Club's policies
Joining the club
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Membership to the Caltech Surf & Windsurf Club is open to:
- All Caltech students
- Alumni
- Staff
- Faculty
- JPL employees
- All active members must be subscribed to the Club Mailing list: sign up here
- All members must have read and understand the club policies
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You can become a member by:
- Filling in the electronic membership form: find it here
- Printing it
- Signing it
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Before renting equipment, you must take a tour of the equipment clubhouse located next to the old Brown Gym (east entrance). Tours can be scheduled through any of the club officers. Just bring your filled out membership form, the annual membership fee and, if you want access to the clubhouse, the non-refundable fee for a key.
Read about the fees here
Membership fees
- Annual dues must be paid each year and are valid through September 30, regardless of date you joined the club with the following exception: for new members joining the club in the month of September, dues are valid through the end of Sept. of the following year.
- You'll need a key to the clubhouse to take out equipment. Each October, the lock on gate to the clubhouse will be changed, and keys will only be available to current dues-paying members, for a small non-refundable fee.
- Summer/visiting students must leave a $100,-- equipment deposit
Renting Equipment
- The club has a full compliment of equipment available for rental to club members only
- Club members can rent equipent for non-members, but the club member is always responsible for the equipment
- Some of the equipment is designed for beginners and relatively sturdy, while we also have more advanced and expensive equipment reserved for the pros. Please consider the expense to the club (and to you!) repairing or replacing this equipment, and check out only equipment you are capable of handling!
- All equipment is stored in the clubhouse by the Brown Gym. It must be returned at the end of the rental period
Reserving equipment
If you are planning on a long trip or want to make sure your favorite board is available, try reserving instead!
- Just fill out reservation sheet in the clubhouse at least 3 days prior to rental period
- As always, make sure equipment has not already been reserved or checked out for that timeperiod.
- Be sure to include your name, the rental period, all equipment you are renting (boards, sails, wetsuits, gear, etc), and your home and work phone numbers
- Payment for rental must be received by the club treasurer no later than 7 days after rental period.
- Equipment may be picked up after 7pm the day prior to rental, and must be returned by 12 midnite the day of the rental
- Maximum reservation rental period is 15 days
- If the equipment you reserved is not present in the club shack when you go to pick it up, call the previous renter on the list who checked out the equipment and inform a club officer
- If for some reason you need to cancel your reservation, the cancellation must be made no later than 2 days prior to rental period. When you make the cancellation, simply cross out your reservation on the sheet, and date and initial the cancellation. If the reservation is not dated and initialed, or if you fail to cancel within this time frame, you will be charged for the rental period unless someone checks out the board during that time (a good time to call around).
Note: there are no "windless" or "whining" refunds - it is up to you to check out conditions for the rental period
Checking out equipment
Checking out equipment is simple.
- First, make sure your particular toy hasn't been reserved (see below) and look up the check-out sheet that's located on the desk in the clubhouse.
- If everything is kosher, sign out all equipment you plan on renting on the check-out sheet, including all boards, sails, wetsuits, gear, etc
- When taking out a beginner windsurfing board, you can only take the matching sail, boom and mast (the ones stored with the board). In particular, the sails listed in the sign-out sheets are not to be used with the beginner boards
- When taking out intermediate or advanced windsurfing boards, you can take up to two sails per board (not the beginner sails). Just leave a a decent-size quiver for others to pick from
- You can check out equipment without a reservation for a maximum of 4 days
- Return the equipment as soon as possible, as you will be charged for each day the equipment is out even if you're not using it
- You are responsible for all damage incurred through improper use! (see damage)
- Check the fee schedule for the club's equipment
- Wet suits and roof-rack rentals are free, but can be taken with boards only; there is no wetsuit rental without a board rental
- Pay for the boards right away or at least within 7 days of the rental date. Unpaid balances with the club will be transferred to the Caltech Bursar's office and/or treated as violations of the Honor System. If you are unable to pay for some reason, please contact the Club Treasurer to work out a payment plan (or volunteer at Club events to earn credit!). Other than financial crisis, not paying in a timely fashion is inexcusable. Please pay on time.
