A comprehensive inventory was made of the club equipment. There remains some uncertainty regarding the age and value of items, but further investigation of club records will hopefully provide some useful information. Despite these uncertainties, it is clear that a number of items are beyond their useful life and should be retired.
The
decision to increase the membership subscription fee last year and the large
increase in membership numbers this has allowed the club to invest in much
needed new equipment. During this academic year, the club has spent
a total of £1540.16 to-date on maintenance and additional equipment. £957.02 was spent on general club equipment
and £583.14 on equipment for the Bowloan Scheme.
Six wooden take-down bows were
purchased this year and sights were purchased for most of the existing training
bows. Many of the bows are very old and
should be retired as soon as possible.
The club training arrows were generally in poor condition at the start
of the year (most were very old and/or in need of re-fletching). A total of seven dozen arrows were purchased
this year.
We received a non-recurrent grant to purchase a set of banding tools (and additional equipment for the Bowloan Scheme). The banding tools allow us to rebuild the foam bosses and extend their useful life. Three people working together should be able to rebuild a boss in less than 45 minutes. The two purple bosses were rebuilt over the Easter Vacation with good results. The remaining black and orange bosses should be rebuilt before the start of the next indoor season.
There are 14 straw bosses in the shed at the sports grounds; however, two of them are in such poor condition that they should not be used. We should dispose of these bosses at the earliest possible convenience. At least one other boss was damaged by mice and should be replaced when possible. A number of holes in the shed were filled with expanding foam and this will hopefully discourage the return of mice. The City of Cambridge Bowmen kindly gave us 7 used straw bosses and stands last summer, which greatly improved the overall condition of our outdoor shooting equipment. However, the club may need to consider increasing the level of funding for long-term replacement of straw bosses, or reducing the number of straw bosses. A metal detector was purchased.
The club does not have a comprehensive set of tools for the repair and maintenance of its equipment. A blowtorch and a better fletching jig were purchased this year, which go along with the existing serving tool, string making jig, and arrow straightener. The club still lacks a number of basic tools (slotted and Phillips screwdrivers, pliers, utility knife) and a toolbox to hold the tools. The club should also purchase an additional parts box to keep spare nocks and vanes (we are currently using one on loan from Andy Somers).
Since the last AGM, the club has purchased three new bows for the Bowloan Scheme. One bow was purchased with funds from an Ospreys’ grant we received during the 2001‑02 academic year. This grant was also used to purchase two sets of aluminium arrows just before last year’s BUSA Outdoor Championships. Income from the Bowloan Scheme was used to purchase a bow and two dozen arrows, and part of the non-recurrent grant was allocated to buy a second bow and two dozen more arrows.
A hire form was created to formalise
the terms of Bowloan Scheme and to help keep track of the Bowloan
equipment. To improve the operation of
the Scheme, we also need to adhere to a formal procedure of filling out the
form and collecting money when bows are handed out. Chasing people for forms and money is an
inefficient use of time.
As with the general club equipment, more
attention to equipment maintenance is needed.
An annual check of all Bowloan equipment should be performed at the
start of each academic year and sufficient funds should be reserved from
Bowloan income to cover maintenance costs.
The remaining income from the Scheme can then be used to replace the
older wooden bows with metal bows over the next few years and to purchase
additional arrows. The wooden bows can
be transferred to the general club equipment pool.
The
club has made a large investment in equipment this year and the training
equipment (bows and arrows) have are now much improved. A
medium-term replacement rate of two bows and two dozen arrows per year is
recommended to modernize the training equipment over the next few years. The club may also wish to add long-rods to
the training equipment if funds are available.
Careful management of the Bowloan Scheme will continue to ensure that it is self-sustaining. Some of the older bows from the Bowloan Scheme can now retired for use as general club equipment.
Rebuilding the foam bosses will
extend their useful life. However, the
club should adopt a regular replacement schedule for all bosses to prevent
long-term deterioration of the inventory.
An average of one new foam or straw boss per year is recommended.
Priority should be placed on building a comprehensive set of tools for maintaining club equipment. Proper maintenance is required to protect the club’s investment and also to ensure a safe and enjoyable archery experience.
As Equipment Officer, I would like to offer special thanks to Andy Somers for his invaluable assistance.
October 2002
- Tabs and armguards to replace old/missing items.
- Plastic rests to replace worn out items.
- Sights and buttons on take down bows
- Spare vanes
- (£123.99 for 4 above items)
November 2002
- Two wooden bows (28lb and 30lb RH 68”) with string, rest, sight, and button.
- More spare rests.
- (£139.60 for 2 above items)
- Arrow stuff [4 doz. shafts 1816, plus bullet points, nocks, and EP vanes] (£163.88 Andy Somers)
January 2003
- Two wooden bows (RH 69” 26lbs) with string, rest, sight, and button.
- Target faces for Grudge match
- (£140.80 for 2 above items)
March 2003
- Banding tools to rebuild foam bosses (£155.05)
April 2003
- Two wooden bows [LH 68” 28lbs and RH 70” 30lbs] with string and rests. N.B. require buttons
- Arrow stuff [3 doz. shafts 1916, 3 doz. bullet points, 2 doz. nocks, 7 doz. EP vanes]
- Fletching jig
- Target faces for Cambridge BUTTS
- (£277.48 for 4 above items)
- Tape measure 100m
- Blowtorch and butane fuel
- Metal detector with batteries
- (£87.50 for 3 above items)
- 15 screwdrivers, 3 storage boxes and lids, 2 builder buckets, 2 packs of 14m rope, expanding foam filler (£32.60)
November 2002
- One bow set [Trigger RH 69” 28lbs with sight, button, long rod, rest, and string] purchased from Ospreys’ grant (£135.49).
- One bow set [Trigger RH 70” 32 lbs with sight, button, long rod, rest, and string]; and arrow stuff [2 doz. shafts (1916), 2 doz. bullet points, 3 doz. plastinocks, 3 packs of 50 EP-26 vanes] purchased from Bowloan income (£256.52)
April 2003
- One bow set [Trigger RH 68” 34 lbs with sight, button, rest, and string]; and arrow stuff [2 doz. shafts (1916), 2 doz. bullet points, 3 doz. nocks, 6 doz. EP-26 vanes] purchased from non-recurrent grant (£191.13). N.B. requires long rod