Survey Results

We recently conducted a membership survey and would like to share the results with you. We received 100 responses which is excellent. We asked several questions about your experiences at the club, which were rated Dissatisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, or Very Satisfied. The charts below show the average rating across the questions asked. A score of 100% indicates that all members answered Very Satisfied; Somewhat Satisfied corresponds to 50%; and Dissatisfied is zero.

The overall experience for members at the club was great, with a score of 75%. Nonetheless, a few areas for improvement were identified:

Changing Facilities
Members were not completely happy with the changeroom facilities. We currently have a men’s and women’s changeroom in the clubhouse. The code for the clubhouse is 6491. Since the change rooms were closed for pandemic, they have become a sort of storage room. We’re going to clean them up and address any deficiencies for the start of the sailing season. We’re looking for a volunteer to help with this task, please reply to this message if you’d like to help.

Washroom Facilities
We currently have two portable washrooms that are cleaned on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, these are the best solution we have available. Due to our proximity to the water and the leased nature of our facility, we can’t install a permanent solution such as a septic tank. We investigated upgraded trailer style washrooms, but the cost is prohibitive to rent these year-round. We are going to build a small deck around the washrooms to ensure that they are on a level surface and provide a more comfortable access point. Members who have other thoughts and suggestions for us to consider are encouraged to respond to this email.

Paddling Storage
To address the issues with paddling storage, we will be buying or building new racks. They will have a maximum height of three boats, and we’re going to move them to the beach for easier access to the water. The project is underway and more details will follow, but we’re hopeful to have the new racks early in the season and think that they will go a long way to addressing members’ issues.

Fees and Membership Level
We also asked members for their feedback on fees and the membership level. The charts below show the responses. A score of zero indicates that members felt the fees were fair, a positive score indicates the share members that felt the fees (or membership level) should be higher, and a negative score is the share of members that felt the fees should be lower.

For the most part, the scores are very close to zero indicating that members are comfortable with our current fee structure. The results show a preference for more members, and this is something that we are trying to address. We’ve made a lot of space clearing out abandoned boats, and we currently have room for new Laser members as well as a few catamarans. We’re also tackling the large problem of member engagement.

The other area that members thought was too high is the volunteer requirement. Water Rats is a volunteer run club. We have no employees, and we have the work-or-pay system because we need all members to chip in to make the club a success. Unfortunately, the majority of our members do not volunteer at all. On the other hand, many members are putting in well above the required hours (often a very significant amount of time). While we can understand that not everyone wants to volunteer, the results clearly show that the work-or-pay system is not working as a way of encouraging members to volunteer and contribute to the operations of the club. We’ve discussed the issues, and don’t feel that decreasing the requirements make sense but we are going to look at what adjustments can be made.

We also received a number of excellent suggestions in the comments that we’re going to look into implementing, such as organized sailing and paddling social times, a webcam to view the water conditions, and improved security. Stay tuned for further updates.

Volunteer Opportunity

We are looking for a volunteer who would like to spearhead the changeroom revitalization project. If you’re able to help, please respond to this email.

Masts Down Rule

This winter we’ve had strong winds that have caused boats stored with their masts up to topple over or fall off their trailers. Boats being blown over can cause significant damage to other members’ property. To address this issue, members will now be required to take their masts down by Nov 30 each year. 

Unidentified boats

As a reminder, members are required to request permission and obtain stickers before bringing a new boat to the club. We have found a number of boats without stickers; if one of these belongs to you, please respond to this email to claim it. Boats that have been left at the club without permission are considered legally abandoned and may be removed at any time.

Lockers

We have a few of the newly built lockers that are available in the container. The ones available are on the upper shelf for a cost of $40/yr. Please respond to this email if you would like one.