Equipment Hire Scheme
As always we allocate hire gear on a first come first served basis. If you want to be sure of getting onto the scheme you can join now for 2012 and we will reserve a set of equipment for you.
The same goes for members out on beginner gear now wanting to reserve the intermediate boards for when the weather warms up. Or maybe you’ll join the rest of us with good winter wetsuits and come and break the ice!!
Two of our hire boards
The club have a scheme whereby new members who are just starting out can hire a complete board and rig package for a very reasonable monthly fee, far less than you’d pay at the major hire centres, and you can take the gear anywhere to sail it, use it as much as you like whenever you like. It’ll get you started and you’ll make rapid progress since the boards are so stable and easy to sail. We have added two intermediate boards for those that are keen to progress and are confident that these boards will really excite you after having used the beginner boards.
We reckon someone quite keen won’t take long to master the basics, at which point they will be ready to progress to a smaller faster board, so we’ve set the hire period at 4 months so that we can accommodate two sets of learners each year. We’ll need a deposit off you but you’ll see from the details that its not excessive. The deal for new members hiring the beginner gear includes fully comprehensive insurance for a whole year.
The cost for rental is just £40 a month for the beginner kit, just over £1 a day, a lot cheaper than you’d pay for even half a day at a hire centre and £35 a month for the intermediate boards.
As a member you will also be able to participate in the training events we organise and this year we plan to have more of these, keep an eye on the events page, or consider coming to the monthly meetings.
The Beginner Gear
We have two 2008 F2 Discoveries, 280cm long, 225litres 90cm wide and a 2010 Starboard Rio M 275cm long, 80cm wide 195litres, complete with their own board bags.
F2 Discoveries, 90cm wide, 225litres.
These are ideal beginner boards, nice and big and stable but still easy to plane, learn harnessing and getting into the straps.
The rental fee gets you a beginner size board, a rig with two sails (for different wind conditions), kit bag, easy rig, harness lines for when you are ready for them, fin, screwdriver etc etc. If there is no queue of people wanting to hire the gear we’re quite willing to extend the hire period if you want, though previous beginners using the scheme have all made rapid progress and are ready for a smaller board. Also if you really don’t like it at all you can return the gear early for a refund of your rental. Can’t say fairer than that can we?
The rigs sets are currently a 4.4 Arrows Aerial coupled with a 5.2m Arrows Craze, a 4.7m Arrows Ranger with a 5.7m Simmer and a 5.5m Pacific paired with a 6.5m Rushwind. We include mast, boom and all the fittings, ropes and pulleys etc. to get you out on the water and we’ll be happy to show you how to rig it. We will do our best to match the board and rig sizes to your experience level and size/weight.
The Intermediate Gear
Left to right, Starboard GO 155l, Starboard Rio M, and Starboard GO 144.
We have two Starboard GO boards, a 144l and a 155l. These are ideal first intermediate boards that will allow you to rapidly progress to planing in the footstraps.
These are only available to new members who have hired the beginner gear to start with. These come without a rig so rather than have to shell out for a full set of equipment all at once, you’ll only have to purchase the rig, then when the time comes to purchase your own board you’ll have a much better idea of what you need and what suits you.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a wetsuit and boots (these can be bought very cheaply now from, I believe, Decathlon, Tesco and occasionally Lidl and Aldi though they will likely only be suitable for summer use) and a buoyancy aid and some means of transporting the gear (so you’ll need a roof rack and stout straps for your car. A word of advice, it doesn’t pay to buy a cheap roofrack!). If you wish to sail through the winter months, we would advise that you invest in a good quality winter wetsuit, Nobles in Wymeswold (see links) have a very good selection.
The Small Print
The scheme is only available to new full club members so you will need to sign up before the hire gear can be allocated to you. Best to get in touch to check that the gear is available first, we’ll be happy to reserve it pending your membership application. As part of the first year membership and joining fee (£100) fully comp insurance for the hire gear is included.
We hire the gear on a 4 month basis at £40 per month payable in advance plus a deposit of £100 which will be refundable, so you would need to pay £260 for the hire at the outset. If you wish to return the gear early you may, with a refund for unused months and of course you will get your deposit back. If we have no demands on the gear at the end of the four months the period may be extended if you wanted it to. You will be asked to agree to and sign a hire agreement form which can be downloaded here for the beginner kit and here for the intermediate boards.
