Oars for my dory

[L.W. Baxter]

So, last week I announced to my wife that I would "take a little break" from working on the boat, which was met with an approving nod of the head from said wife. When I entered the house later that evening with sawdust in my pants-cuff, the lady asked what I was doing, no doubt expecting one of the several household fixes I have on the list. When I told her I was making oars, her eyes rolled back in her head so hard I thought she was going to have a seizure... but you know, oars aren't really part of the boat...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid83/p128b709d2900a1665d7fc393b51ff991/fae24d7c.jpg

These were made to a drawing in RD Culler's Skiffs and Scooners. He recommends, as a rule of thumb, that oars be "at least" twice the beam of the boat. My dory's beam is 4'8", so if my calculations are correct, my oars should be... 9'4"! :eek:

That seems very long. I ended up with 8'10", which was the longest I could do with the sitka spruce stock I had on hand. Even so, they seem awfully long, and I am considering reducing the length before I finish them, maybe by as much as a foot...any experienced oarsman want to explain to me why I should leave them long?

Captain Culler says that most boats are equipped with oars so short that they are only useful for "stirring a big vat of jam." I don't want to be the lubber who under-oared his dory...but they would stow more easily and maybe be less ungainly if they were shorter...

[jason stumpf]

l.w.,

shaw and tenny oarmakers have nice little formula for oar length and loom proportion:

http://www.shawandtenney.com/sandtfaq.htm

for my wherry, which is 4' between the locks, i ended up making 8' oars, which are a little longer than the conventional wisdom says. they work fine; long gentle strokes.

btw, your oars look great.

jason

[ 10-07-2003, 09:20 PM: Message edited by: jason stumpf ]

[paladin]

I dunno where but many moons ago I wuz told one and a half times the beam plus 6 inches.....seemed to work alright fer me......

[Bob Smalser]

Seems to me it depends on where you intend to use the boat...open ocean oar requirements are a whole lot different from a stump-riddled, brushy small pond.

[Ken Buck]

For what it's worth, on my 16' dory, I use 9' oars, and for my 18' dory, I use 9-1/2' oars. I believe the beam on my 16' is about 62" (not able to measure it right now), and the 18' is a little wider. I find these oar lengths just about perfect. I agree with Cap'n Pete that too short is not a good thing.

My standard oars are spruce, and on the 16 footer, I usually carry a set of 8' ash oars as backup. (If for any reason the spruce breaks, the ash should get me home!) I chose the shorter ones as a compromise between rowing efficiency and ease of stowage; I don't use them that often, but it's nice to know they're there when the waves get tall. Sometimes I use them if I'm maneuvering in tight quarters.

I also use the 8' oars when rowing from the (narrower) bow station if I have only a single passenger, and they are OK from the middle rowing station - but not quite as nice as the longer 9' oars.

I think you'll be fine with anything between 8' and 9', with perhaps 8-1/2' as a happy medium. If possible, resist shortening them too much. It's too bad that a dory doesn't invite efficient stowage of oars due to its pointy-at-both-ends shape, but a few inches shouldn't make too much difference. If your boat isn't done enough for sitting in, you might want to wait on finishing the oars until you can sit in it and try them out (at least on land) - then you can commit to the final length.

It also depends a bit on how you expect to be using them. My own boat usage strategy involves using the oars as primary propulsion, either in my oars-only dory, or on my sailing dory in case the wind doesn't cooperate. Thus, I carry oars that I'll be happy rowing with for hours on end. You also need to consider how far from home base you'll be travelling. If you anticipate primarily sailing or motoring, and just using the oars for short distances or emergencies, you can justify using a shorter length oar (possibly as short as 7-1/2'), but if you forsee any kind of extended rowing, I'd recommend 8' or 8-1/2'. The disclaimer remains that the best length is what "feels right for your boat" so if you can do a test fit, that should help you decide.

Of course, worst case is that you end up making (or buying) another set if the size you pick doesn't work out right. By now, you know it's not too hard to do, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Or, a call to S&T will get you a set for a couple hundred $$... smile.gif

Cheers...

[L.W. Baxter]

Speaking of broken oars... the dimensions on culler's plans call for the shaft diameter to be 1" by 1-1/2" just above the blade. This seems impossibly slender to me, but I went ahead and did it anyway, kind of a leap of faith.

I'm so accustomed to seeing oars for the Mckenzie river drift boats that are so ubiquitous around here. Drift boat oars are very heavy duty, for whitewater use, of course... I don't plan on doing much of that, but I hope my carefully crafted oars don't snap the first time I go to push of of the beach...maybe I'll just have to get my feet wet instead. :D

[NormMessinger]

I can't add anything to the length question but just remember. If you make them too short you can always scarf on a piece but if you make them too long there's nothin' you can do about it.

Good looking oars there mate!

[Ken Hutchins]

I shortened a pair back when I thought I was invinceable. Cut the extra length off and turned new handles. I mounted the head and tail stocks and toolrest of my home made lathe to a plank. Clamped the blade between two chiseled out blocks of wood then put the oar in the 'lathe', turned it on and made new handles. :D Every time I think about that stunt I amaze myself I got away with it. :eek: Oh the things we do when we are young. :eek:

[nedL]

I don't think I'd worry about the diameter at the blade head. The only place I've ever broken oars is right at the lock (or in the case of most of mine at the thole pin). I believe this is the high stress point.

Oh, & I almost forgot to add the most important part. Beautiful job!!!! :D

[ 10-08-2003, 12:22 PM: Message edited by: nedL ]

[Venchka]

This information may not be an exact apples to apples match with your dory, but the Dory Shop lists oar lengths for their Banks dories here...

Dory Specs (http://www.doryshop.com/specs.html)

Cheers!

[Steve Lansdowne]

The Shaw and Tenney forumula is a good place to start, but the height of the locks makes a difference. I suggest starting longer and experimenting, then cut off the handle end as needed til you get what you want.

[Lazy Jack]

FWIW, I bought a pair of 8 foot spruce oars for my 18-foot Chamberlain gunning dory (I haven't gotten around to making my own yet) and find them really short. The boat simply out runs them and I can't get a long smooth pull except for the first few strokes. I feel they could easily be a foot and a half longer. They won't stow as easily while sailing, but then with the proper oars, I may not feel compelled to spend so much time sailing...

The oars for my adirondack guideboat ( a much faster vessel) are also only 8 feet but the length is perfect and I do get a nice long pull. . . don't ask for any logic, I still haven't figured that one out!

[Ken Buck]

As I mentioned above, I use 9-1/2' oars on my 18' dory, and they feel just right to me. I wouldn't be surprised if you find the same. As for the Guideboat, I expect it's a lot narrower than your dory, right? And perhaps not as high above the water? So shorter oars would make sense to me for that.

[ 10-09-2003, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: Ken Buck ]

[Paul Scheuer]

Since you're making them, why not tailor-made to exactly fit you and the boat. I'd start with temporary leathers (laced / no tacks) and minimum finish, maybe temporary buttons, and go out for a long row. Try all oarlock positions and choke up on the grips until you get it perfect. Nice work, by the way.