Boat booking
The fleet on your phone: what is free, what is out, what is off the water for repairs. Book in seconds without worrying about clashes - no more shared spreadsheets.
How does Row HQ boat booking work?
Rowers see the week ahead on their phones: every boat, every slot, taken or free. Two taps reserves a hull, a clash gets stopped before it saves, and each outing leaves a record of who rowed what and when. Admins put access rules on individual boats, which is how Kiwi clubs keep school crews off the premier eight while Maadi Cup training is on.
Boat booking is part of every plan, not an add-on - see pricing for your club size.
No More Fights Over Boats
Most clubs still run the fleet on a whiteboard and a group chat. This is what Row HQ replaces.
Without Row HQ
- A spreadsheet or paper sheet that is always out of date
- Two crews at the ramp arguing over one boat
- Driving to the club only to find your boat is off the water
- Popular singles snapped up by the same people
- A damaged hull and no way to tell who rowed it last
With Row HQ
- Booking from a phone, tablet or laptop
- Clashes stopped before they are saved
- Fleet status checked from home
- Booking limits and access rules the system enforces itself
- Every outing on record, for every boat
One Register for the Whole Fleet
From the club eight down to the last set of blades, everything is tracked and bookable. Have a look at how Oundle Town RC manages their fleet day to day.
What Is Free, Right Now
The live board shows free, taken and off-the-water boats at a glance. Rowers check it in the member portal before heading down.
Zero Double-Bookings
Once a slot is claimed, the system refuses any second booking for that boat and time.
Phone-First Booking
A hull can be reserved from the car park, on the bus, or at home the night before.
Repairs Tracked
Boats being worked on drop off the booking list, with the expected return date shown. Managed through the admin dashboard.
Who Rowed What
A complete outing history per boat makes damage questions quick to answer. Records are held safe and secure.
Classes and Filters
Group the fleet into singles, doubles, quads and eights, then filter to the exact hull you want.
From 1x to 8+
Lake Karapiro or the local river - the whole boathouse lives in one list. The glossary explains all rowing boat types and what a rowing shell is, and coaches place crews into boats with the visual crew builder.
Singles
One sculler
Doubles
Double sculls
Fours
Four sweep plus cox
Eights
Eight rowers and a cox
Booking rules by boat class
The hull classes most Kiwi clubs run, and the booking rules that usually go with them.
| Hull | Crew size | Typical use | Common booking constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single (1x) | 1 | Solo rows and learn-to-row scullers | Demand outstrips supply, so weekly booking caps are the norm |
| Double (2x) | 2 | Doubles training, experienced-with-new pairings | Both names go on the booking; a cancellation frees the slot |
| Coxless four (4-) | 4 | Premier squad sweep rows | Opens only to approved members at a set skill level |
| Coxed four (4+) | 4 + cox | School crews and masters | The booking only stands once a cox is confirmed |
| Quad (4x) | 4 | Squad sculling and summer regatta preparation | Held for premier squad scheduled times |
| Eight (8+) | 8 + cox | Top-eight rows and Maadi Cup campaigns | The coach books it for the crew; individuals cannot |
These are illustrations - clubs write their own rules in Row HQ.
Also works with
Training Sessions
Session attendance and crew lists drive boat allocation without any manual matching, and events use the same engine.
Events
Put names in boats for race day at club regattas or the big lake events
Admin Dashboard
Fleet reports, repair history and the boat register from one dashboard
Related reading
- A maintenance routine for club boats
- Planning the training week
- Picking crews without the drama
- What is a rowing shell?
- Every rowing boat type explained
- What is a scull? Sculling vs sweep
Want more detail? The FAQ answers the usual questions, other clubs share their experience in what other clubs say, and you can view pricing any time.
Questions about boat booking
Answers for clubs replacing the whiteboard and the sign-out sheet.
Everything starts from the live fleet calendar. A rower taps a boat, picks a time, done - unless somebody already holds it, in which case the booking never saves. Status changes travel to every phone instantly, so nobody is working off old information. The admin sets the fleet up once, photos and access rules included; after that the system runs itself apart from flagging repairs. Because bookings copy into personal calendars, rowers get reminded before they leave the house.
Yes, and most clubs do exactly that. Rules live on each boat: the membership categories allowed to book it, whether coach approval is needed, and how far out bookings open. A school-age member simply never sees the premier eight as an option - restricted boats are hidden from anyone without access rather than shown and refused. When someone does try a boat above their level, the message explains the rule and who to talk to about it.
Completely. A taken slot is locked to everyone else, full stop. Clubs can layer more on: a minimum gap between outings for the same hull, a weekly booking limit per member, and automatic holds so squad sessions always have the boats they need. Anyone bumping into a conflict gets told what is in the way, plus a waitlist option that fires if the earlier booking gets cancelled.
The log does it for you. Member, boat, date, duration - every booking is recorded and kept after the outing ends. Find a crack in a hull at the start of the season and the last few outings are right there. Reports cover both angles: how hard each boat is being used, and how each member books, including who tends not to show. CSV export makes the annual fleet review straightforward.
The admin switches the boat into maintenance, writes what needs fixing, and sets a date it should be back. From that moment nobody can book it, and anyone looking sees the repair note and return date instead of a mystery gap. When the work is finished, one click brings it back into the fleet. The per-boat repair history builds up over time, which shows you which hulls deserve replacing before the next season.