Following is another excerpt from Mike Davenport's posts designed to help rowing folks make the most of this downtime in the sport; read the full article at Rowing Shell Slings: Avoid The Big Letdown.

Nothing is quite as unexpected, ego-busting, and damaging as a racing shell crashing to the ground when a boat sling collapses.

And few things are more preventable.

Don't skimp on boat slings
Rowing shell slings (aka trestles or portable work stations) are designed to do one thing, and to do it well—support the weight of a shell at the proper height so it can be worked on.

A good quality rowing shell sling:

• Will easily fold, unfold, and folds flat
• Has stainless steel fasteners
• Is weight rated for your equipment (300+ pounds for 8)
• Is sturdy when boat is loaded
• Made of solid and durable material
• Has a low cradle area (where the hull sits) that is below top parts of sling (helps with balance)
• Holds boat at a height that allows for easy working on boat seats-up or seats-down (24-36 inches tall)
• Lasts a long time.

What destroys a rowing shell sling
First, slings get abused—especially in storage and transport. Piles of slings in the corner of the boathouse or in the bottom of a shell trailer are common sights. That is, if you can see them from all the stuff stacked on top of them.

Second, rowing slings get little if any maintenance—until something bad happens. They are put away wet while their cradle material mildews and rots, or their non-stainless fasteners corrode.

By being proactive with your boat sling maintenance you can save yourself a big (crashing) letdown. Here's a plan to do just that.

Inspect the slings
Things to look for:

• If you have folding slings (the most common type) inspect the fasteners at the intersection of the legs.
• Next, check the fasteners that holds the cradle material to the legs.
• Now search for frayed or rotten areas in the material that holds the boat. Inspect with care, and look for any areas that show wear and tear.

Repair your boat slings
After inspection, if the sling looks good, put it in a GOOD pile, and move on to the next one.

If the sling isn't perfect either repair or recycle it—but make sure you take any steps you need to keep it out of the GOOD pile.

Repairs might be as simple as tightening loose fasteners. Or more involved, like replacing the cradle material, cross member, or legs. If you are unsure how-to or if-you-should repair your boat sling or replace it then it's probably worth reaching out to the maker.

The price of a new sling could be around $150 a set (or more), YET the price of the boat you want it to safely support is a whole lot more. So, I'd error on the side of caution and just go ahead and replace if in doubt.

Storing your rowing shell slings properly will take some thought

Give storage some thought. A few recommendations for Your sling storage:

Designate a specific area for sling storage, out of the way, but accessible when needed

Identify/label each sling with ownership

I'd make sure you do an inspection/repair/replace effort of your boat slings more than once per year, and certainly keep your eyes and ears open for any issues that might come up with them during the season.

You're trying to avoid the BIG letdown, so don't hesitate in being proactive.

To learn more about rigging, check out Mike's new book Get Ready To Row: A Rowing Equipment Roadmap To Make Your Next Season Hassle Free - due out this summer, keep an eye at MaxRigging.com.