For many clubs, the winter season is an opportunity to carry out essential maintenance, repairs or even a full refit. Wooden gigs are clubs’ most prized possessions and often their most expensive assets, so it’s important to give them the care and attention they deserve.
We recently visited boat builder Louis Hunkin of Fowey, to ask for his recommendations on winter boat storage and maintenance. We were delighted to see him building Newquay’s newest addition to their fleet. It was amazing to see the intricate craftsmanship of the process.
We asked Louis about boat storage over the winter and how clubs could achieve best practice.
“Wash the gig out with fresh water, tip it up in the bow so all the water runs out and then I would use an Aquavac to suck everything out so it’s completely dry. Don’t let any water sit in the boat, especially fresh water as it will rot the elm in no time.”
Boat maintenance presents many challenges to gig clubs, not least that a good number of clubs operate without a shed, making it difficult for members to undertake even simple maintenance chores. Looe-based boat builder Harry Poulson has been expanding his workshop and hopes to help gig clubs address this problem.
Harry has a great vision for his new space, striving to create an accessible and warm building for clubs to hire when they want to carry out maintenance tasks themselves.
“We’ve got this new shed, which has been set up and set out in such a way that you can wheel a gig in here on a trailer, close both doors and it’s completely contained. With the heating in here you can strip all the painting off, sand it all back and reapply the paint. It’s warm, it’s dry, and it’s well lit. If clubs want to do work, they can rent the space and do it all themselves or hand it off to me in the later stages of refit. It depends how many club members there are, how much time the club has, how much money the club has, I think it is a great compromise.”
Harry told us that before undertaking maintenance the gig should be cleaned properly.
“Over the winter, take all the deck boards out, get rid of all the sand, all the grit and grime. This is a good chance to make sure that nothing is broken, usually you’ll find a cracked rib or damaged deck boards. 9 times out of 10 there will be something wrong. It’s a good chance to fix it or note it down for the future.”
We asked Louis what clubs can do to achieve best practice when storing their boats.
“Wash the gig out with fresh water, tip it up in the bow so all the water runs out and then I would use an Aquavac to suck everything out so it’s completely dry. Don’t let any water sit in the boat, especially fresh water as it will rot the elm in no time.”
Louis also pointed out that there are different factors to consider depending on whether clubs plan to store their gigs on trailers or on the ground.
“If you’re putting it down for winter, don’t put the chocks up on the trailer too tight, if anything put a nice thick layer of foam in between. It will keep the boat upright, while taking the pressure off, boats can settle and go out of shape. If the boat is on the floor, not the trailer, make sure she’s [the boat] chocked up at both ends and put a chock in the middle underneath the keel. As it’s a 32ft boat, she [the boat] will try and sag.”
Louis noted that gigs stored outside should be visited regularly.
“If the gig is left inside, never leave the covers on as they sweat. If the gigs are left outside with a cover on and it’s not being used for several weeks, make sure there’s no water pooling in it [the cover]. The weight of the water can pull the boat’s sides in. Go and check it regularly.”
It isn’t just boats that need care and we asked Harry for his top tips about oar maintenance.
“99% of breakages in oars are underneath the leather. At the end of the season, take the leather off, which just allows the wood to dry. That way you can immediately see if there’s any cracks or little fractures or even if the woods have gone soft.”
Although considered a labour of love, boat maintenance can also be a great time to catch up with fellow clubs members, so enjoy your chores this winter!
Photo credit: Jade Colton
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