Tim TITAN Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Im going to have to build a set of oars for my CS20. I'm not really into the idea of spending $200+ on buying a nice set of wood oars, so here we are. I'd like them to be fairly nice , but somewhat durable, as they might be used fairly frequently until I spring for an outboard, but what fun is that??? So what do you guys suggest as far as type of woods to use and construction methods? I already have several ideas. I'm figuring they need to be about 10 feet long also. Sound about right for the CS20? Also, if you have any pix of some nice oars that you might have seen or built, just to get some ideas would be great. Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Ask Bob Smasher to help/advise. He has a nice write up on oar building. http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2482 Quote
Frank Hagan Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 10' sounds too long to me. The formula that is in the West Marine catalog is 1/2 the beam (at the oarlocks) in inches, x 3 + 6" = oar length. So if you have 6' 4", or 76" between the oarlocks, you need 120" oars. Low freeboard boats sometimes use shorter oars, but I'm not sure how the CS20 rates in that regard. We also put "Oar Building" in our Articles section at http://www.messing-about.com/articles/oars.html. If you build oars, and take pictures, we'll add your experiences to the article if it would help other builders! Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Duh me :oops: . I forgot about the Articles section and spent an hour or so scrolling through the msg threads to find Bob's original posting. Frank, may I suggest adding most of Bob's "how to" msgs to the Articles? For instance, the one on hand braces and drills. There have been more, but until I get a cup of coffee in me :?: Some sort of forum search engine would be nice too. There might already be one and I am just ignorant. Frank, thanks again for this wonderful boat building community that you have enabled to exist. Quote
Designer Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Tim, you might look at the earlier post I put on this forum on low cost oars. Quote
Guest Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Here is what I did, until I knew what I wanted. I took a spruce 2x4, split it, then I took a simple 1x6 PT pine, cut a notch in the spruce the beefy way, and then just bolted the piece in place, and tried it to get my right length. Then I made the right ones out of the chosen woods. You will need to round the shafts at the appropiate points where they hit the oarlocks for ease of rowing. The seat distance from the oar lock positions runs around 12 to 16 inches, depending on your stretch and size. You want to be careful with the bolts, if you use them as not to scratch the boat. So either countersink them or use flat head screws for the test. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Tim' date='you might look at the earlier post I put on this forum on low cost oars.[/quote'] Graham, do you recall about when you made that post? I would like to look at it again too. Thanks. Quote
PJPiercey Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Tim, Here's a look at my CK17 with 9'6" oars. The beam is 72". Paul Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Those oars look too short maybe for that high freeboard. How do they work...easy or ackward? Would you like them to be longer or shorter or are they just right? Thanks. Nice picture Those gravel beachs can be hard on bare feet and boat bottoms. Where was it taken? It looks like a neat place to visit. Quote
PJPiercey Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 When I was deciding on oars for the boat I measured and fussed for quite a few days. I wanted to keep the oars as small as possible but still have a lot of power. I was surprised how well they work, I was thinking they were going to feel a little short. I have rowed the boat several miles in dead calm and never felt like I wanted more oar. I also found that when maneuvering out of a crowded anchorage with a bunch of wind and choppy water the blades are easy to clear the tops of the waves. Actually the ergonomics feel the same as a Mckenzie drift boat I had. The picture is taken from a beach in the village of Komiza. http://home.comcast.net/~pjpiercey/komiza/index.html I built the boat here in Edmonds, Washington, shipped it to Komiza to have a vessel to mess about in and explore the surrounding islands. The Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic is a spectacular place. Paul Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 6, 2004 Posted November 6, 2004 Sounds like they are right then. I have been fussing with oar lengths on each boat built and noticed that the height of the free board makes a difference even though the boat length is the same. I have been experimenting with different oar lengths on the same boat as well as the positions of the oar locks. Seems to be more art than science to it. Quote
JeffM Posted November 11, 2004 Posted November 11, 2004 Graham's 2X4 and ply oars are in his post of Mar 26 this year. The thread is "good source for oars." I've got it bookmarked until I get further. (Just taping outside seams now.) Quote
Greg Luckett Posted November 11, 2004 Posted November 11, 2004 Graham's 2X4 and ply oars are in his post of Mar 26 this year. The thread is "good source for oars." I've got it bookmarked until I get further. (Just taping outside seams now.) Can you provide the link? Quote
PJPiercey Posted November 11, 2004 Posted November 11, 2004 Can you provide the link? http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2183&highlight=source+oars Paul Quote
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