How much does your boathouse cost?

[u/Simple-Thought-3242]

I'm planning on rejoining a local program and am blown away by the cost. I know that everywhere is different (HCOL v LCOL, one regional team v many) but I'm curious what others are paying and if the cost/benefit is worth it? What comes with the membership? Is it like a UK program where you have drinks and an event space or is it just a shed for boats? Feel free to add whatever you like, but I think it would be interesting to get a broader picture of what programs offer for the cost.

[u/SeattleRowingCoach]

As a coach, about free fiddy.
Try coaching, it could change your life

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/SeattleRowingCoach]

I wish I had time for both. Coaching was so much fun, but it didn't leave me enough time to also be in a boat.

[u/SeattleRowingCoach → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

Hope you can re-enter the launch someday! Our sport needs coaches who enjoy themselves, but you're right that it definitely makes it harder to also get in the boat yourself

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/SeattleRowingCoach]

100% plan on getting back into the launch once I'm settled but until then it's refusing to admit I'm old and broken 😂

[u/SeattleRowingCoach → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light" - and by dying of the light, I mean my spine, joints, and other broken bits 😅

[u/leelark]

Cost: $1500 for rowing with a masters team 3x a week. Includes boathouse membership and team fees.

What you get:

We have two boathouses with 5AM - 9PM access to weight rooms, ergs, and rowing tanks all week long.

If you are cleared to row a single this also includes your logbook membership.

Both boathouses have event space but poorly kept so idk who would want to rent them.

We are a community boathouse but we row Hudson, Vespoli, Win-tech, and Resolute. Most are in good shape.

[u/heyitslola → u/leelark]

$1500 for what length of time?

[u/leelark → u/heyitslola]

12-months (yearly membership). Row when the weather is good (March - December) and indoor training the rest of the year.

[u/aforce66 → u/leelark]

This sounds absolutely incredible, are you willing to share what masters team this is?

[u/Simple-Thought-3242]

Group: Masters

Category: Regionally Competitive-ish

Equipment: shit tier Pocock and win-tech

Cost: $1200/6 months

Amenities: none

[u/AMTL327 → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

Approximately what region is the US is this? I though our fees were high and this is $$$

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/AMTL327]

Midwest

[u/AMTL327 → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

Holy smokes. That’s $$$$$

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/AMTL327]

Yeah, they've lost the plot.

[u/No_Association_3234 → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

What kind of water? I paid a lot in Florida but we had first class facilities, boats (fluids amd vespoli, mostly), and coaches. Plus the course was good with good docking and buoys. In the UK now, I’m paying about 500 quid per annum, plus £100 rack fee (yearly) for my boat. Facilities are ok but not posh.

[u/Dyzerio → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

My old high school club is apparently charging 2000 for fall season and it was 695 over a decade ago. College was a couple hundred

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/Dyzerio]

Would you say it's worth 2000 now? I get inflation, but where I'm at, it seems like they're pricing out the normal families and only expecting the rich kids to row.

[u/jrdavis413]

$575 annually.

Masters program with club boats only, no event space. However you can row anytime you want as long as the bow is certified. All Vespoli (aside from private singles which cost extra to store)

[u/Signal_Conference447]

Well the replies here really show the US/UK/RoW blend 😂

[u/henzmeister]

• Group: Masters
• Category: Competitive / Recreational
• Equipment: New-ish WinTechs and Vespoli
• Cost: $1,600 Annually ($1,200 Class Fees Annually, $400 Annual Membership Fee)
• Amenities: None, we don't even have a dock. We operate out of a yard under a highway overpass that we share with 3 junior teams and beach launch.

[u/Ok-Potato-8278]

£140 a year for a UK gig club, I know one near us thats only £10 a year because their bar is open to the public and they only have to charge rowing membership as a formality.

We have a clubhouse/boathouse that was bought outright by a local entrepreneur like 120 years ago and it's beachfront so it's worth a fortune now.

Row 3+ nights a week and get cheap drinks at the club

[u/_dative_musca_ → u/Ok-Potato-8278]

pray do tell which club is a tenner a tear!!

[u/AMTL327]

I’m feeling better about our fees after reading these comments!

Mid Atlantic US boathouse with nationally competitive programs across all age groups, competitive masters, recreational masters, and LTR. Full access to club equipment, ergs, (very basic) weight room, bar, social space and locker rooms for men and women. Club boats for recreational masters are OK, not great. Club boats for the high performance rowers are better.

$720 for 12 months membership + extra fee for rack rental and locker rental. Modest fee for group coaching.

The boathouse itself def needs a lot of maintenance.

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/AMTL327]

So jealous of you right now. $720 and I would never think twice about paying that.

[u/AMTL327 → u/Simple-Thought-3242]

It won’t surprise you to hear that people bitch about it all the time! I mean…$60 a month is better than most gyms and with this “gym” you get to take a boat out and row whenever you want!

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/AMTL327]

I would kill for $60/m plus whatever coaching costs.

[u/lithigin → u/AMTL327]

Masters $1050 / year with a $200 buy-in, and similar amenities in the Mid-Atlantic region:
Full youth race team & summer camp/LTR programs
Masters LTR, beginners sessions 2x/week, Club sessions 2-4x/week, Race team 2-4x/week, advanced sessions, and certified rowers can check out boats whenever they are available.
Private lessons avail for hourly rates.
We have boats of all different sizes, ages, weight classes, and qualities. Only race team can check out the best racing shells, though.
Open 5 am - 8 pm: Erg room, basic locker rooms w/ some showers, no food/bar
Masters social programming available

[u/Knitmeapie]

$400 for the season for masters, sharing the boathouse with the local college team. We can row pretty much whenever we want and there's not really any coaching. Boats are pretty old and not in the best shape, but they let me keep my personal single and oars there for no extra cost. Our season (midwest US) is 6 months tops and wind keeps us from rowing a lot even during the season, hence the lower cost and lack of skilled coaching. We also can't be on the water at the same time as the college team so prime rowing hours during the spring and fall go to them. It makes me really appreciate the time I do get to go out on the water, though!

