From an equipment standpoint there are two ways to look at your rowing needs: Either you are happy with the state of your rowing equipment and don't plan to buy anything soon; or you are getting ready to make some equipment-maker smile by shelling out hard earned money.

If your future has equipment purchases in it, then let's discuss how both you and the manufacturer can end up smiling after you have spent your money. Specifically, let's talk about how to make a successful purchase.

My definition of a successful purchase is getting exactly what you need, for the price you can afford, when you need it. Does that sound overwhelming? It shouldn't. Making a successful purchase is not that difficult; you just need to organize your thoughts. With that said, here are seven steps to help you make a successful purchase, and they should only take about 60 minutes of your time.

Step One: Determine Your Needs

Before you go digging for your checkbook, the first thing to do is to figure out what rowing equipment you need, and if in fact you really need it. Now don't panic, this is a lot easier than it sounds-especially because you know most of the answers already. Even with a minimum amount of rowing experience you what type of rowing you are going to do, what doesn't feel right, and what your limitations are (space, money, etc).

There are two important things to keep in mind.

First, let your emotions go and try to be objective. In an activity like rowing, where we invest too much of our time, effort and energy, it is often difficult to be objective. But we must try because if we are not we can end up doing some pretty silly stuff-like a fellow I rowed with. One day he went out and bought a new boat. What is silly is that he had just bought a new boat the month before. He bought the second boat because he could not row correctly in the first one. He never spent the time to adjust the first boat properly so of course it didn't row right. If he had just been objective, and adjusted his boat correctly, he could have had a boat that rowed well and saved himself a big dent in his checkbook.

Second, look at the big picture-try a little long range planning. If you are coaching a team, can you make projections about the team's size or skill level? Those projections may impact your equipment needs. In addition to this planning, do an inventory of all your equipment. Somewhere in the deepest, darkest, recesses of your boathouse you may already have what you need. Ah...but what if you are new to rowing, and you have just started sculling? You should keep in mind that your rowing equipment needs will change as you become more skilled. There is a progression that you should follow in equipment. The more skilled you become, the more precise your equipment should be. This is an important part of the big picture.

Step Two: Prioritize Your Needs

How are you going to prioritize this information, you ask? Good question! First, take the information you now have and do like Santa Claus-make a list and check it twice. List all the items you came up with, and then double check them to make sure that you in fact really need them.

Second, and this is the fun part, be judgmental. Just like Ms. Thornbush did to your tests in elementary school, grade your list. Look at each item and assign it a grade. If you're having a difficult time grading, here are the criteria I use: Items that are safety related get an A, items that impact boat speed get a B, and items that affect enjoyment (rowers or coaches) get a C. The As are something to be purchased immediately, the Bs are scheduled to be bought after the As, and the Cs after the Bs. I know it sounds simplistic, but it works.

Step Three: Determine The Amount of Money You Can Spend

Ah-hah! Time for a dose of reality. Grab a pencil, make sure it has a good point to it, and figure out exactly how much money you can spend. Take a second and read those last words again. How much money you can spend is what you want to know, not how much you want to spend. Those are little words that make a big difference.

Many people have bought rowing equipment and have gotten themselves into hot water (actually boiling water) because they didn't know the bottom line. The bottom line is how much money can you spend without sending yourself into a stressful financial state that has a negative impact, especially on the home-front. Yes, it may make you a little faster to get that spiffy looking, state-of-the-art, whiz-bang boat, but if you don't have time to row it because you had to get a second job to pay for it, what good does it do for you?

Step Four: Determine What Make of Equipment to Buy

At this point you know what you need to buy, and you also know how much you can afford to spend. Now whose stuff do you purchase? Keeping with the theme of being objective, there are three important items you need to look at: quality, service and price. Many consumers think that price is the most important reason to buy an item. Those are the same folks that own an Edsel and have a chunk of swampland in Florida. Quality is what counts. Get the best quality that you can within your price range. Quality lasts. Sub-quality annoys, and breaks. How do you determine quality? Look at the side bar article for a few pointers.

The second item to consider is service. Are you buying just an item, or are you buying a company? Try this. If you have some time before you make your purchase, call up the manufacturer, or dealer. Ask some questions about the product. How are you treated on the phone? What type of responses do you get to the questions? Next talk to some of their customers and ask how pleased they are with their purchases.

