Here's a Hack for bow numbers and electrical tape that has been around as long as, well, bow numbers and electrical tape: keeping your bow number secure with a few wraps of tape.

Truth be told, this might be a Rowing Hack that many already know, but some resourceful coach or coxswain thought of it first, no doubt because they were smartly carrying a roll of electrical tape in their pocket to start with.

This hack comes in handy when it is windy out there, when the bow clips on an older boat have seen tighter days and don't provide enough grip, and when the regatta has saved a few bucks by going flimsy on the bow cards.

(A bit of tape on the bottom of a skinny bow card--to make it thicker--is another good tape trick that can also help keep a bow number in place.)

Plus, with more and more big sprint regattas going to the "death by time trial" approach to convert big entry numbers into manageable finals, making sure your bow is accurately accounted for is no longer just a fall head racing concern--be sure your time gets counted when it counts by taping that number on but good.

As long-time Rowing Hack readers know, this is not the only mid-regatta issue that you can fix with a few wraps of electrical tape, as Matt Pinsent once taught us with his Tape Wrap Pitch Fix.

Maybe the best part of this Hack? Well, it gives nervous coaching hands something to do while waiting for the crew to launch--and keeps those hands from messing with oarlock heights or the gearing on the oars at the last minute.

Do you have an electrical tape tip like this one? If so, share your ideas--and hacks--in the comments below.

If you have a great rowing hack to suggest for future inclusion, then please send it to us and we will feature your idea in a future column.

Pair of 3's -- all taped up and ready to race.