Shellharbour Surf Club's Steve Burton, who will be part of the team, said the event will be an adventure of a lifetime for the rowers, with years of planning going into the event.

"The idea was first hatched in 2010 when Australian Surf Rowers League members Alan Gibbons and Bert Hunt were invited to Turkey to coach some Bogazici University Rowing Club members the art of rowing surfboats," Burton said.

"The second part of their task was to look over plans for the Gallipoli 100 surf boat event, using the pair's years of involvement in the Navy George Bass Surfboat Marathon.

"When our guys heard about the event it was just a matter of 'count us in' and it's hard to think that now we are so close to going.

"We paid our deposits five years ago and now it's just a matter of weeks away - we actually sent our boat via a shipping container last week."

However, as with most things arranged over a long time, plans change, and while it was originally hoped to have around 100 boats taking part, that has now dropped dramatically to around 26 from Australia and New Zealand plus some Turkish crews.

"But it's not a regular row, it's a full two days of tough rowing, covering around 30km per day, with crews interchanging at regular intervals," Burton added.

"It will start at Morto Bay, the site of the original French landing in 1915 and travel 30kms to Fisherman's Hut and return the following day, passing the Sphinx sitting high above you as you pass Anzac Cove, which should be amazing.

"With crew swaps, this will allow all of your crew to experience the moment with the beach at Anzac Cove in the background."

The date has been moved forward one day from the originally planned April 24 finish due to road closures in and around the peninsula on April 24.

The local crews will also enjoy battlefield and historic tours during their visit. The boat used on the tour will be donated to a local club.