Wrenching Love for a Resolute Racing Shell

A reader just sent this question along:

Our club recently purchased a used 2005 Resolute Freedom 8+. We are currently getting everything prepared to go back on the water, but we don’t have the proper wrenches. I know that Resolutes require metric wrenches, but I don’t know what sizes! Help?

I sent this question along to our resident Resolute expert Casey Baker. Here is Casey’s reply:

Mike asked me to help answer your question so get out your pencil!

1. Rigger bolts are 10mm
2. Top nuts on the backstays are 13mm
3. Bottom pin nuts are 17mm

Other sizes you will find are 8mm to hold the shoes.

If you are working on the rudder those little nuts are 7mm, but I use long nose pliers since I lost my 7mm.

Lastly, on the backstays where the short tube is clamped on the long tube, you may have the allen head style screws. If so, they are 5mm.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Casey! And if any of you are rowing Resolutes, do you have other suggestions for our reader? If so, let us know.

Is Your Waterbottle Sinking Your Shell?

. . . it very well could be!

Casey Baker, who has been featured here before, recently wrote to me about damage to the bottom of shells. He has been noticing it due to the hard Nalgene water bottles that many rowers are using. Casey is currently the Southern rep for Resolute Racing Shells and sees a lot of boats at all the races he attends.

According to Casey what causes the problem is that during practices rowers store the bottles in the bottom of the boat. The bottles tend to roll around and if there is any sand or grit the bottle can cause wear that actually goes through the inner skin of the boat.

This can especially be a problem in wade-in launching situations, and also may be an issue in saltwater programs since salt can act as an abrasive, like sand.

A simple solution that Casey recommends is to put a sock around your water bottle. Another is to get a padded water bottle holder and clip it to the heels of your feet.  Pad it and/or prevent it from moving as much as possible.

Casey (and I)  hope this keeps some of you from needing unnecessary repairs!

Thanks Casey!