oar leathers

[jimnmad]

Once I have the leathers installed on the oars and everything is adjusted for the width of the boat, what do you do if you have three rowing stations and want to use the oars at the bow or stern stations? Leave the collars way inboard? I know there is a practical solution but I sure don't know what it is. Thanks

[Donn]

Leather the horns instead of the oars, like Billy Bones did:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid25/p13f7761eb708099dc9545c0b16b8a4d5/fd8b3e6b.jpg

Here's his thread:

http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005115

Since my oars are fiberglass, I used a far less elegant solution...short sections of vinyl/rubber garden hose on the horns.

[htom]

Either longer leathers (so that all three positions are on the leather) or leathering the oarlocks instead of the oars.

[Chris Stevens]

Speaking of oars, does anyone make something like a molded plastic oar (8') that looks exactly like a traditional wooden oar?? I've broken two wooden oars this year, I can't afford to keep buying new ones. I paint them anyways, so looks wouldn't be a problem.

[Donn]

Chris...Caviness makes synthetic oars, but they don't look exactly like wooden oars:

http://www.cavinesspaddles.com/ProductPages/O1000%20Series.html

How are you breaking the oars? Are they spruce or ash? If they're spruce, try ash.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Originally posted by donnwest:

How are you breaking the oars?Yes, I'd like to know the answer to this one, too. And where are you breaking them -- at the blade or at the buttons? And if the latter, are the leathers sewn or tacked?

Mike

[ 07-14-2002, 08:05 AM: Message edited by: Wooden Boat Fittings ]

[TomRobb]

Northwest River Supplies sells aluminum and plastic river rafting oars that seem to be designed to take a beating.
And, yes, how exactly are you breaking them?? :eek:

[Charlie J]

Hey Mike- glad to see your name back on the postings.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Thanks Charlie. Me too,,,,

[Bruce Hooke]

If you don't like the idea of leathering the locks...

The buttons are there to keep the oars from sliding out of the oarlocks not to keep the oars in the right rowing position, so in normal use the buttons should be somewhat inboard of the oarlocks anyway. So, I would just make sure that they are in enough to so that the distance from the inner end of the oar to the button is around 2" inches less than half the distance between the pair of oarlocks that are closest together (i.e., if you put the ends of the handles so that they are touching each other over the centerline of the boat then the buttons should be at least 2" inboard of where the locks hit the oars). Then make sure that the leathers are long enough to work at the widest station. Of course, if there is a LOT of difference in the distance between the oarlocks at the different rowing stations then what you may find is that you need different length oars for the different rowing stations, which make this all a moot point.

[Chris Stevens]

Well, they are breaking right at the thole pins...no leathers, just wrapped with tape every time I go out (no wear to the wood, however). Must be rowing a little hard. ;)

[Bruce Hooke]

Chris: As Donn noted, if you are using spruce oars you might try switching to ash. If you can bust an ash oar then you are one strong fellow! :eek:

[Donn]

Chris: stationary thole pins are, by their nature, tougher on oars than swiveling horns. Leathers won't help this. If you don't wnat to try the heavier wood oars, consider some sort of sleeve, like aluminum, that would protect the oar from the bending stress of the thole pin. This will, of course, change the rowing characteristics of the oar, but it might help keep it in one piece.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Originally posted by donnwest:
stationary thole pins are, by their nature, tougher on oars than swiveling horns. Leathers won't help this. Donn's right about the thole pins too, Chris. They're not very forgiving arrangements. However, I'm not sure that sleeving will help enough -- there'll still be essentially a single point loading between oar and pin. Ash is certainly stronger than spruce, but it's also a lot heavier. I'd suggest you bite the bullet and invest in a pair of proper rowlocks before you buy ash oars.

The curve in a rowlock's horn allows the load to be spread around the oar's circumference somewhat. And the fact that the rowlock swivels with the oar means that the oar stays in contact with 1/2" or so of horn lengthways along the shaft as well, thus spreading the load out further again. And finally, if you leather the oars as well, that will help spread the load out even further round the shaft. (But if you do decide to leather them, don't be tempted to tack the leather down. Tacks will produce a new set of stress points. Lace it, and use a bit of glue for the button if necessary.)

Then if you still succeed in breaking the oars, you might consider changing to ash. Or maybe a steel I-beam,,,,
___________

Donn, you didn't come from New Zild originally did you? How come we're agreeing like this all the time?

Mike

[Donn]

"Donn, you didn't come from New Zild originally did you? How come we're agreeing like this all the time?"

No, Mike...Indianapolis. I can't explain the agreement, it seldom happens. ;)

[skuthorp]

I saw on a documentary recently oars with a long (about 12ins) triangular piece of wood attatched over the fulcrum point with a hole for the thole pins (Spain somewhere). Rowed with the oar aft of the pin. You could have an extended piece with 2 or more holes, and these would be easily replaced as the holes ware loose. Someone here will know what I 'm referring too

[jimnmad]

Thanks for all of the replies. Actually Bruce Hooke answered the question I didn't know enough to ask in the first place. The buttons don't locate the oars, they just keep them from sliding out. Having never seen them in action I presumed wrongly.
Now for the next question. If two people of approximately the same size and strength are rowing a boat and the boat width at both stations is about the same, do the oars have to be the same length? If they weren't it would seem like the two rowers would never be able to synchronize their effort. Or, can I be too cheap to buy another pair of oars?

[Bill Dodson]

I saw on a documentary recently oars with a long (about 12ins) triangular piece of wood attatched over the fulcrum point with a hole for the thole pins (Spain somewhere). Rowed with the oar aft of the pin. You could have an extended piece with 2 or more holes, and these would be easily replaced as the holes ware loose. Someone here will know what I 'm referring too That sounds like how I've seen done on Irish curaghs, if I'm viusualizing and remembering rightly.

[Donn]

"If two people of approximately the same size and strength are rowing a boat and the boat width at both stations is about the same, do the oars have to be the same length? If they weren't it would seem like the two rowers would never be able to synchronize their effort."

The oars don't "have" to be the same length, but if all else is equal, they probably would be. All things will never be equal, however. Matching factors like technique, stamina and experience in doubles rowing will never be possible.

There are often many reasons to own oars of various length. I have a set of 8' oars in my skiff, which I use when I have to negotiate narrow spaces...like in the canal when I'm gathering grass shrimp. I also carry a pair of 10 footers for open water rowing.

Rowing double always involves one rower compensating for the other, much like the stern paddler compensates for the bow paddler in a canoe.

[Bruce Hooke]

Originally posted by jimnmad:
If two people of approximately the same size and strength are rowing a boat and the boat width at both stations is about the same, do the oars have to be the same length? If they weren't it would seem like the two rowers would never be able to synchronize their effort. Or, can I be too cheap to buy another pair of oars?I would say that "synchronize their effort" is the key phrase. If one set of oars is shorter that person will be doing less of the work. You probably could row double this way but I think it would be a little "interesting". That said, just because there is more than one pair of oarlocks does not mean that you have to set yourself up to row double. One good reason for having two sets of oarlocks is to allow the rower to move forward in the boat to balance the boat if there is a passenger in the stern. In fact on quite a few boats the oarlocks are close enough together that it can be hard to row double without the person at the forward rowing station hitting the other person in the back.

[Donn]

Billy..your description sounds alot like the Adirondack Guide Boat oars, called "Grant Pattern" oars in the Shaw & Tenney catalog. The square section, however, mounts into a special horn that is connected to the oar with a pin that runs thru a hole in the square section.