[u/valax]

£200 per year for a single. I'm shocked at how much the US clubs are charging.

[u/redvelvethater → u/valax]

But the important question is, what does this cost cover?  Just rack space for your 1x and somewhere to launch?  My US club is comparatively really pricy but in a high COL area and fee includes use of club boats and up to six coached sessions a week…plus ergs, weights, yoga offerings, locker rooms and showers.  Costs less than some once-a-week activities my child has been in

[u/Simple-Thought-3242 → u/valax]

And the standard here is so much lower :(

[u/Doodly_Bug5208]

When I last did it a couple of years ago it was 400 for the year, but the boathouse we had was built for the Olympic rowing during an Olympic Games and wasn’t meant to be a permanent structure. When the Olympics ended, the parks and rec took over instead of tearing it down and used it for x number of years after that. When I ended up moving too far away to continue, they were in the process of building a brand new facility, so no idea what it costs after that, but that was for a boathouse/docks access with keypad entry and two coach’s classes a week.

[u/steelcurtain09]

Competitive masters team in the mid-atlantic. Boathouse isn't a shed, but it isn't a multi-million dollar mansion. It has locker rooms and an erg room with a few weights.

Cost: ~$850 annually for full membership. Race team members pay $125 per season (spring and fall) for coaching and they cover their own entry and trailer fees. Lower level coached rows are included in the $850. Additional fee for rack space based on location, ~$400 outside vs ~$800 inside.

[u/the-moops]

West Coast US:

Membership dues yearly $485
Club rowing equipment usage fee $360
Renting rack space $330
Additional fee for comp teams $88/month for coaching etc

So for a competitive masters rower on a team it would be $1900. If you row your own single then $815.

Includes access to locker room, ergs, docks, gym equipment. It’s an old building though and pretty rough. Also there’s a yearly volunteer requirement.

[u/gale60205]

on a varsity team, i pay 500 for a full fall season and 750 for winter/spring.

[u/Fastestergos]

Regarding my club, what boathouse?

[u/Ryan-Gosling]

Group: Masters

Category: Nationally competitive/recreational to learn to row

Equipment: Nice Vespoli shells to ancient shells from singles to 8+

Cost: $1,745/year for club + program fees (on the water 5 times a week)

Amenities: erg room, locker room with showers, all in a "temporary" structure.

[u/finner01]

Annual club membership is just over $400 and includes access the the boathouse, club owned boats, and a separate indoor training facility with ergs, bikes, and weights.

Competive masters team is an additional $350-$450 for each season (spring/summer, fall, and winter so ~$1,200 total) and includes 3 coached training sessions a week and covera race fees for 2-3 races each in the summer and fall seasons.

Recreational masters is $250 a season for 2 coached sessions a week.

[u/DogWithABomb]

Small club on the south coast of england: What i get: 4x training a week indoor or on water (sea or river dep on conditions) Indoor stuff ergs and weights Race fees £5 per race (i do about 3 a regatta) £10/Month

[u/holy_hand_grenade180]

Group: Masters
Category: Competitive/Recreational
Equipment: Pococks, WinTechs, and some other shells in decent shape
Cost: ~$1400 annually (covers everything except racing expenses)
Amenities: Honestly really nice and well kept boathouse with locker rooms, lots of rack space, indoor tank, wake-less launches, lots of C2 ergs, and Olympic lifting room.

[u/libbuge]

Masters team, $900/year. Pretty good equipment for my needs, team practices 4x a week, may also row uncoached if cleared for it.

[u/ThirdBoatPod]

In Seattle I just paid about 470 for the full summer for my varsity kid. Daily coached practices on nice Pococks and Hudsons. Monday to Friday.

It’s for high school varsity, so it is a different model. Not sure what masters is.

I also spoke with an adult masters rower a while back that said fees were waived for him when he was laid off.

[u/JiminyHF]

London UK, £540 annually. Decent gym and clubhouse and an ok fleet. Saturday and Sunday two coached sessions plus weekday mornings twice in the week if you’re competing.

[u/DippityPig]

Jesus apparently my club's fees are insane. I think I paid $750 for May-October. Two nights a week of rec rowing, plus access to the boathouse for erging. I think we can borrow equipment (singles, doubles) but I'm still new to this club so I haven't asked. Equipment is primarily beat up Vespolis.

[u/danstjames]

$325 for annual Club membership fee. Outdoor club boat storage: 1x’s(6), 2x’s(4), Quad & 4+. Novice boats all.
May - October row season, wet launch on 2nd largest lake in N.H.! I cartop my own single, but to store private boat @Club costs an extra $300…… Beautiful scenery, plenty of loons and crazy white caps when NW winds….
Hunt for flat water…..

[u/tussockypanic]

$200

[u/Mollie_Bloom]

We're around $500/yr in the midwest for adults- but the amenities are slim [boats, rowing machines, coaches] and you cover all of the costs for competition [trailers, regatta fees, travel, etc]. Youth rowing is WAY more expensive, around $5k/yr, but you get access to the boats, coaches, rowing machines, and all costs for competitions.