Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What facilities do you have and what can I use as a member?
Club members are provided with a key to access to the tractor house and the secure compound, and can park their car and trailer in the compound free of charge whilst out fishing for the day. In the summer, the compound can get busy and parking can become limited. When it's busy, parking in the compound is restricted to one vehicle per boat. There is, however, plenty of on-street parking a short walk from the compound.
All three club tractors are regularly maintained by the club's Committee, who do a fantastic job of making sure the tractors are ready to go 24/7 365- you just need to turn the key, warm them up a little, hitch the trailer up and you're ready to go. Tractor training is provided to all new members, which includes how to start, drive and wash down the tractors.
The tractor house also has a sink, kettle, tools and other general equipment for members to use, and there is a portable toilet available to members in the compound.
For more information, please visit the Facilities page.
Can I join half way through the year?
The membership year runs from June to June, but new members are welcome to join at any time. If you want to join half way through the year, get in touch and we can explore options around reducing the annual membership fee on a pro-rata basis.
Note - the one-off £100 initial registration fee is a fixed amount, and would be the same at any time of the year.
For information on joining the club, please see the Membership page.
Do we launch ourselves or does someone launch us?
When it's busy or when there is a club match on, sometimes someone will jump in the tractor and launch/ recover multiple boats. However, typically members are self-launch/ recovered, giving complete flexibility to launch and recover your boat at any state of tide, at any time of the day. A minimum of two trained tractor drivers, who must be paid up full or crewman members, must be present during the launch and recovery.
If you don't have a crewman available and would like someone to come out with you (or you're happy going solo for the day,) just post something on the club Facebook page or WhatsApp group. Members try and help each other out by acting as crew for the day, pairing up and coordinating launch and recovery times.
What do we have to do to join?
Once you've got in touch (Contact), someone will send over an application form, along with some additional information about the club. Many new members find it helpful to have a quick look around the tractor house and view the facilities prior to joining. If you'd like to do that, just give us a shout and someone will be happy to show you around.
Further information is available on the Membership page.
I'm a complete beginner and I've never had a boat before - can I still join?
Yes, absolutely- there are many years of experience available to draw upon within the club and members are always willing to provide advice and guidance. There is a lot to learn for someone who is new to boat angling-
We strongly recommend members complete a RYA Powerboat Level 2 course, which provides practical skills and theory needed to safely handle a small powerboat, including low- and high-speed manoeuvring, launching and recovery, basic navigation, and collision regulations.
What safety equipment do I need?
All BBAC boats require an annual safety check and will be required to demonstrate they have the requisite safety equipment on board - the list can be found here.
Do I need a crewman?
Not necessarily, but you will need to buddy up with someone else for launching and recovery if not.
What sort of trailer do I need?
Your boat will need to be on a roller trailer. The beach at Blackpool South Shore changes regularly and floods and ebbs incredibly quickly. As such, it is often necessary to recover boats directly off the sand if they get beached, meaning bunked trailers aren't suitable.
For recovery, many members will beach the boat and use the tractor to pull it from the water prior to recovery before winching on to the trailer from the beach (as opposed to floating it on to the trailer in the water). This helps to use the trailer rollers to keep the boat straight and stops waves catching the stern of the boat during recovery, which can cause the boat t*o turn slightly and cause water to splash over the transom. If you'd like some further advice on trailers, please just get in touch or pop down one day when the boats are being launched and recovered to see how it all works.