How to Maintain Your Rowing Shell

To maintain your rowing shell, keep the hull clean and waxed, check every nut and fitting regularly, support the boat properly when it is stored, and send anything structural to a boatbuilder. The hull is thin and expensive to repair, so prevention saves more money than any other habit here. For a quick weekly routine, see boat maintenance and how to do it. The detail below goes further into the shell itself.

Cleaning the hull

Rinse with fresh water after use, then wash with a mild boat cleaner and a soft cloth when it needs it. Avoid abrasives and strong solvents, which can dull or damage the finish, and wipe dry.

A coat of hull wax once or twice a season helps the surface shed water and dirt, and a smooth, clean hull runs better. John Tytus of Pocock told row2k that wax also helps preserve the finish against years of sun, and that he strips it before championship season. For a club or leisure boat, a clean, waxed hull is plenty.

Clean the inside too: soak up water, wipe away dirt, and check that bungs and hatches are in place so the buoyancy compartments stay sealed. Those compartments matter. World Rowing’s minimum safety guidelines say a boat full of water, with its crew seated, should float with the top of the seat no more than 5 cm below the static waterline.

Check the structure

Look over the hull, bulkheads and fittings regularly:

• Cracks, dents and soft spots. These can mean water has got into the laminate. Press gently on suspect patches. A soft or flexing area is a warning.
• Hull seams and hatches. Make sure hatches and seals are intact.
• Riggers and welds. Check for fatigue, corrosion and bent tubes. Aluminium riggers can corrode where they meet other metals.
• Seat, runners and wheels. Keep them clean. Follow your boat’s manual on lubrication, as one builder warns that lubricant may deteriorate plastic wheels.
• Foot stretchers. Check the plate, shoes, heel restraints and the cables or straps that hold them.

What to fix and what to send away

Problem	Who fixes it
Worn wheel, shoe or track	You: a simple swap
Seized or corroded nut or bolt	You: replace it
Small paint touch-up	You, if careful
Bent backstay	You or a boatman: straighten with a rubber mallet, or replace it
Crack, puncture or soft patch	A boatbuilder or repairer, especially on carbon

This split follows the advice builders gave row2k. An amateur patch on a structural area can hide a problem.

Keep hardware in order

Loose nuts and worn fittings cause most on-water problems. Check nuts are tight, split pins and locking nuts are in place and the gates and pins are free of grit and cracks. Carry the right spanner or rigger tool and learn how to use it. Know how to replace a gate or wheel, because those are the parts most likely to fail mid-session. Write down any adjustments, and keep a log of repairs.

On salt or brackish water, do more. Alex Selvig of Elite Rowing suggests fully stripping fasteners every 3 months, washing and rinsing them, and using TefGel where dissimilar metals or metal and carbon meet.

Handle it carefully

• Carry the boat with enough people, hands underneath and the hull level.
• Do not drag it over rough ground.
• Launch and land over the side or on a floating pontoon where possible, and see how to clean your rowing dock if yours has turned slippery.
• Do not stand or sit on the hull, and do not place heavy objects in or on it.
• Keep fins and skegs clear of the bank in shallow water.

Storage

Store the shell indoors where possible, on racks or slings with padded supports at the right points, so the hull does not take on a permanent bend. Keep it out of direct sunlight, away from heat sources and free of anything that rests on it.

The boat’s own maker should give support points. As one published example, Maas advises two padded cross arms or slings of webbing 5 to 8 cm wide, set at least 15 cm from either end of the cockpit and no closer than about 90 cm to the ends of the boat. The shell should sit high enough that the fin clears the ground.

If it must be outside, use a breathable cover in a light colour, as dark colours absorb heat, and check often for damp. Rainwater trapped in a cover can do more harm than good. On an exposed site, tie the boat down so wind cannot lift it off its supports.

Transport

Strap the boat on a trailer or roof rack with proper padding. Secure bow and stern, and do not over-tighten the straps, because that can deform the hull. Slow down on bumps and corners. Check straps and padding at the start of each journey, and again after the first few miles.

On a car roof, Maas suggests crossbars as far apart as possible, ideally at least 1.8 metres, with saddles shaped for the hull rather than surfboard racks. British Rowing’s towing guidance adds a double-check before you leave: ties in good condition, tyres at the right pressure, lights working, and the forecast clear of high wind.

Laying up for winter

If the boat will sit for months, Craig McAllister of Hudson told row2k to work through this list:

1. Deep clean, rinse and dry the hull, cockpit, riggers and components.
2. Open all vent caps and sealed chambers.
3. Remove the rigger frames and store them dry, with hardware taken apart.
4. Loosen pin bolts and stretcher adjustment bolts.
5. Keep seats and foot assemblies somewhere warm and dry if you can.

Seasonal tasks

Task	When
Wash and wax hull	Once or twice a season
Full fittings check	Start of season
Replace wheels, straps and cables	When worn, or each season for hard-used boats
Check buoyancy and hatches	Start of season
Strip and rinse fasteners	Every 3 months on salt water

For more, see the anatomy of a rowing shell, how to maintain your rowing equipment and the wider boats and kit hub.