sculling oars for Kingfisher

[paulp]

I am looking for plans for sculling oars (9'9" for the sliding seat Kingfisher). I took a pattern from a set of oars at my local rowing club. However, I need the dimensions for the hollow core of the oars. Thanks.

[rvanvoris]

I used to have a pair of beautiful stika spruce oars for the kingfisher I builtbut now I only have one of them the other having come away the worse for an encounter with a nav.buoy in Sippican harbour.

I cut off the blade of the broken oar and made it into a signboard at my house but I have the shaft of the oar if you would like a peice of that email me with your adress and I will send you a section of it.

I use carbon oars now nowhere near as aesticly pleasing but with the hatchet blade I like them, and I think they are faster.

[Eric Hado]

Glen-L sells plans for spoon oars (sculls) for a reasonable price. It gives front and side views and 4 cross sections of the blade.
It also includes lines for work oars. I began work on a pair during the summer and got distracted with other things and have not yet finised them. There is quite a bit of slow work with hand tools making curved shapes. If you like sculpting go to it. If you just want some sculls consider buying a pair. They can be found used for about $250. There is a website that deals in used wooden sliding seat boats and ars called ROWABLECLASSICS.com

[DougGray]

Unless your driven to build, I'd look for a pair of used ones. Be careful to chech for pitch. I bought a beautifull pair of unused Coker's (the handles were not shaped), in perfect condition , for $150! Check with Gramme King. He sometimes has used wooden skulls available.
Regards,
Doug Gray

[Joel Herzel]

I have been building sculls for the past six months or so that are an adaptation of the bird's mouth spar method mentioned in WoodenBoat #149. They are hollow in section with eight staves. They are round at the handle end and taper to oval at the blade. The blades are spoons which are flat in cross section. There is a photo of them in WoodenBoat #156 on page 25. I have just completed a pair made of Port Orford cedar that weigh in at 55 ounces including the plastic oarlock sleeves and a rubber cover on the handle; I believe the same weight as the carbon fiber oars our club in Santa Cruz uses. I wrote an illustrated article showing how to make them for a magazine called Messing About in Boats, to be published soon. The article is complete, and I would be happy to email it to anyone who is interested. The article that will be in the magazine has all the photos however, which make the process a lot clearer. Nonetheless, I think a woodworker of moderate experience could make them from reading the process explained in just the text. As soon as I finish just one more drawing (maybe this weekend), I'll send in the article. The magazine is a very nice publication, by the way. Published 24 times a year for $24. MAIB, 29 Burley St. Wenham, MA 01984. ph. 978 774 0906. My sculls are admittedly very light, but I use them hard to push a 110 lb. double in rather rough water here. I think a creative person could make them heavier for heavier loads with larger dimensions and different specie of wood, as I explain in the article. Let me know, my address is moniherz@cats.ucsc.edu Good luck.



[This message has been edited by Joel Herzel (edited 12-02-2000).]

[Mike_from_Corona]

Lucky me! In my stumbling and bumbling around this new-to-me WB Forum, I landed on a couple of folks who have built the Kingfisher. I opened a topic in the boat building forum because I just bought the plans, and this will be my very first attempt at boat building. I'd be grateful to learn anything I can from someone who has already built one. Mike

[pmpsailor]

Mike_from_Corona : Can you paste a link for your forum on the building forum, for some reason i have tried to do a search on the build forum, and it is not working.
Thanks.

ps, if anyone else has a good link on the kingfisher, please post!!