| I recently acquired a very lightly
used, manufactured canoe and have decided to give it a try with
oars and rowing. There is nothing magic in the process here, but
I hope to provide ideas for any readers who might be similarly
inclined. My main objective with the setup shown here is to do
two things. Number one is to test this particular canoe form for
suitability for rowing. Does it track decently, do I feel enough
stability with this hull, etc? Number two is to be able to test
the canoe without permanently altering it. Therefore the gear
rigged here is meant as temporary and no irreversible work or
damage is done to this canoe itself at this point. The seat and
oarlock blocks can be repositioned to find best balance points
in the hull for rowing with or without a passenger and/or with
anticipated gear. During the rowing trials all temporary rowing
gear and c-clamps will be tethered with stout string to avoid
overboard loss.
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The scrap 1/2 inch plywood, glued and screwed |
The first photo above shows several things. The scrap 1/2 inch
plywood, glued and screwed, oarlock outrigger block is form fit
to the aluminum gunnel inside profile and when clamped with the
c-clamps raises the oarlock approximately 10 degrees above the
gunnel edge. The small riser block (3/4 inch lumber) for the bronze
oarlock socket, (from Duckworks Store) gets the oar
blade sufficiently high enough out of the water during the loading
portion of the normal rowing stroke. The oarlock block assembly
has been saturated with thinned old varnish.
On the floor of the canoe is a caned seat on plain cedar boards,
notched to fit over the canoe, "ribs," and made to fit
flat on the canoe floor. The bamboo framed, caned seat is recycled
from a set of chairs purchased for next to nothing at a resale
shop. Any low, light weight, stable, temporary bench seat that
can be repositioned in a fore and aft direction is suitable. The
seat height upon which I will set a closed-cell foam boat cushion,
will be slightly lower than the original canoe seats. The hard
rubber bumper on the c-clamp in the foreground is to protect the
gunnel and it is a foot meant for the bottom of a small table
leg. These are available at most hardware stores in packs of four.
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Another view of the oarlock outrigger block. |
The second photo above shows another view of the oarlock outrigger
block. These blocks have enabled me to get a spread of 46 inches
between the oarlocks on this canoe which has a maximum beam of
36 inches. This is more than adequate for my 90 inch long, 32
ounce weight, antique spruce sculls. I can do a cross-hand stroke
with these sculls for low gear and work my hands out to a side-by-side
stroke when up to a bit of speed. My solution to protecting the
oar looms at the oarlocks was to first do a traditional wrap with
3/16 inch black nylon braided cord. A kind of turks-head knot
keeps the oar and bronze oarlock (from Duckworks Store) integral.
After wrapping the loom, I mixed epoxy with graphite powder and
saturated the black cord. This has created a durable waterproof,
friction free connection. 50 feet of 3/16 inch cord was enough
to wrap approximately 10 inches of the loom which averages about
1-3/4 inch diameter where it is wrapped.
You are now ready to test your canoe and oars. Remember, this
is a test and is not an expedition or a raid. The c-clamps are
liable to loosen. Check them occasionally. I am only testing for
best boat trim, for possible eventual permanent rowing positions
and for general boat performance. Also, know the limits of your
canoe. This particular manufactured canoe was meant for a certain
use, light touring in relatively decent weather. And do take it
easy with the stresses on your canoe hull. To make room for rowing,
I have removed the carrying yoke from the canoe, which allows
slightly more flex in the gunnels. I don't want to bend them.
I will compensate for this should I eventually want a more permanent
rowing solution with this particular hull. I may find that this
hull is unsuitable for rowing, but with this small investment
in time and materials, I am already having fun finding out and
I will report on the results.
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