Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Spare Oar Transport
Fellow Dory Men and Women,
I've scanned most all the Dory photos on this site, and have yet to see a good way to carry a spare wooden oar with you down the River. I know from rafting, that the authorities on the permited Rivers require you to carry a spare oar. Any ideas? Does a spare alum. break-apart make sense,since the blade pops off, and is easier to stow? Thanks in advance for any feed back,boats%20008.JPG or pics of what works for you!
Views: 1904
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by lhedrick on
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On white water boats we usually lash them to the gunwale. On my fishing boat I have dry storage built into the sides and the spare oar shaft without the blade gets mounted on the side by the rowers seat.
I have not seen any good break down spare oars. I would also like to know about more options for them. Might be something we need to make. Since most surfaces on our boats are curved the place for a spare oar mount for a 9 or 10 foot oar is a problem.
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Permalink Reply by justin nicola on
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we use mini bungees w/ a ball on the end to lash down everything from gaffs to pushpoles to spare oars (on the gunnels). they hold tight, are very compact, and comes off easy. i agree w/ one of the later posts, if an oar is in pieces in dry storage somewhere, you won't be able to get it out in a timely manner. on the few times i've lost oars/paddles, its been in a whitewater situation, not lazily floating down a calm stretch of glassy water.
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Permalink Reply by AJ DeRosa on
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I consider a spare oar as a mandatory emergency piece. Just stick it in behind the rowers seat and it will always be ready when the emergency comes knocking. It will stick out a little above the transom but it's ready to go when you need it. Broken down in pieces and stowed away under a seat and it is reduced to just a spare oar. Try getting it out and assembled and into the oar lock and you will see what I mean.
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Permalink Reply by Herb Jacobsen on
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It is not whether or not there is a good way to store a spare oar, it is whether or not you can get to it when you DESPERATELY need it. Do not tie the oar down in any way and do not get a break apart oar. In a drift boat you usually don't have a lot of time to recover when an oar breaks or you lose one.
Look at my pictures and you will see how it is tucked into the area between my seat and front seat. One on each side. I have broken oars at some goofy times and had to row the rest of the rapid with one oar. Not time to get the spare in. Keep the boat straight and it will get you through......
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Permalink Reply by Greg Hatten on
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I concur with all of the above... that spare oar has got to be easily accessible - cause when you need it, you really need it. I made a little leather "sling" just off the transom for the oar handle and then just rest the oar blade off the passenger seat. It's out of the way, easily deployed, and always in the same place. In addition, I carry my spare oar lock on my left side and put it in a hole I drilled in the rowers seat "shelf"... again, easy to deploy and always in the same place. My throw rope is also on my left and easily reachable... I set up my boat for "safety" on the left and "fishing" on the right. I have a simple mind and I want as "few" things to think about as possible in an emergency. Here's a picture of the sling... it's a little "cluttered" but the boat is at rest - when I'm on the water, the spare oar is alway free and clear, nothing draped over it or resting on it (like a net).
It was a pretty good day on the river, the steelhead were "biting" and so were the "bike wheels" - you wouldn't believe some of the crap I've drug out of that river... arrrrg.
GH
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Here's a better picture of the "sling" (which is actually a leather strap I took off my wife's old Hartman luggage) - Rick loves that one!!
And a better picture of my spare oar lock holder.....
GH
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Permalink Reply by Hal Jaeke on
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Greg,
The pictures are exactly what I was looking for! That's a great system you have set up.I've had a few "situations" on my raft that required immediate access to the spare oar, and I knew that I wanted a safe system of oar "ready-ness" on the wood boat. Thank-you to you, and all the respondents of my question! This is an outstanding website for all things "wood boat"!
PS - And well done on the bike wheels! They look like 26 inchers....what were they biting on! :)
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I've had a few "situations" on the Rogue and it's amazing how "fast" things can happen - so little time to think.
The steelhead were 28's and the wheels were 26 inchers and, believe it or not, both were biting on purple leaches.... ha ha. I cleaned the fish - but not the wheels.
GH
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Permalink Reply by Jim Hall on
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Hey. On whitewater dories the front cross is interupted on one side to make a space for the spares to lie--some bungee cord creates retention for the blades. They are bungeed to the gunwales right next to the boatman for quick access. It works alot better than the way most rafts are rigged--you don't really even have to get up to deploy a spare. Also, I think it makes sense to have two spares--if you have one and need it then you have no more spare, not good.
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Permalink Reply by Robb Grubb on
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Hal, Good to hear you want to carry a spare in the first place, that is the first step. There are lots of ways to stow and carry based on ones previous experiences. You might even change the way you carry based on the water you run and adjust on a trip by trip basis. As mentioned by the folks replying, timely accessibility is key. Obviously an open Mckenzie boat has more options to store than a decked dory. I grew up on boney, rock gardens with brushy corners so I learned not to have anything above the gunnel line, including fishing poles, ropes or spare oars.
The day I decided to start carrying two spares was the day I lost my first two oars in the Froggers on the North Umpqua and only had one spare to take me to the beach. The day I started "firmly" securing the oar to the boat was when I swamped my boat in Clover Point on the Mckenzie in the winter time and the spare oar started to float "out" of the boat. I would imagine tying them down will prevent them from departing in the event of a flip as well.
Regarding anything that you put in your boat with the exception of people, visualize hanging your boat upside down and see what is going to fall out or hang, and decide if you want that object to fall out or hang upside down in the river environment.
Like Greg says, "it happens really fast". Depending on if the oar shaft is tapered or not, it will be harder to get the thing into the oar lock at the blade or up the shaft. Which ever way you choose, consider being able to manage the new spare oar into the oar lock with one hand. Maybe even practice in front of a group of people :) And one more thing, try not to be lured into having a spare that does not match your other set that was 10 dollars at a garage sale, you may have to actually row with the thing.
Cheers, Robb
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Robb,
Yes, as a rafting guide, I well know- and practice, the "rig to flip" rule. After a particularly bad "incident" in Velvet Falls on the Middle Fork a few years ago, I now always carry 2 spare oars on my raft. It's just a lot easier to carry them out of the way on a oar frame, than on the Drift boat. So I really appreciate hearing how others do it, as I enter into the River Dory world.
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Here's what I came up with to carry the spare oar and have it fairly handy, with out being in the way. Thanks to all who gave me advice!
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Oar mount RRS 007.jpg, 1.7 MB -
Oar mount RRS 008.jpg, 1.7 MB
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Oar mount RRS 011.jpg, 1.7 MB
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