Set outside under the elements, a tree fell on the stern of the Schneidawitz and split the boat, destroying the team’s only boat. This event forced Davidson Crew to borrow $5,000 from the Athletic Department for two new boats. The crew then bought two fours, later named the Maude and the Carbocraft, from a preparatory school in Delaware. Peklo’s father transported the shells to Davidson on the roof of a painter’s van. After a year, the team fundraised money and paid its debt to the Athletic Department. To hold the boats, Peklo built two pairs of slings out of the floor slats of the old Belk Arena and Hinton got permission to use the Lake Campus’ pontoon boat to coach the shells. The crew began training for their first regatta.