Thole Pins?

[sr. jigaboni]

Before I broke my foot I got close to finishing my rowboat. Since, I've had time to ponder finishing it. I've been perusing the catalogues looking for oarlocks, but have considered thole pins since the beginning.

While re-reading the Riggers Apprentice I noticed a drawing in the grommet section with grommeted thole pins. The grommets appear to hold the oars to the single pins. Anyone familiar with this system? Maybe I'll use it, as I like making grommets.

[Ian McColgin]

The grommets keep the oar from drifting too far from the pin on the return stroke. I do not think them suitable for hard rowing in anything like rough water, which is where thole pins really come into their own, as they constrain the freedom of the oar to get free of a large wave by lifting high and the blade washing aft and into the boat. If the oar does escape, it will be hard to just plunk it back as you'll need two hands - one for the oar and the other for planting the grommet - to get the oar seated again, which leave the problem of the other oar.

It also prevents you from smartly tossing oars, or even shipping them depending on the shape of your boat, as you come alongside another boat or dock.

Even if you get open top oar locks, it's well to learn to row against a pin as there may come the time you need to get the oar working again even though the rowlock is 90 degrees off.

The secret is easy as it's in the feather. If you feather with the dropping wrist motion such that the upper edge of the blade leads, and if you learn the timing right, the rotation of the shaft will be just enough to keep the oar against the pin.

Start the feathering rotation as you're at the end of the stroke and the blade is starting to lift through the water. The angled blade moving up will continue to give you some thrust and on really lively oars you'll feel it like the spring in your step if you're in love. It should break free at about 45 degrees.

Continue the feather smoothly through the return stroke such that the blade feathers out to maybe 15 degrees. Don't go to horizontal as then the blade won't skip if you catch a crab and the return to water won't work.

For the transition from return to power stroke - the moment the trailing edge of the oar hits the water begin to unfeather and pull on the oar. The water pressure will set the blade angle and will push the shaft firmly to the pin.

Good sea oars (the Culler pattern) that are narrow bladed don't lift and soar even in high winds but really light spoon bladed sculling oars and even some big bladed store-bought oars will. This technique will not work for such oars, that are not suitable for a thole pin anyway.

It's all in practice.

Have fun.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Originally posted by Ian McColgin:

. . . you'll feel it like the spring in your step if you're in love. Very nicely put, Ian.

I just wish I could remember. :rolleyes:

Mike

[sr. jigaboni]

Thanks for the info on the thole pins, but thanks more for the description of rowing.

I guess I did the jackass thing and wasn't specific about my boat; it is a mississippi river yawl style skiff, meaning it's sharpie shaped, with the flare of a dory. The topside flare increases as it travels aft and continues right to the transom, and the inwales and outwales run perindicular to this flare.

The "original" boats had thole pins, as I can tell, two pairs of two; you know one on each side of the oar. Then I noticed the single pin, but always noticed some sort of strap or attachment. I suspected the grommet was attached somehow to the pin, perhaps a lashing that slipped over the pin. I never thought of rowing unattached to single pins.

Oh yes, I will use Culler style oars (8ft long 4in blade width) on this boat. I've used them before, and liked them more than big blades, and never rowed a sliding rig so never really needed (or got to use!) spoon blade oars.

I was thinking of using galv pipe, threaded into blocks, and hitched or served where they show. I could then slip a figure eight grommet over this and cap it. Real cheap and no slippy... we can both fish. I know it's not ideal, but I think it would work, particularly as I would like to be able to remove the tholepins when sailing or shipping via cartop.

Of course, I could row without for the fun, as the description sounded. Rowing is fun, huh?

What do you think of galv pipe as tholepin, with or without the grommet? I think hitched or served with black nylon they would look cool, and work well.

[htom]

I used them with the grommet around the oar, tied to the oar with a light loop. To use (and you can do this with one hand), rest the oar on the rail with the grommet "excess" between you and the oar, push forward until you hit the thole with the oar, lift the oar over the thole while catching the grommet with the thole. Row.

If you use the pipe, leather it. Part of the job of the thole pin is to break before the oar, though. Much easier to make a thole pin than an oar.

[trull]

Pete Culler's döry "Dancing Feather" had two Locust thole pins (for each oar) that we're tied together at their bottom ends and then looped through a little carved toggle. The pin holes had enough clearance so that with a slight pull on the toggle the pins could be pulled right into the holes. When not in use they would just hang down.