It's not often a truck becomes the talk of the club, but after months of searching, comparing, calculating and more than a few debates about towing capacities, Wellington Rowing Club has a new tow vehicle.

The new truck replaces our faithful old workhorse, which has served the club well over many years but is now approaching retirement age. Like many rowers after a long career, it's still moving, but not quite as enthusiastically as it once did.

The Board kicked off the process of finding a replacement vehicle with a sub-committee headed by Paul Smart, assisted by Brad Carter, Matt Hall and Terry McCarthy. This group embarked on an extensive assessment of the options. The challenge was to find a vehicle which balanced the long list of requirements, including towing capacity, safety, reliability, running costs and value for money. 

They crunched the numbers on everything from new versus used vehicles, to utes versus trucks. Between them, they worked through the practical and financial considerations to make sure the club ended up with the right vehicle for the job.

During this process we found a vehicle which ticked most of the boxes and was available at sale price (roughly $30,000 below normal retail). Then we set about the task of finalising the details and getting the truck (originally just cab and chassis) configured with a few rowing-specific modifications.

We engaged Morris Metals to design and fabricate an aluminium deck and make adjustments to the tow ball setup, ensuring it was ready to handle the club's boat trailers. The deck design includes a detachable rack which can take doubles and singles, allowing small groups to travel to rowing venues without the need for the big trailer. Morris Metals also generously donated a new set of tyres, for which the club is extremely grateful.

We also appreciated the great service and support we received from Keith Andrews Trucks, who supplied the vehicle. They helped with transport, and stored the truck while it was being fitted out. They also brought their driver education expert to Wellington to give us an introduction to the new vehicle. We plan to document the information provided in this session, so it is accessible to all drivers.

While a new truck may not generate quite the same excitement as a new boat, it's one of those pieces of infrastructure that quietly keeps the club running. Every regatta trip, training camp and away event depends on having a safe and reliable vehicle capable of getting our boats where they need to be.

A huge thank you to Terry and Deidre, the truck subcommittee and Morris Metals for the many hours of work that went into making this happen. A special thanks as well to Life Member Graham Shaw who made a very generous donation towards the truck fit-out.

Article added: Tuesday 07 July 2026