Dinghy development: Small clubhouses - facilities and appearance

Small clubhouses - facilities and appearance

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Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
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URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13979
Printed Date: 27 Jun 25 at 2:27pm
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Topic: Small clubhouses - facilities and appearance

Posted By: CT249
Subject: Small clubhouses - facilities and appearance
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 3:06am

Okay, thanks for the good answers to the last questions and here's another one. Our small club's small clubhouse will be flooded in 2026 when our dam's water level is raised, so I'm looking for good ideas about the features, internal and external easthetics and other requirements for a small inland sailing club's clubhouse. From my limited experience the UK is the place for ideas.

The current old amateur-built clubhouse is about 7 x 13m on the top level, with showers and a half-height storage area (for boats as well as deadly Brown Snakes and rabbits) below.

The new clubhouse will be on an open, grassed gently sloping paddock. We may be able to do some landscaping before the water rises, as one of the member owns a 25 ton earthmover. We will probably only be able to get funding for a pre-fab or modular clubhouse of similar size (ie about 7 x 13m) to our current one, and a boatshed. We'll have about 100m of shorefront, if I recall correctly, with plenty of boat storage area further up the bank.

Although we're only two hours drive from the banana plantations on the coast, the lake is higher above sea level than the summit of Snowdon so we get snow. We'd like to create a snug, sociable little area with a little bar (even if it's just one end of the kitchen) and a wood fire. Although membership is growing strongly, it was off a tiny base (about 6 active members for years) and the local population is low (31,000 in an area half the size of Wales) so by 2026 I'm hoping for an average fleet of 17 or so boats with maybe 30 people each weekend.

I've only been in a couple of UK clubs but you do seem to do an awfully good job of making them look good inside and outside, and the typical UK river or lake club is much closer to our situation than the typical Aussie or US one.

So does anyone have any particular ideas about what we should remember to plan for, and any pics of clubs with particularly nice (but modest) interiors and exteriors?

Replies:

Posted By: sargesail
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 8:31am

A few thoughts:

The best inland clubhouse design I know is at Bowmoor SC which was designed by an architect who is an inland dinghy sailor. Bigger than you need and a little more than pre-fab/containerised, but still simple not fancy.

Key points - big open area wet kit suitable. Bar in the corner. EQUAL size men and women changing rooms.

One thing we have seen a lot of is that non-sailing architects designing sailing facilities use ‘office’ scaling for toilet facilities which creates a problem when everyone needs to go at the same time pre-race!

Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 9:02am

Get a few shipping containers, safety boat garage, mast and rigging storage, put one on top for offices and race control, etc. Will make you future proof too, only have to move them. One container will be big enough for club house and kitchen another one for changing facilities and toilets easy to secure in a remote location.
Bowmoor club house is huge, brilliant though, but a bit big for a dozen members.

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Robert

Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 9:21am

I hear grumbles from our changing room updates that the ladies changing rooms are smaller than the mens (despite there being more men than ladies), so probably worth over compensating. I think that being over crowded in a changing room is less of a problem than having to stand on wet floors, and plenty of shelves above head height for sailing bags means that only the ones being used are in your way (or provide storage for sailing bags outside of the changing rooms). If you are going down a wet room route, make sure that all of the plumbing, including drains are accessible for future maintenance. Our plumbers went bust during the project which caused some real issues when the drains which were sealed in leaked.

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Happily living in the past

Posted By: ColPrice2002
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 9:58am

Hi,

As suggested, more wcs and space for the ladies.

Are you septic tank? - if so, paln for increased capacity!

Provision of hot/cold water (if possible - solar panels for hot water?)

Dedicated dry area for non-sailors

Posted By: patj
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 4:42pm

Thoughts -
Keep a clear area in front of the clubhouse for sitting outside and activities. Keep cars to the back and boats clear of the front as it makes the place more pleasant.
Don't bother with dry areas, just use waterproof flooring and seating throughout. Dry areas just mean that part of the clubhouse isn't used and everyone squashes into the wet area.

Include lockers for valuables but put them in the main area where everyone can see who goes there.

Posted By: NickM99
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 6:51pm

Facilities for disabled people? There may be an obligation to provide these in a "new build" anyway.

Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 12 Sep 22 at 7:54pm

I suspect these days, with a clean sheet of paper, one would consider changing and toilet facilities with disabled, family and 'gender neutral' areas. Even in a small club you could think about a separate area which could be assigned as needed? I've been a member of a few clubs with limited changing facilities where if you're a parent trying to look after a youngster, you'd be concerned about them not only meeting some odd people in a state of undress, but also just being trampled.

I've been in lots of clubs, almost none have adequate ventilation in the changing areas? You don't want to be putting on your shore clothes in a steamy damp space next to the shower.

Somewhere to sit in the fresh air, trapping any sun that's about is a big plus.

Being able to get simple but adequate food after sailing mid week is very valuable.

Space that's not expensive to heat for when there's only a few of you.

Some space where you can run a lecture or discussion or training without having to silence everyone at the bar? A room where you can have a private committee meeting, protest, whatever?

Basic workshop space, where members can use a vice, bench, a few basic tools? A veranda or balcony where you can reach the top of a mast is a luxury!

Posted By: Riv
Date Posted: 13 Sep 22 at 8:38am

We built a new club house in 2015/2016.

If you go to: https://sgba.org.uk/page/gallery-1" rel="nofollow - Stoke Gabriel Boating Association : Gallery (sgba.org.uk) and then find "Club house opening 10th Sept 2016 you will find pictures which give a good idea. The password on the file is sgba

It's all public.

Buildings are like mushrooms, the visible bit is entirely dependent on the underground. We had difficulties with water, electrical and sewage connections resulting in delays and cost. Make sure that all the interested parties really have agreed/signed before you build. Make sure that access to the site and type of access (vehicle size/type/times) has been agreed and signed off with planners.

We have male and female changing rooms and a separate shower and toilet for adults to use during Junior sailing activities. This is essential for Safeguarding.

The separate toilet and shower has an internal door and an external door. It is on a different code to the main building so can be used by visitors without allowing them access to the main building.

As the lower area floods we do not have a wheelchair accessible toilet as we would have to install a lift.

Hot showers are available 24/7 all year and are free. We get used by Yoga groups and others.

The lower area floods at the highest tide and is designed to do so. We have a substantial built in work bench to allow members to do repairs. All club tools are kept in a loft area to avoid corrosion.

The next addition will be rain water harvesting as this summer was very dry and it's not a good look washing all the boats down with a hosepipe. The club is a very public place.

The building is self heating, there are boost heaters in the changing rooms if needed.

We are having problems with leaks from the wet room floors. If we were to do it again we would not use a built up system but buy custom made trays, we would provide access for every waste water joint and not hide them in the floors. We would use electric underfloor heating under the wet room floor.

We employ a cleaner and have a volunteer premises team who do the day to day stuff. The premises manager keeps all the fire and security checks up to date and schedules the maintenance over the Oct to March period.

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Mistral Div II prototype board, Original Windsurfer, Hornet built'74.

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 13 Sep 22 at 3:27pm

At our club the U18 girls outnumber the boys, so equal size changing rooms essential. Recently had to remodel considerably to expand Ladies changing.

Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 15 Sep 22 at 2:38pm

Riv, interesting that you had exactly the same problem with wet room floors as us, worth watching out for

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Happily living in the past