If the equipment is reserved, you cannot check it out! Read that statement again, a lot of you ain't gettin' it. If you think the reserver is a no-show, you can always call them up, but don't just take it.
Payment methods
You can pay by cash or check
Simply put cash or check in an envelope and put it in the black deposit box on the wall in the Clubhouse, or mail a check (make payable to "Caltech Surf and Windsurf Club") to the Club Treasurer:
Matt Smith
Caltech 210-4
Pasadena, CA 91125
Returning Equipment
We have a problem with equipment damage, especially surfboards, not being reported right away upon return from the beach.
This results in delayed repairs, surfboards being structurally compromised and unavailable to other members. Under the current clubhouse policy you are supposed to:
- Inspect the equipment both before and after your rental
- Return equipment immediately to the Club House and place it on their designated racks: all boards have a number, so have the racks!
- Make sure that all equipment is rinsed, either at the beach or at the rinsing station in the Clubhouse. Boards, wetsuits and leashes can not be sandy!
- When returning wetsuits, make sure that they are rinsed, either at the beach or at the rinsing station in the Club House and put them right-side-out on a hanger in the wetsuit cabinet. Make sure that the cabinet is closed (Rats eat neoprene)
- After every rental, you must fill in the Returning Equipment Form. On this form you can also report any damage you have noticed. If you can't fill in the form, please send an email to surfer@caltech.edu with the following information:
- I surfed/windsurfed at (beach name) on (rental day and date)
- I inspected the boards for damage before and after the rental
- Any damage to report? (if not sure if it is minor, do report it)
- I rinsed the equipment with running water (clubhouse/beach)
- I stored the boards properly (matched board # with rack #)
- I stored the wetsuits properly (hung them right-side-out
- When you have noticed any damage, post a sign "Do not use" on the damaged board
Damaged equipment
- Report any equipment damage immediately to any of the club officers
- Post a large sign on the board saying "DO NOT USE" so that other people do not unwittingly take a damaged board
- Permanent damage occurs when a (even slightly) damaged board is exposed to water! If you damage a board, immediately stop surfing!
You are responsible for breakage, theft or loss of a board while it is in your possession!
That means check your equipment out before you go and inspect it when you return. Remember the honor code applies. Any member found to be reckless with club equipment will have their membership revoked. Your maximum financial responsibility is calculated by the following formula:
age of board < 5yrs
Value of the board is given by:
$$ = initial cost * [100 - 0.0548*(age of board in days)]% - total rental income from the board
However, The minimum value of any board is $50, regardless of the formula
age of board > 5yrs
The value is $50
Example:
The board cost $300, you are the first to rent the board (weeee!), and you leave it on some beach in Baja by mistake, 3 days after we buy it: you owe $299.51 (ouch!).
Handling the equipment
While renting equipment you are responsible for it.
Damage incurred from normal usage can be minimized by taking the following steps:
- Take care when handling boards
Don't drop them, place them on soft (grass, sand) ground if possible - Do not leave boards in sun
swollen boards will crack the glass, so try to cover 'em up or put 'em in some shade - Use towels to pad 'em when taking 'em out, and use the foam pads that come with the car racks
You can download instructions on how to put surfboards on a car rack here - Rinse off
All sails, boards, wetsuits upon leaving beach or returning to Caltech in the Club House at the rinsing station
Getting credit toward your account
Good deeds do good for you! You can earn free rentals by volunteering at club events, generally helping out, or repairing club equipment when such work is approved by a club officer, or if you are an instructor for beginners. All credits, whether earned by volunteering for the club or pre-paying for rentals will not be reimbursed for cash. However, such credits can be transferred to another member's account.
Parts bought for the Club will be credited to your future rental, as long as the purchase was approved first by the club treasurer. Do not make your own deductions to the rental charges, and keep your receipts. Remember, all credits must be approved by club officers! Here is a rough outline for reimbursements:
Club credit
| Action | reimbursment |
|---|---|
| Shack cleanup | $10,-- |
| Lesson teaching (depending on size of class) | $10,-- |
| Repair work | Determined by club officers |
| Equipment purchase reimbursement for money spent | + $5 for every $100 purchased |
| Equipment donation | Determined by club officers |