Storing oars in a Penobscot 17

[Rum_Pirate]

Where/how do you store your oars on your Penobscot 17 ?

Look at the second colour picture here http://www.by-the-sea.com/archdavisdesign/davis_penobscot17.html and you will see the extent of the decking.

[Tom W.]

Rum:
Oar stowage is simple, but not attractive, I lay them out near the bow, on the deck. It's not ideal, maybe there is another solution out there, I have thought of devising some type of holding mechanism off the knees, or something, but have not arrived at a good solution.
All boats are a compromise, and the 17 has a layout that I like, but the 14 is more traditional. If you come up with a clever solution for oar stowage, I'd like to hear it.

[Joe Dupere]

I have a Shellback with two rowing stations. When I'm sailing, I put
the oars in the oarlocks, one oar on each side of the boat. The loom fits in the forward oarlock, the blade in the aft oarlock. This keeps them off of
the thwarts, and ready to use in a hurry. The only problem I've seen so
far, is that if it's really breezy, the blades may lift out of the aft oarlock. I just keep an eye on them and make sure the blades are aligned up and down with the mast. On occations I've lightly lashed them down so they
don't lift up.

Joe, FPoP

[Thorne]

If you are concerned about storage of that sort in a PB17, you might ask Arch about an 'open plan' model...or consider building another boat. I store my oars on the floorboards of my dory skiff, and wouldn't consider oars too long to be stored that way, so that they would have to rest on the thwarts. Having them on the floorboards keeps them very much out of the way when sailing.

Personally I love the lines of both the PB14 and 17, but the thwart/storage layout of the latter doesn't appeal -- to me a small open boat should be....open. If a boat needs that much structure and storage, why not have fore and aft and small side decks?

There have been some previous threads on this topic, probably worth a search.

[Rum_Pirate]

Rum:
Oar stowage is simple, but not attractive, I lay them out near the bow, on the deck. It's not ideal, maybe there is another solution out there, I have thought of devising some type of holding mechanism off the knees, or something, but have not arrived at a good solution.
All boats are a compromise, and the 17 has a layout that I like, but the 14 is more traditional. If you come up with a clever solution for oar stowage, I'd like to hear it.I like the layout of the 17, I'd love the 17 with the 14 layout (I think somebody is doing that) but I do not have the shipwright skills at present to undertake that.

As far as oar storage goes:

I do not want two piece oars.

I was considering cutting a hole through the middle bulkheads and sliding the oars through so that they fitted (one on each side) against the outer sides of the footwells.

The length of the oars may prove to be longer than the distance from the stern bulkhead in the rear footwell to the bow bulkhead in the forward footwell.
They may (if too long) have to lie at an angle (low at stern and stick out over the foredeck.

For minimising cut outs, in the bulkheads, it might be appropriate that the handles be inserted first with blades facing the bow. However the other way might look neater.

A friend suggested I attach them to either side of the mast ! ! ! . . a bit difficult to raise lower/reef sail. :rolleyes:

What is the length of the oars that you are using on the 17 ?

[John Aitken]

I store mine in the oarlocks, with the blades hooked to the side of the boat toward the stern. The hooks are "L" hooks and the oars are always available in an instant. In a bad chop I might tie them down but haven't had to yet.


Where/how do you store your oars on your Penobscot 17 ?

Look at the second colour picture here http://www.by-the-sea.com/archdavisdesign/davis_penobscot17.html and you will see the extent of the decking.

[Rum_Pirate]

. . Shellback with two rowing stations. When I'm sailing, I put the oars in the oarlocks, one oar on each side of the boat. The loom fits in the forward oarlock, the blade in the aft oarlock. . . . . Joe, FPoP Not a bad suggestion/solution as the P17 also has two rowing stations. With the gunter rig the forward stations become shroud attachment points.
Also provides a lean-back amidships.

I store mine in the oarlocks, . . . and the oars are always available in an instant. The immediate availibiity is a great plus, but I intend to have the oars 90% as safety equipment.
So, I am looking for a more hidden(?) storage location for the oars.

Do you think that my proposal to store the oars in the footwells through the mid bulkheads is practicable/possible?

John, what length are your oars ?

[Ken Leap]

I am building a Caledonia Yawl. It is a 19'6" boat with 11' oars. (I have redesigned the interior to get two extra rowing stations, for a total of three stations.) A significant amount of my redesign has to do with storing the oars. They will sit on top of notched floors, in between and flush with the floorboards. The foreward bulkhead has a cutout, and a short, raised deck forward keeps stored gear off of the oar blades. Also, the aft rowing thwart is hinged (and removeable) to allow removing and stowing the oars. See drawing below:

http://www.kenleap.com/images/cy_int_layout_1_lg.jpg



Ken

[adampet]

Nice layout
http://www.kenleap.com/images/cy_int_layout_1_lg.jpg

Adam