Boat booking
Know what is on the water before you drive to the boathouse. Book your shell in seconds. Conflicts are blocked automatically. A real system instead of shared spreadsheets.
How does Row HQ boat booking work?
A member picks up their phone, checks what is free across the next several days, and reserves a slot in a couple of taps. The platform prevents two members booking the same shell at the same time, flags anything that is under repair, and keeps a timestamped record of every outing - so when a hull comes back with a scratch, you know exactly who was last in it. Coaches and admins set access rules per boat, keeping junior members off senior racing shells during Royal Canadian Henley preparation.
End the Dock Chaos
Canadian clubs have been managing fleets with clipboards and group chats for too long. Row HQ changes that.
Without Row HQ
- Paper sign-out sheets and spreadsheets that get lost or damaged
- Double bookings causing arguments at the dock
- No visibility of boat status until arrival
- Members hoarding popular boats
- No record of who had the boat when damage occurred
With Row HQ
- Digital booking from any device, anywhere
- Real-time availability prevents conflicts
- See boat status before you leave home
- Fair access policies enforced automatically
- Complete usage history for every boat
Your Whole Fleet, One System
Singles, quads, eights - every shell in the boathouse tracked and bookable in one place. See how Oundle Town RC manages their fleet.
Real-Time Availability
A live snapshot of every shell - free, booked, or under repair right now. Members check status from the member portal before leaving home.
No Double-Bookings
Once a slot is claimed, it is locked. Nobody else can book the same boat at the same time.
Mobile Booking
Reserve a shell from anywhere - on the bus, at the office, halfway through your warm-up drive. Takes a few seconds.
Maintenance Status
A boat in for repair drops out of circulation automatically with a visible return date. Admins control this from the admin dashboard.
Usage History
Every outing is logged against a member and a timestamp. When damage surfaces, the trail is already there. Your records stay safe and secure.
Equipment Categories
Organise your inventory by class: singles, doubles, quads, eights. Filter fast when you need a specific shell.
Manage Your Entire Fleet
Every shell in the boathouse tracked from ice-out to haul-out. New to boat classes? See the glossary entry for all rowing boat types and what a rowing shell is. Coaches assign crews to boats using the visual crew builder.
Singles
Individual sculling
Doubles
Sculling pairs
Fours
Sweep with cox
Eights
Full sweep crew
Which boat fits which booking?
A quick guide to common rowing boat types and the booking rules Canadian clubs typically apply.
| Hull | Crew size | Typical use | Common booking constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single (1x) | 1 | Sculling, individual training, juniors learning to row | Most heavily booked - members capped at 3 slots/week |
| Double (2x) | 2 | Pair training, mixed-experience outings | Both rowers must be on the booking - one cancels, slot frees |
| Coxless four (4-) | 4 | Senior squad sweep training | Coach approval required, minimum experience level |
| Coxed four (4+) | 4 + cox | CSSRA crews, masters racing | Cox must be confirmed before booking is valid |
| Quad (4x) | 4 | Sculling squad sessions, Royal Canadian Henley prep | Locked to senior squad rota slots only |
| Eight (8+) | 8 + cox | First-eight training, OUA and club regattas | Coach books on behalf of crew, individuals cannot reserve |
Example boat types and typical booking constraints. Your fleet rules are fully configurable.
Related reading
- Keeping your fleet in top condition
- Getting training sessions sorted
- Crew selection tips for coaches
- What is a rowing shell?
- Every rowing boat type explained
- What is a scull? Sculling vs sweep
Have questions? Check the FAQ, read what other clubs say, or view pricing.
Boat booking system FAQs
Common questions from clubs moving off paper sign-out sheets.
A member logs into Row HQ, pulls up a live fleet calendar, and taps the slot they want. The conflict check runs immediately - if that shell is already spoken for, the booking is blocked before it goes through. Status updates (available, booked, under repair) reach every member in real time. Getting the fleet set up is a one-time job for the admin: add the shells with photos and access rules, and the system handles itself from there. The only ongoing manual step is flagging a boat into maintenance when something needs attention. Each booking lands in the member's personal calendar so there is a reminder waiting well before they head down to the boathouse.
Yes. Access rules sit at the individual boat level: which membership categories can book it, whether coach approval is required, and how far ahead slots open. Clubs running Rowing Ontario junior programs typically restrict racing shells to senior squad members only - junior members just do not see those boats in their available list at all. If someone tries to book a shell they are not cleared for, Row HQ explains why and points them to whoever can grant access.
Yes - once a slot is taken, it is gone for everyone else. Admins can also set minimum rest gaps between outings (so the same shell is not hammered back-to-back), per-member weekly limits (so nobody corners the racing single all summer), and session hold rules that keep the eight reserved for the squad even if individuals try to book around it. Anyone who hits a conflict gets a plain-language message and an option to join the waitlist.
Every reservation writes an audit record: member name, shell, date, start time, and duration. That record stays in the system after the booking is done - so six months later, when a hull comes back from storage with a crack nobody reported, you can pull up exactly who was last out in it. Admins have two report views: per-boat (total hours on water, who used it most, maintenance events) and per-member (booking habits, preferred shells, no-show rate). Both export to CSV, which is handy for the seasonal fleet review clubs do before spring ice-out.
Yes. An admin opens the dashboard, switches the shell to maintenance, adds a note covering what is wrong, and sets an expected return date. The boat disappears from the bookable list immediately. Members who go looking for it see a clear "in maintenance until [date]" note rather than just a gap where the boat should be. Once repairs are done, the admin clears the flag and the shell goes back into circulation. Every maintenance event is logged against the hull, so over time you can spot which boats are eating the bulk of your repair budget - useful when Rowing Ontario equipment grants come up for renewal.