Rowing Shell Low-Boys

My son was a member of his high school's crew team, which was a great experience for him, and also provided interesting volunteer opportunities for parents. Spending a chilly morning on a boat helping set up course markers and camera systems may not be everyone's idea of fun, but I enjoyed it.

Before his final season, the coach asked for help building some new equipment that the team needed for regattas. I chose to design and build a set of "low-boys," which are used to store the shells between races. The team had a number of slings which are useful for rigging the shells, but they aren't good for all-day storage because of the risk of tipping. Low-boys keep the shells off the ground, with straps to help make sure everything stays put.

After seeing a few examples used by other teams, I chose a simple design using two, hinged plywood panels. The cut-out handles alsop provide a place to run the straps. Once all the pieces were cut, I painted them with the team's oar design and a stenciled logo.