Oars

Graham Knight · Post by **Graham Knight** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 6:09 am

I though I'd add my own small contribution to the Human Power section, seeing as it's a little bare at the moment.
HERE is a photo of a pair of oars I just made for my small dinghy. I knocked them up when I had a spare moment at work, from scraps of hardwood (Mahogany and Cedar) that I had lying around, and a length of knot-free Pine dowel for the shafts.
Glued together with epoxy and given a few coats of Epifanes spar varnish, the tips are capped with thin shim Brass for added protection.

RonW · Post by **RonW** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 2:45 pm

Nice oars Graham, gee we must think alike, I was going to add a post to human power also. The new board has been up for 90 days and we only have 2 posts to human power, but 28 posts to power boats with 270 replies. Is this is a sign of progression or what? The industrial revolution must still be in full bloom. But we will always have canoes, kayaks, and rowboats, thay are just too simple and quiet.Maybe more therapeutic as well.

John Bowen · Post by **John Bowen** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:42 am

Hello Graham, How's the build been going? I know awhile back you were talking about some oars and I see you put a HERE for them. But, I don't seem to be able to bring them up. Would like to see how they turned out.

Graham Knight · Post by **Graham Knight** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:56 am

Hi John, those oars worked out well, but I sold the dinghy last year as it's being replaced with the skiff that I'm just putting the finishing touches to.
I kept the oars thinking they might be useful, but they're no use for the skiff at all, and are just about to have a second incarnation as leeboards for my canoe which I built a small rig for!
In the meantime I've made a pair of proper 8' 2" spoon blade oars for the skiff, I'm particularly pleased with them, they're really beautiful if I say so myself.
They're made from Douglas-fir (I couldn't afford Sitka Spruce at 5 times the price plus 100 mile drive to collect it!) which has taken on a gorgeous honey colour after 8 coats of Epifanes varnish, tipped with Walnut to protect the very thin ends, and with nice dark brown leathers stitched in place.
I'll take some photos of them and the finished skiff soon and post them somewhere, in the meantime here are the other oars again...