Boat oar question

[handirifle]

I have a 12' Sears Alum fishing boat.  It has a 6HP Evenrude on the back, but today I go a set of oars, and the yokes to put on them, for just in case.

The question, is do I drill through the oars to mount the yokes?  The yokes have about a 1/8 -  3/16" dia pin that looks like it should go through the oars.  The oars are 6' long and wooden.  The oars are NOT pre-drilled for the yoke pin.  I remember, as a kid, the yoks came out with the oars whenever I removed them from a boat, but I cannot remember how the yokes were attached.  I bought the stuff at Bass Pro and no one there knew either.

Also, any suggestions on exactly WHERE to drill would be appreciated as well.
Thanks

[GRIMJIM]

Yes they were drilled as I remember also. I would set the yoke in the receiver on the boat and hold the oar so it is in the water and comfortable to you without the handles touching together and mark that location. Also the holes need to be drilled horizontally when the blade of the oar is vertical.

[handirifle]

OK I was starting to remember some of this but the handles do NOT overlap, correct?

[GRIMJIM]

Honestly I'm no expert but I think it would be uncomfortable if the oars hit each other while rowing. They won't while in the water but when you bring them back to row again I would think they should not hit each other.

Some interesting points here:

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboater/2005/01janfeb/feat2rowing.pdf

[quickdtoo]

I had a couple inches clearance tween oars on my drift boat, have the same on my cataraft.

I've always used bronze oak locks and oar-rites that fit on the shaft of the oars to align the blade for the best stroke.

Tim

http://www.clacka.com/accessories/oarRites.htm

http://www.clacka.com/accessories/oarLocks.htm

[d_hiker]

Several years ago I worked at the lake front at a scout camp as a rowing merit badge counselor.  I learned that there are a few different kinds of oar locks.  We had some pin type oar locks which sound like the type that you have.  Yes you have to drill them and the location depends on the beam of your boat and what is comfortable for you.  If you don't do much rowing they work pretty good.  Another type that also fixes the length and orientation of the blade in relation to the water is one that clamps on the oar shaft.  I think that Wal-Mart mostly has this type of oar lock.  The oar lock style that Tim recommended is the type that I like best.  It seemed to give me a little more flexibility in how it was set up.  Depending on where you are when you need to use your oars, you may find that you need to pull them in a little to avoid the bank or other obstruction.  That is harder to do with the pinned or clamped oar locks.  Instead of a commercial collar around the oar handle like Tim has, (camp had little extra money) we would wrap a strip of leather around the oar shaft and use brass nails to attach it.  Doesn't every camp have a handicraft area with leather scraps.  The leather collars would keep the oar from sliding through the oar lock and also let you "feather" the oar while rowing.  On the return stroke you would rotate your wrist and the oar blades would then be parallel to the water surface.  On a windy day this helps with not only wind drag but also slicing through any waves.  I know you probably don't want to be out there rowing on such a day, but it seems that those are the days that problems occur, especially on big waters.  If you were in a small area and not getting too far from the dock, you could just use a canoe paddle.  But I think oars are much more effective in moving a boat IF you have oar locks.  If you want to see something really funny, watch someone try to row without oar locks.

Another thing, unless you have folding oar locks (the yokes fold down out of the way when not in use) be careful about the yokes sticking up and presenting a hazard if someone were to trip and fall on them.  With the pinned or clamped oar locks, they would be removed when the oars are stored.

[coopershooter]

i had a 14 ft. alum v hull and it had thick alum. plates on either side with a hole. and on the oar there was a clamp with a rod that slips down into the hole on the boat. the clamp squeezes the oar, at where ever you attach it. it was an old boat so i dont know if it was an odd set up. but i wouldn,t drill the oars unless i had to.

[bilmac]

If you may ever want to use your boat for drifting use a collar on the oar as described above. This will let  the oar give if when you are floating sideways down a stream and jam the downstream oar on an obstruction. I had pinned in oars and did that and it ripped the oarlock socket out of the side of the boat.
 
This type oarlock is a little harder to use though and if you are just going to use them infrequently for backup an oarlock that fixes them in position is easier. You can drill the oars for the locks you have, but to do it right you should also wrap some leather around the oar at the lock to prevent chaffing the oar. When you drill the oar you weaken it right at the critical place. I prefer clamp on locks. They avoid the problems of pinned locks and if you don't like the way the oars are adjusted they adjust easily no harm done.

Rowing can become addictive Leave the oars in place while you're fishing and if you're like me you'll find yourself using them much of the time. Even do silly things like rowing back to the dock or trolling with them. You may even find yourself leaving the motor at home.