Policies

• New member dues and annual dues are $20
• Annual dues must be paid each year. Club dues are typically collected at the start of the Spring quarter. Members who joined the club after October 1st of the previous year are exempt from paying their first year of dues in April.
• Annual dues and new member dues include the cost of keys
• The clubhouse locks are changed on an annual basis and new keys will only be issues to current dues paying members
• Summer/visiting students and interns must leave a $100 equipment deposit. This deposit will be returned in cash when you return the key at the end of your visit.

The club maintains over 20 surfboards and 15 windsurf boards and rigs suitable for all skill levels. Also available are wetsuits, roof racks and other accessories, as well as one surf kayak. For beginners we organize (cheap!) lessons at safe beaches with an experienced instructor, on equipment that is best for learning the skills. Read more about this on the lessons page.

Also, usually once a month, depending on the willingness of volunteering members, both surf and windsurf trips are organized to locations known for excellent surf or windsurf conditions.

• The club has a full complement of equipment available for rental to club members only
• Club members can rent equipment 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

If you are planning on a long trip or want to make sure your favorite board is available, try reserving instead!

• Just fill out the reservation sheet in the clubhouse prior to the rental period
• As always, make sure equipment has not already been reserved or checked out for that time period. Note that club trips usually take place on the 2nd and 4th Saturday's of the month for Windsurf and Surf respectively. Please contact the officers before reserving any gear during a typical club trip.
• Be sure to include your name, the rental period, all equipment you are renting (boards, sails, wetsuits, gear, etc), and your cell phone number
• Payment for rental must be received by the club treasurer no later than 7 days after the rental period.
• Equipment may be picked up after 7 pm the day before rental, and must be returned by midnight the day of the rental.
• The 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 before the 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).

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 the damage section.
• Check the fee schedule for the club's equipment
• Wetsuits 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.

You can pay by cash, check, or Venmo. Information about Venmo payment is available in the clubhouse.

To pay by cash/checks:

1. Put the cash/check* in an envelope
2. Write:
   1. the name of whoever reserved the gear (should match the checkout sheet)
   2. the date of the reservation
   3. the amount in the envelope
3. Put the envelope into the black deposit box in the clubhouse

*make checks payable to "Caltech Surf and Windsurf Club"

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)
• When you have noticed any damage, post a sign "Do not use" on the damaged board

• 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!

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!).

For suits < 2 years old:

• you must pay full original purchase cost

For suits > 2 years old:

• Cost = P - 25*(N-2)
  • where P = original purchase price
  • N = current year - purchase year
• minimum payment = $50

Example 1: suit #70 (women's, Sisstr brand) was purchased for $220 in 2022. If you leave it on the beach in 2026, you owe 220-25*(4-2)=$170.

Example 2: suit #70 (women's, Sisstr brand) was purchased for $220 in 2022. If you leave it on the beach in 2030, you owe 220-25*(8-2)=$70

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 the 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, and wetsuits upon leaving the beach or returning to Caltech in the Club House at the rinsing station

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 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: