"shaw & tenny" oarlocks

[chergui]

Has anyone or ordered oarlocks from them? I was under the impression they made their own hardware. Instead they send me these off the shelf Perko oarlocks in a package. Is it just me or is their web site misleading? Mind you they weren't expensive but including shipping, etc, I may as well have spent a bit more and got a nice pair from Davey & Company. I'm a bit miffed.

[Lew Barrett]

Thanks for the heads up. I'd been considering buying a pair of their oars (which I do belive are quite good) but have been badgered into making my own by a friend who insists I come up to San Juan Island and build them with him. How can I resist?

[Clinton B Chase]

I really suggest giving Shaw and Tenney a call and speaking with Steve Holt there, owner/operator and very good guy. Explain that you were expecting some unique Maine made oar locks by them...they do say the oar lock horns are cast by them. They do have a cster and make some of their own stuff. What exactly did you get? Some things do not say they are cast by them, like the sockets, and they may use Perko...which is the best stock stuff available. You are correct - they should say Perko. Steve is reasonable and a good guy, call him.

Clint

[MiddleAgesMan]

Were yours bronze?

I just bought a pair and they have a tiny imprint that I assumed was their logo but I'll take a closer look. The oarlocks and flush mount sockets came to just under $70. There was no packaging with the Perko name on any of the items.

[rbgarr]

From the website it looks to me like all but the "Patent" oarlock designs are Perko (or Wilcox-Crittenden patterns):

http://www.shawandtenney.com/catalog/index.php?Category=Marine_Hardware

Jamestown Distributors has a wider assortment to choose from: http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/siteMap.do?action=map2&catId=405

[Tom Hunter]

I own a pair of Shaw and Tenny long blade spoons, spruce I think.

I raced my boat for a number of years and tend to row fast. A few years ago I had to splice in some oak where the oars rub against the oarlocks. But the oars have been excellent, I am very pleased with them.

Anyone who rows at a normal pace would easily get a decade or more out of them without repair.

[Lew Barrett]

Tom, I'd be more than happy with a pair of S&Ts. It's just I've been hornswaggled into making my own. If you consider the value of time and materials, I doubt you could do better than to buy a pair from them.

[chergui]

They are well known for their quality oars. If I were buying oars I'm sure they would be top notch. I actually made my own also though. I'll see what else I can find then. The wooden boat foundation in port townsend had some nice ones. I'll check into those. Steven did email me back offering a refund. And apparently the #1-1/2 horns, patent swivel rowlocks, and outrigger brackets are made by them, but not the #1 horns that I ordered. I guess it wasn't unreasonable to think they were going to be made by them. Oh well. I figured if I spent so much time building this dinghy I may as well put some nice oarlocks on it.

Yes mine were manganese bronze. All the off the shelf bronze oarlocks looks pretty bad to me, they are pitted and very rough. They even came in the Perko packaging.

[JimConlin]

To me, the Wilcox-Crittenden rowlocks are more nicely designed and finished than the Perko or Buck-Algonquin items.

[Bob Triggs]

You might try the Wooden Boat Foundation Chandlery or The Port Townsend Foundry, both have beautiful solid bronze cast oarlocks and sockets in various traditional sizes and styles. I shopped around for a long time and found the best of those items right here at home. The foundry does custom work too.

[Steve Holt]

Shaw and Tenney has modified the marine hardware page on our website noting the products we manufacture and the manufacturers of the those we do not. In addition the manufacturer of all marine hardware offered in our online store has been noted for each item.

We hope this will alleviate any future problems for our customers.

As always, since 1858, all our wooden product are manufactured right here in Orono, Maine.

[Thorne]

Steve -- good to see a merchant so responsive, and I know exactly how easy it can be to have things get a bit confusing when providing content for websites. Well done!

[Clinton B Chase]

The fact that Steve jumped on here and responded shows his commitment to excellence...I'm sure doing these sort of things costs $'s for S & T...but those guys do what they do b/c they love it, I look forward to visiting their shop soon I hope.

Please give S & T your business...they won't let you down. I don't mean to advertise, I'm just proud of Maine based co.'s like these guys!

Clint Chase

[Ben Fuller]

The 1 1/2" with the lanyard hole on the horn is my oarlock of choice. Allows for nice thick leather or wrapping the oar in line. I can't tell if they still offer it with the lanyard hole on the horn; used to be called the Boston pattern. Otherwise you need to take your oarlocks and find drill press and drill carefully in a web. Fastening the oarlocks through the bottom hole is time consuming and makes it difficult to stow the locks.

Despite seemingly high prices, they are not. Rushton charged 5 bucks for those folding out riggers that you would put on a 100 dollar boat. That boat is now 10k commercially built, which would mean that the outriggers would be 500.

What is critical to high milage on horns and sockets is tight fit. The tighter the better. Best I have ever seen needed to have the patina taken off to fit. Boy were they smooth.

If your boat is suited to the patent locks, they are smoother than the horns.

[Bill Perkins]

These folks still make the pattern with the lanyard eye cast on the horn .
http://www.barkleysoundoar.com/oarlock.htm#oarlock . I've had a set for years . Especially if there's any amount of side deck the common short chain and toggle led from the bottom end of the lock is not so good for me either.

[Steve Holt]

Shaw & Tenney's #1-1/2 horn oar lock (which we manufacture) does have the lanyard hole. It can be viewed on our marine hardware page under "round and horn oarlocks" and is the one on the right hand side of the photo. I will be updating our photographs in the near future to insure customers know which products they are selecting. Thanks for your patience.