breaking oarlock horns

[neilm]

I've been using 1/2" diameter bronze round oarlock horns. I've never broke any but twice now guests using my boat have broken them. Perhaps maybe they are lifting them out, not sure. Any suggestions for an easy fix?

Neil

[Bobcat]

I've been using 1/2" diameter bronze round oarlock horns. I've never broke any but twice now guests using my boat have broken them. Perhaps maybe they are lifting them out, not sure. Any suggestions for an easy fix?

Neil

Don't let your guests row

[Thorne]

Could they be using the oars to pry against the top of one horn? I assume the horn arms are breaking, not the shaft.

Either get some inexpensive non-bronze ones for loaners, or consider lashing the top of the horns together to keep 'em from levering the oar against the tops -- making them more like ring or oval oarlocks.

[Pernicious Atavist]

buy cheap kayaks for your guests

[JimConlin]

Could be poor quality castings. Who is the manufacturer?

[tapsnap]

What are the made of ? If they are galvanized cast iron you can braze them back together with an Oxy- Acetylene torch - don't breath the Zinc fumes. If they are bronze the best way is with a TIG welder. You can weld silicon bronze with Oxy-Acetylene but the results are not great - problems with the metal oxidizing. TIG is essentially the same tecnique only the weld is bathed in Argon to avoid the oxidation.

[georgel]

you can braze with an acetylene air torch. They are relatively inexpensive. It gets around the oxidation problem.