Way back in 2012, we looked at a nifty way to keep hulls (and rowers) protected from the riggers of racked boats: the Swiss Nut Helmet. With all due respect and thanks to the guy that hacked up that one, we were recently reminded that there is an even simpler way to hack up this fix for pointy rigger pins: throw a sock on them.
We like sock hacks, because, if for no other reason, there is no shortage of orphaned socks in the boathouse just waiting to be hacked into something useful. The idea here is the same as the Swiss Nut Helmet: to get something soft and easily visible on all the riggers that are hanging into the bay, just waiting to snag you or scratch your shell. The sock works quite well, and can even do double duty as another great sock hack out on the water: protecting your boat from your water bottle.
If you are a single sculler and feel like springing for a full pair when you use this hack, you can even make getting your boat into its rack a bit easier: instead of just sock-ing the rigger that sticks into the bay, put one on both riggers, and you can be confident that you won't scratch the shell below you as you ease your boat back into its berth.
This is clearly a hack for the considerate sculler out there, and like the Swiss Nut Helmet, it may be a must for a busy boathouse full of small boats and folks that practice at odd hours. With a lot of shells going in and out of the racks all day long, each outing is a chance to damage the boats you neighbor with, and this is a nice safeguard.
Got any other way to re-purpose lost socks or to protect riggers? Share your tips--and hacks--in the comments below.
We got this tip from a loyal reader (one with some incredible fashion sense, in fact), so if you have a great rowing hack to suggest for future inclusion, send it to us!
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06/15/2014 6:35:22 PM