With 10 boats on hand at the clubroom by the river and 20 children's boats at Pauri Lake, new members can have a boat to themselves by paying a yearly storage fee.
Mr Davies said the open day was for people of all ages, while the club itself has around 60 members whose ages range from seven to 79.
"You've got all the ages from little ones to really experienced guys."
Teaching the young ones kept the older generation on the ball, he added.
"We have 10 coaches here and, of course, when you have to help kids learn, you yourself learn a lot more."
The Whanganui River provides unique conditions, and experienced sailors learn to use the tide if they are get the best out of their boats.
"There's more tide out on the middle of the river, so the older ones - or the cunning ones - use the current. The new ones don't, and then they wonder why they're getting beat."
Mr Davies said Whanganui's sailing conditions impressed America's Cup winner and gold medallist Sir Russell Coutts when he visited last month.
"He said it was a great place to learn because of all the different factors."
Ken Bradshaw, now 79, joined the club 40 years ago back when the club had a roaring membership.
"It wouldn't be strange to see 120 boats out on the water; now if we had 40 we'd think we were doing pretty well."
He'll be competing in the upcoming NZ Masters Games but he feels he's pushing the envelope a bit.
"To be honest I'm not sure how many capsizes I've got left."