parts and tracks need a very good scrubbing.
• If you have lights that you use for dawn or dusk rowing, change all the batteries and check the bulbs.
• Back stays need to be checked for bends and cracks. Back stays can be bent back into shape a few times and still be OK, but if you are seeing lots of little silver lines of aluminum through the anodize, then it might be time to replace them.

Oars

• Check every oar for hairline cracks in the shaft. Although not too common, an impact, like an on-the-water collision or hitting the edge of the dock or side of the bay door, can cause small cracks in the shaft. You can repair these; talk to the oar manufacturer about how.
• Check the collars and sleeves for slippage or wear.
• Check the blade for any splintering of the carbon fiber at the end of the blade. If the oar has been mistreated, the tips can be exposed and the layers of carbon fiber can separate or chip. 
• Clean the handles. Synthetic handles accumulate oils from the hands of athletes during normal use. Wash with soap recommended by the manufacturer to release any oils and other bodily fluids that have dried on the handles during the season.

Launches

• Take the motor in for maintenance. Outboard motors on rowing launches get used more in one season than the average outboard gets used in a decade. We all know how much abuse these motors take, day in and day out. If getting the motor to the repair shop is not going to be possible, at least change the oil (in a four stroke) and change the plugs.
• Take all of the life vests and hang them up to dry. While they are hanging, check them for rips and for all of their straps and buckles.
• Check all of your safety equipment. If it has been sitting in a plastic tote box in the bottom of the launch, make sure that it is all dry and still useable. Discard any bandages or other materials that have gotten wet or damaged and replace them with new ones.
• Clean your launch. Take a scrub brush to the outside of the hull. If the hull has been in the water for a while, there may be growth on the bottom. While not a safety issue, it is slowing you down and using extra fuel. Clean any oil, gas and grime out of the inside, along with your coffee cups and the junk you have pulled out of the water you row on.
• Check the bulbs and change the batteries on your navigation lights.

Boathouse

• Store all your equipment where it belongs – oars in the racks, coxboxes in their holders, the shop bench cleaned off and tools put away. 
• Everything on the outside of the boathouse should be secure and clean.
• If your docks are open to the public, you should have a sign posted saying that these docks are for the rowing club and can be used only at your own risk. 

The next time the boathouse doors are opened, let it be someplace that welcomes you and the athletes, not someplace that reminds you of all the things you should have done at the end of the last season. We know that every boathouse has different requirements and the list above may be just a start, but take the time to finish this season properly, so you will start the next one right.