row2k Features
Boathouse Hacks
Swiss Nut Helmet
February 15, 2012
row2k hackers

A Swiss Nut Helmet, on the job

contributed by Todd Wilson, Long Lake RC (MN)

ed. note: Rowing Hacks is a collaborative project, so we welcome suggestions and submissions, like this great little hack: The Swiss Nut Helmet. Spotted and brought to us by Todd Wilson, these doodads are ubiquitous in Swiss boathouses--and might just come in handy at your place, especially if you have any so-called Nutdraggers lurking about.

Nutdragger: noun pl:(s) the wingnut who scratches your hull with his/her pin's top nut when returning/removing their boat to/from the rack above yours.

Cure for NutDraggers in your boathouse? Easy: The Swiss Nut Helmet.

Instructions: Cut tennis ball in half by mounting hacksaw blade in vise. Poke two holes opposite each other just 2mm up from cut edge. Cut 10-15cm small shock-cord (found at any good mountaineering shop) and mount shock-cord to tennis ball, so you have a mini helmet.

Now comes the difficult part; you have to train the wingnuts, aka NutDraggers, to put the balls on the swivels before they put the boat back in the rack.

Often observed in the case of advanced Nutdraggerism: the braintrust-crew puts the boat back on the rack naked, and then the penny drops and the Nutdraggers quickly put the balls on the outside riggers, look around to make sure there were no witnesses, and dash for the showers.

Thanks to Todd for this great hack, and for supplying photographic evidence of a properly-deployed Swiss Nut Helmet.

Have a great rowing hack for future inclusion here? Send it to us!

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Comments

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mck
02/20/2012  10:46:02 AM
Dave did you get a patent on these?



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