Advice to a newbie

[Monty]

Hi there,

This forum seemed like the ideal place to post a question about starting up a polo team. Basically, our club is looking for something new to get into which we can do with the water on our doorsteps (rather than driving many hundreds of miles to find rivers, surf etc).

But we wanted to know the ball-park costs for setting up a team, so we've got a few basic questions like:

- How many boats do we need and what type (pool bats?)
- How much does this type of boat cost?
- What other gear do we need - Floating goal nets, helmets.
- Any other essential gear?
- Anyone got a set of rules?

We already have access to a swimming pool, so we can train in the winter months.

Cheers everyone,
Monty

[hudman]

Blimey....set up costs from nothing?? Well it's going to be a bit!

Boat wise, ideally you would get 10 (so you can actually play games 5 on 5 at your pool sessions). The cheapest and most durable for club use are plastics like the Pyranha RX300. There are other designs out there but I've kind of got a soft spot for the old RX's!! These retail for about £400 each but if you're buying 10 you should be able to get quite a good deal (-10% minimum) so that's £3600.

Carbon Kevlar boats are more common in competitions as they are lighter and therefore faster, however they are much more expensive £600+ each and obviously less durable so not ideal club kit.

You will also need a set of BA's which can be bought from Peak UK at approximately £50 a go.

If you buy the Pyranhas any decks you have which fit the common cockpit size for white water boats will fit well saving you a bit of cash.

Helmets can be bought for roughly £30 each but if you are planning on entering any BCU competitions in the future then make sure the helmet you choose is CE approved or you won't be allowed to use it. Many teams use the Wild Water helmet which is not a bad choice. Faceguards will cost you £15 each.

Balls can be bought for about 20 quid but you'll need a few to start with.

Paddles are an issue too! When I first started playing many people used their river blades in the pool as well. This was not so much of a problem when they were all Gorilla blades and not sharp. Now most boaters I know have either fiberglass blades like Robsons or Werners or carbon blades that practice would probably be a bad idea! Not only do you have the issue that the blade is much thinner and therefore sharper on the edge, they won't take the hits when you're paddle blocking or keeping goal. You can buy cheap polo blades such as the Ainsworth K100 (not sure about the number) for about £60 a pop. Eventually people will want their own polo blades but that is something that I have always encouraged people to buy for themselves (about £200).

I would forget about floating goals for the minute as they cost a packet! The best way if you have places to hang them is make the goals yourselves. Some white waste pipe can be made into decent enough goals with some netting cable tied on and strung up with a rope. Two goals will probably cost you about £50 plus the time making them!

I think that's about it, so total set up costs would be £5300 but if you bought all of this from one dealer they should do you a really good deal!

If you want rules go to www.canoepolo.org.uk (http://www.canoepolo.org.uk) and they are all there.

All the best with the set up!

[clyde]

A very good answer from Hudman there.

I would actually suggest Diolin boats are way better than any plastic option currently available (even including not approved plastic boats), as they will offer current designs made with a durable material suitable for club enviornment - they will also be lighter than plastic boats and cost only a little more.

Where are you, as you may find there is equipement available for load form your BCU regional rep. Also local clubs may have some kit on offer for very reasonable prices if they are looking to upgrade - I'm a great fan of recycling kit.

Clyde

[Monty]

Thanks chaps; the advice is very much appreciated.Monty