Dinghy Oars

[Howard]

Looking for a good way to secure my ONE PIECE 7' oars on a nesting Spindrift 10. Keeping them in place while the boat is being towed, and also secure and out of the way when under sail. Surely this problem has been solved.

[Garry]

Here is a nifty idea that I'm thinking of incorporating on mine. I have a really nice set of 8-1/2' oars for my 11' Spindrift but they are a problem to take along when sailing. Ray seems to be happy with his oars so I will try to find out where he got them and make provisions for them on the boat. Check his site for more info.

http://seaweed.thebilge.com/spindrift.htm

[rlchenry]

Thanks, Garry.

I got these on ebay (where I get EVERYTHING). They are of a German make with stainless couplers. I don't have immediate access to them right now - sorry.

NRS sells some expensive parts here:

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1309

There are some on ebay quite often, like these short ones that may be able to be extended (or just re-use the couplers)

http://cgi.ebay.com/WOOD-BOAT-OARS-52-CHRIS-CRAFT-SAIL-BOAT-BOATS_W0QQitemZ160079596405QQihZ006QQcategoryZ423QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry I can't be of more help!

Ray

[Garry]

Here's a homebuilt set that might give you some ideas. He uses PVC pipe, closet poles, and plywood to make his own and seems to be happy with them. His conclusion about the flexibility offering extra performance is similar to a description of some high-dollar composite oars I saw.

http://www.diybob.com/oars.htm

[Howard]

I knew about Ray's two piece oars, but I've searched for them now and then, and have never seen them up for bid.

And I already have my 7 footers and they are one piece.

They make a bronze hold down that mounts on the seat, but leaves them both together, and I don' know if that is a good idea, or where to put them. You could remove them to tow the boat, but that doesn't make it handy to jump in and go and you would need to find a place to stow 7 foot oars on the big boat.

Mine have the round horns that will be left on over leathers. Perhaps a surface mount or recessed oar lock mounted to the seat edge, and pin the horns down with them in place?

BTW, when buying oars, buy them at the same time to make sure they match. I had one 7 footer and bought another and despite being the same make and model, the new one is half an inch shorter.....and they are not made the same way. New one is made "cheaper" if you can believe that. :shock:

[John Turpin]

I made my own knock-down oars for my Two Paw 8. I just used SS studs for the disconnect joint. My oars have a small diameter (started life as shovel handles) so I wrapped them with fiberglass cloth for about six inches on either side of the breaking joint. To stow the oars, I plan to attach shock cord to the bottom of my seat boards and just strap them under there. I haven't tried it yet, but they should fit if I measured right. These are certainly 'light duty' oars and I doubt if they'd stand up to hard pulling, but, by golly, they were inexpensive to make.

[Garry]

Shovel handles are a great idea!

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

I've seen/used homemade oars built with closet rods and they were amazingly strong. Once piece oars, but it is a testimate to their viability to oar making. Cheap too! Much cheaper than shovel handles. Figure out the connection points for two piece oars and they would be a good solution for a dink.

[rlchenry]

Some quick web searching for "coupler pole" found some options to use with home made oars:

http://wesspur.com/Pole-Pruners/pole-pruners.html (lower right)

And some buttons that you could probably make a coupler out of two pieces of pipe:

http://topkayaker.net/TopKayakerShop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=174

[Garry]

Hmm - Those fiberglass poles look interesting. There are fiberglass replacement handles for shovels that look interesting too. They might be a little heavier, designed for more bending loads than pruner poles. The aluminum connectors look good also but I suspect they come with plated steel button snaps. The SS snap could probably be used instead.

I wonder how the fg poles would stand up to the hard knocks my oars seem to get, especially if they spend many hours in the sun. It would not be good to have to deal with fiberglass splinters. And the aluminum couplers may not be great under the bending stress of rowing especially in heavy weather.

So, Im thinking of modifying my spruce 6-1/2' (78") oars. I would make a coupling sleeve about 12" long with epoxy and glass that will be plenty strong and durable. It would be a custom fit by wrapping the removable half of the joint first with a light layer of plastic (or spray with Pam) and them forming the sleeve in place. In use, a pin through the sleeve would keep the removable portion in the socket. Each half would be about 42" long which should fit in the bow section in mounts similar to Ray's.

What do you think?