CS17 Oars

[ecgossett]

How long should oars be for a CS17, some people have told me 9' but is that long enough?

Curved, straight blade, etc whats best?

I don't have time to build my own, what is the best place to buy? My hardware will probably come from Duckworks.

- Edward

[Randy Jones]

Edward,

Consider canoe paddles for the kids and two piece oars that you could leave hidden in storage. I'm using carlisle two piece aluminum shafted rafting oars - they are ugly but they have a very strong connection and wouldn't be too bad if I replaced the plastic blades with wood. Assembled length is just under 9 feet. The best part is that the oars fit in the forward seat storage.

In practice a CS17 will move in almost no wind. I rather enjoy light air sailing and very rarely row even though I don't carry a motor. A canoe paddle at the dock is sometimes necessary. With a (working) motor I doubt you'll row very often either.

I'm probably the only one with this approach but that's what I ended up with when I couldn't find a decent two piece wooden oar.

Congratulations on launching the boat.

Randy

[Ray Frechette Jr]

Long enough to dip in the water....

If you are oppting for oar storage alongside bulkhead your limiting factor will be the clearance between aft bulkhead and thwartseat.

Ideally they would be a wee bit longer, but what you can fit in that space works.

I forget exact length.

I will know soon enough as I fit thwart seat on current cs 17 in shop.

As to not having time to make. For Pity's sake, You are building a whole boat.... Oars take a couple of days with cure time.

Anyhow, most marine stores selling premade oars do not sell oars long enough from past experience. IIRC they awer about 6-12 inches too short.

Shaw and Tenny has a good reputation and has been around the Mulberry bush more than once.

Really, make your own need not be onerous.

Graham ripped and laminated up some looms and then cut a swoop in the distal edge and glued in plywood blades and then 8 sided the looms and rounded the looms out.

Fiberglass cloth to looms to resist the locks rather than leathers and then a turkshead tied as a stop and then epoxy coat the turks head.

That will work well enough. They just have to move you. They don't need to be Culler pattern works of art.

[ecgossett]

With the tubes I should be good with a longer oar. The problem is the currents in the St. Marys River.. Today with 1-3knot winds switching around it was not enough to move against current, or easily change position. The 2hp engine was nice but 3.5 is only a little heavier will provide same power with less fuel at half throttle, and give me good emergency power.

With kids I don't want to fool around with safety or get stuck out for hours waiting for weather window or conditions to change..

The right paddles could help avoid engine use except in adverse conditions.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

The limitation on oar length is a function of the distance between the thwart seat and the aft bulkhead. It is not a case of oar storage tube length.

IE you need to be able to clear the aft bulkhead with the blades while also clearing the thwart seat with the middle of the oar loom.

As much as I beat up on Wes for using his motor, that is mostly for fun.

Motors are fine and there is no reason to have to justify them.

For myself, I will never have one on a CoreSound series. If I ever Did Wes would be merciless at calling me a panty waist.

In any event a pair of oars is a nice backup to have in the era of ethanol contamination in our fuel.

The nicest thing about oars is they start on the first pull every time.

Just rowed a 100 miles over the course of the week in my Chamberlain Dory Skiff at Wooden Boat.

[Gordy Hill]

I had 9 foot oars on my cs17 and I think I could have fit 9' 6". Longer is better. The 9 footers were a bit short, but, when stowed beside the centerboard trunk, they didn't stick out.

The boat rows really well and the oars are very handy at the launch ramp. When I was sailing alone in very light wind I'd use one oar while facing forward and steering with the other hand. It made a huge difference!

Mine almost always started on the first pull....

[MisterMoon]

I've got a set of too short oars that came with my boat. On my old Daysailer, I used 9'ers which seemed about the right length. The CS is a little narrower, so I'd suggest 9'ers again.

FWIW, I purchased some perfectly functional 9' oars on Ebay for $100 including shipping. Since I lost one of mine on the EC last year, I'll be buying another set from the same supplier.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCELLENT-Pair-WOODEN-OARS-108-Paddles-9-Boat-NEW-/110730730317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c810db4d

In fact, I think I'll do that right now!

On my boat there is only one set of oar sockets that are usable only when the mizzen is stowed. Where do people suggest I put a second set of sockets? I mostly singlehand if that makes a difference.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

You can set a second set forward of the thwart seat and carry a board you can lay across the cboard trunk and both seats. Straddle the cboard trunk when sitting.

Board really wants to be fully up for that move.

[wkisting]

Motors are fine and there is no reason to have to justify them.

For myself, I will never have one on a CoreSound series. If I ever Did Wes would be merciless at calling me a panty waist.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

You can't justify having one though Wes.

[Ken_Potts]

Aaag! I can't stand it anymore!

Hey Ray - In my opinion you can't justify oars on a CS17 either. I went for more than a year without a motor OR oars. If you can't make the boat work well with just the sails and (maybe) a canoe paddle you need more practice And I was in central NC - The land of baking heat and no wind. Aw, shucks! I was planning to never admit to you that I'd sailed without a motor. Forget I mentioned it...

So Edward - If you're just looking for something to maneuver around a dock I think a canoe paddle is the way to go (easy to stow, easy to handle in cramped quarters and offers enough power). If you want to get through a bridge against wind and current I suggest you bring a motor along - My 2hp Honda was never too little to get the job done. On a nice day I would cruise along at about 1/4 throttle and something like 10 hours to the gallon, but I've also motored into a pretty good amount of wind (too much to sail in, especially after losing my main sprit) and a good current too. If you just plain like to row I'm not able to offer any good advice yet since I never got around to making the oars for my boat (though I think my next build will be a recreational shell).

[Ray Frechette Jr]

Well there are days with no wind at all in Maine.

But truth be told my oars do not get wet very often at all.

Mostly it is the 4 foot canoe paddles for close in work.

And if I didn't go to oar and sail boat meets where every body departs regardless of wind I would sit out the no wind days.

Only time I have broken out the oars was on the Small Reach Regatta when there was near enough to Nothin movin. And then it was until out of harbor where the open reach allowed a bit more wind. Then I sailed by the row sailin fellas and they hollered out ifn I felt guilty sailing by them or not.

[Randy Jones]

Edward,

8'-8" is the longest oar that fits beneath the rear thwart of my boat while clearing the rear coaming. I didn't built it, so I can't say how closely the seat position follows the plans.

Randy