Some dealers will have test equipment they lend out. This is a great service that can really help you decide what to purchase. It is refreshing to know that the dealer believes in the equipment enough to let it sell itself. If you do take advantage of test equipment, make sure that it is insured. As we all know, mistakes happen. Last, look at the price tag. If your equipment choices are equal in quality and service, then price should determine what to buy.

What makes this whole process easy to swallow is that dealers usually have their wares set up at major regattas. This gives you an opportunity to look at the equipment without the high pressure of a salesroom. In addition, most manufacturers and dealers have a background in rowing. They have either rowed, coached, or coxswained, or they have some connection with the sport of rowing. This means they are usually understanding about the needs and wants of rowers.

Step Five: Pick Your Options

One thing you will notice is that most rowing equipment comes with options. The days of "...making the man fit the boat..." as George Pocock used to say, are long gone. Now the boat, and most other equipment, is made to fit the person rowing it, which means plenty of choices. When you start looking at the options available you may be overwhelmed. Where you do put the coxswain; in the bow or in the stern? What pitch do you want on the oars? What height range do you want on your riggers? What shoe size? What color? The list goes on.

There is no way I could possibly go through the vast number of options here. However, I'll tell you how I handle choosing options. I get a complete list of all the choices available. Then I go through each one, choosing what is best for me. If I get stumped with a choice I ask for advice from other coaches, or from the equipment builders themselves. Just keep in mind that different options may affect the price of the equipment.

Step Six: How Much is it Going Cost You?

By now you are probably getting the urge to write that check, but hold off one more moment. Look at all the costs involved with your purchase. How about insurance, shipping and taxes? These all need to be added into the total cost. Are there any other parts that you need? Do you need slings for your boat? An amplifier system? If the purchase is coming from overseas do you have to pay duties? Review and research all these questions to make sure there isn't some hidden charge that is going to bust your budget.

Step Seven: Buy It

Finally, the time is here to grab your wallet and go out and give the economy a big boost. Just keep in mind that what you are after is a successful purchase. If at any time you get the feeling that you are making a mistake with the purchase, even though you've thought it out, put it off until you can determine why you're getting the internal warnings. It will be hard for you to smile in your new boat if you've got a great big dose of buyer's remorse.

Of course, all of these recommendations are just my own opinion. You are perfectly welcome to do it your own way. But if you do, and you end up rowing a pink shell with purple polka-dots, when you really wanted a purple boat with pink polka-dots, don't yell at me.

What's Quality, What's Not

Rowing equipment is not a subject that the consumer magazines have turned their attention to. That means when we are deciding what to buy, you and I are pretty much on our own. Following are a few suggestions that might help you in your quest for a quality piece of equipment.

An excellent way to determine the quality of a piece of rowing equipment is to look at an older version. What you are looking for is how well it has held up to the years of use (and abuse). A boat, for example, that has been rowed hard for five years and is still in good working condition is a boat that was made well.

Another way to check on quality is to snoop around. According to Dickie Pereli, Boatman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: "Look in areas that the builder would not expect you to look in, like the bow or stern compartment. There you can find signs of quality, or lack of it." Here are a few things to look for when shopping for boats and oars.

Shell

• The seams where the material is joined together should be finished well (clean and sanded).

• The welds on the rigger should be solid, showing no signs of cracking.

• The ribs of the boat should be sturdy, forming a solid joint with the gunwale.

• The paint should be first-rate in application and quality.

Oars

• Seams should be clean and sanded.

• Attachments of spoon to shaft should be solid and watertight.

• Attachment of handle to shaft should be solid and watertight.

• Check the quality of the sculling grips, or the wood used in a sweep handle.

Finally, check the warranty: what type is it and for what length of time? Often, the longer the warranty period, the more confidence the builder has in the quality of the equipment.

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Mike Davenport is the head rowing coach at Washington College, the tenth oldest college in the country. He has been the Boatman for the U.S. National Team for several years, and strongly believes if you don't have fun and enjoy your rowing, then something is not quite right. His latest book, Finding Happiness Sitting On Your Butt Going Backwards, is due out in early 1996.