Da**ed NOISY rowlocks!!!

[Charlie J]

Just built a new dinghy. B And B Yachts Minipaw. 6'6", works great. Used it on a cruise this past five days. BUT!!!

I installed a pair (two rowing stations)of Wilcox Crittendon bronze rowlocks. Bought four sockets and two locks. These have GOT to be the NOISIEST rowlocks I've ever used. The shaft of the lock rattles inside the sockets so badly you couldn't slip up on a deaf fence post!! There must be a 16th inch of slop there.

Any one have any suggestions on how I should go about remachining the things so they are somewhat quiet? I have an idea to rebore the sockets larger and find some sort of sleeve to insert for the locks to fit into. Polyethelene maybe? Sound reasonable?

Ideas?

[bud]

Wow. One of the best things about a wooden boat is the quiet. If they're poorly made, I think you should replace them. I use bowling alley wax on mine to prevent creaking etc. Dunno if that is your problem.

[Paul Reagan]

There are really only two manufacturers of oarlocks left, Wilcox Crittenden and Perko. I recently saw a couple of pair of W/C horn oarlocks which came from the Pacific rim. They were nicely polished, except that the shaft was also polished, reducing it's diameter, resulting in extreme sloppiness in the socket.
Round oarlocks from W/C do not have this problem and are nicely made. It would appear that your alternatives are to switch to W/C round locks or Perko horn locks.
Shaw & Tenney carries nylon bushings to reduce 5/8" sockets to 1/2", but this won't solve your problem as it's the locks that are at fault.

[Ross Faneuf]

I have WC oarlocks I bought about 4 years ago, and the oarlock/socket fit is excellent. I seem to recall (without the catalog in front of me) that they come in a number of sizes; is it possible you have mismatched the sockets and the oarlocks?

[ 10-01-2002, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: Ross Faneuf ]

[Carlsboats]

Some oarlocks on the market today fit very poorly,
even though they are supposed to be mates. Last time I bought a pair of bronze ones, from Jamestown Distributors, the salesman and I had to go through a whole bin to get pairs that slid together nicely without binding (some of the sockets were so small the oarlock wouldn't even go in!) The salesman explained that the WC brand are now made in Puerto Rico, and there have been problems with quality control. Don't know if that is true, but the only solution I see is to pick them out yourself, or buy them from a specialty hardware supplier (Bristol Bz., etc. ) who will make sure they fit before mailing them out. Of course you'll pay for that.

[Wayne Jeffers]

Charlie,

I bought four of the 5/8- to 1/2-inch nylon bushings like Paul mentioned (I found them locally). I drilled 5/8-inch holes in oak blocks that I screwed to the gunnels of my rowing skiff and inserted the bushings to make oarlock sockets for two stations. They work wonderfully, although it's not traditional. If you can bore your sockets out to 5/8-inch without damage, and if the bushings won't spoil the looks, I'm sure they would work to quiet things.

Wayne

[Bill Perkins]

Carl I bought WC pintals at Hamilton Marine to fit WC gudgeons I already had . One fit , one was no go and I had to work it down on a stationary belt sander . I was told the same tale you were , inaccurate manufacture in Puerto Rico .

There is at least a third manufacturer of oarlocks , Barkley Sound Oar and Paddle in the NW . I bought a pair of their locks which fit my sockets all right .I got the "Boston " pattern ,with an eye for a lanyard cast on the side . Best for boats with side decks I think .

[ 10-02-2002, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Bill Perkins ]

[jason stumpf]

charlie,
if you have the machining capability, you could bore the sockets oversized, then sleeve the new big hole with something like delrin or uhmw plastic. then bore a new hole in the center and you're good to go. i've got a loose set of sockets on my wherry, and i made sleeves with thin sheet-bronze. when the sleeves wear, they are cheap to replace. i saw mention above about bristol bronze-- i won't bad-mouth here, but be advised that i had some big problems with oarlocks from there.
jason

[Donn]

charlie...if you've got a 16th of slop, just cut a couple of pieces of plastic from a plastic bottle. Cut rectangles, and insert them as sleeves. Lube the horn shaft with lithium grease.

[NormMessinger]

And yet another thought along the same lines as above. Some of the woodworking catalogues sell a high density, very slick plastic with adhesive on one side made for lining the edges of saw fences and the like. Depending on how much slop you have or can get by reeming the rowlock socket you might stick some of that tape on the inside. I have more than I can use. Want me to send you some?

--Norm

[Bill Dodson]

Check out these sources:
Metallic Oarlocks for Fixed Seat Rowing (http://www.openwater.com/Boatshow/oarlock_special_report/oarlock_sources.htm)

[Paul Reagan]

As a point of information, W/C were originally made in Connecticut, but, because of EPA regulations, they were forced to shut down. They bought a foundry in Costa Rica, but had problems manufacturing in that environment. A new owner had taken over and moved production to the Pacific rim. Much of their stuff is great, but some leave a lot to be desired.
To the best of my knowledge (it's all in my head), they never had anything made in Puerto Rico.

[JimConlin]

How about grease? If you're a traditionalist, it must be tallow.

[cmtacking]

Try wrapping 'em real good with teflon tape Charlie. :D Riley

[Charlie J]

Thanks- I have many options to think about. The sockets and horns were all ordered through a wholesale house, so I had no way to match things up. And they are the round locks by the way. I always use round locks on dinghies so I can make them captive on the oars with a button. That way I don't have to worry about losing them down in the bottom of a locker smile.gif

Riley- we're heading back out tomorrow morning for another overnight trip. I'll try the teflon tape as a temporary measure at least.

Norm- that's a very generous offer. I don't know what the actual slop measures yet - haven't had time to mike 'em. But I will next week and let you know.

[Scott Rosen]

Compared to an outboard motor or a jetski, noisy rowlocks don't seem so bad.

[NormMessinger]

It ain't generous at all and it may not work but it wont cost more that a 1st class stamp to try. LEMME KNow

--Norm