Usually during a break in the season one tends to take an inventory of the equipment they have and what they would like to have; your program may be doing the same now.  I have some thoughts on the topic, but before I begin what may be a bit of a “rant” I want to state that I began my rowing career on a club rowing team.  We had very limited funding, and every purchase decision required a lot of debate.  Purchasing a rowing shell was definitely a major decision; however more often than not, the team's existing infrastructure – the launches, trailers, gas tanks, spare parts, tools, and more - was forgotten.  Working for row2k I get the opportunity to see a lot of team from around the country, and I have begun to notice this trend is not limited to the small club team that I started with.   
 
Launches
Working at regattas or visiting various practices, I have noticed that the last priority for many teams are launches (coach boats for the Canadians).  Teams often use 20 year old motors that can’t idle or even simply start when you need them to.  Even if the motors work, they are usually attached to jon boats (small metal boats) that leak faster than you can bail the water out.  I have also seen teams with wakeless launches that have pontoons that leak so much that the coach has to continue to pump out the pontoons throughout practice just to make it back to the dock.  

Now all of these things cost money to fix or replace, and sometimes you have to make due with what you have.  My issue and concern is with those teams that have all brand new shells and broken down support equipment.  Yes, everyone loves a new shell, and they are exciting; however, if you are unable to coach these shells because your coaching launch doesn’t work, what is the point of buying that new shell?  Let's look at the numbers.  

In the US, the typical 8+ cost between $30,000 and $40,000.  There are more expensive and less expensive shells, but that is about the average.  Now let's say for one season you decide to hold off purchasing a new eight.  You could now buy somewhere between eight to ten jon boats with a motor.  You probably don’t need that many, but you could do it.  If you are somewhere that requires a wakeless launch, you could purchase two or three new wakeless launches with motors.  So I ask, why are the rowing shells of so many programs one to two years old when their coaching launches are teenagers?

Trailers
My role on my club team was to maintain the equipment.  When I first took over the job, I noticed a couple of issues with our trailer - there seemed to be a slight bend in one of the axles.  I took the trailer to a trailer repair shop in town and I discovered that the axle was only the beginning of our trailer issues.  Both axles on the trailer were undersized, and one was completely too small for the trailer (apparently there was an emergency fix a few years back that was never fixed permanently).  On top of this the lights only worked half of the time, the trailer lacked functioning brakes, and best of all the emergency breakaway breaks were completely rusted and non-functional.  Whew.

I tell this story because my team isn’t the only one.  I constantly see trailers at regattas that only made the journey to the race site through a series of lucky breaks and miracles.  How the safety of a trailer isn’t a priority to every team is beyond me!  Even if the budget is constricted, you are pulling a team’s livelihood behind you.  I believe trailers are in the ballpark of $10-20k brand new.  Considering a trailer fully loaded with new shells is carrying around a quarter million dollars worth of equipment… is that not worth holding off on the purchase of that new 4 for one season?

Straps
New straps may be the one thing that bugs me most of all.  Many of us in the rowing community have seen YouTube videos of shells falling off of a trailer going down the highway.  More often than not, these errors are the result of improper strapping.  I worry however that more accidents are waiting to happen due to worn out straps.  

 
I have seen shells tied down with straps that have lived out in the sun so long that they have completely changed colors and have massive cracks in them due to UV exposure.  I have also seen straps with frays that could result in a strap failure with just the slightest amount of force.  Maybe one can justify not purchasing a launch, or maybe you think your trailer is good enough, but every team can find $6 in their budget to replace a worn out strap.  Throw it away or use it as a belt, just don’t use it to strap down a boat -  $6 to protect a $40,000 shell seems like a sound investment to me!
 
I get it… money is tight!  We cut back on the unnecessary things as much as possible, but these items are necessary.  Many of the teams out there can hardly afford to buy a 15-year-old shell, and a new shell isn’t even in the realm of possibilities.  This “rant” isn’t focused on the teams that are just making it, but on the teams that turn over new shells every year.  The teams that purchase the latest and greatest boats, but lack coaching launches to keep up with those shells or trailers to transport them safely, or quality straps to hold them down.  Be careful with your money, but please spend it wisely!