Fold-down Oarlocks on Sneakboats

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Steve O

Active member
Can anybody explain and/or illustrate with photos how to construct the type of oarlocks that fold down out of the way on the decking when they are not in use? I've seen this style on some sneakboats.

I'm constructing an 11 foot long by 4 foot wide Hybrid style duck hunting boat, and I'd like to add this feature. Thanks for any input.
 
I'll see if I can scan the image from the Zack Taylor "Successful Waterfowling" book for you. Essentially you have a fairly robust piece of wood, about 1 1/2" thick, with a hole for the oar pin in the top. The bottom fits between two blocks fastened to the deck with a thrubolt going all the way though all three pieces. The bottom of the folding part is rounded to allow it to pivot and lay down onto the deck. a dowel of about 5/8" or 3/4" is used to keep it upright. That dowel goes into a little recess in the inside of the folding part, and the bottom sits against a stop fastened to the deck. Imagine it as a diagonal brace angling down and towards the cockpit of the boat.
 
Thanks DeWayne. That's a good explanation. It helps me a lot.

I'm going to try to sit down now with my friend (who's a retired engineer) and review this with him. He's a great person to bounce ideas off. That system you described sounds like a good one.

By the way, I've never been able to find that the Zack Taylor book in a local library here in Rhode Island. I wonder why, given that so many folks appear to have found it useful?
 
sorry i am not home to take better pictures, but i hope these help. DeWayne gave a good functional description.
duckboats010.jpg

duckboats024.jpg

good luck
James
 
sorry i am not home to take better pictures, but i hope these help. DeWayne gave a good functional description.
Steve,this is the complete oarlock.No additional hardware needed,ie socket and metal oarlock,as on the MLB wigeon.See the MLB site.This old time oarlock,is the way Bill Perry fasioned his,and he can furnish some close up pics.SCALE the cutout to the oar dimention.
duckboats010.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Joe,

Are you looking to stay with the traditional look of wood or are you interested in metal? I had my brother weld up a small frame that I then attached store bought oar locks to. This frame lays flat when not in use but when in use gets locked in the upright position with clevis pins. I opted for this when I built my boat ( out of kevlar) because all the wooden locks I had ever seen had splits in them. Most of them I would not want to trust on to hold up if I had to row in strong winds or waves.

I don't have a digital camera but if you are interested in going with metal I'll try and get a friend over to take some pics and post them. If you aren't interested I don't want to bother my friend.

take care,

Dave B
 
After looking at Dave's reply the wood splitting always concerned me too.
Maybe you could put a couple coats of epoxy to soak-in and keep them from
developing cracks. What do you think?? John
 
I have seen the metal one's Dave's brother made, I like them a lot. They also helped to get the position of the oar out further which makes the stroke more efficient. I too have seen wood ones that split. I suppose fiberglass and epoxy would be a route, but heck if you have a engineer friend go the metal route in my opinion.

Dave, if you need a pic, let me know.
 
Gus Heinrich was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me to discuss oar locks for my old box last fall during the Tuckerton show. He mentioned the wood used is oak and I believe he said the hinge was made from bronze.

Tuckerton026.jpg


I also took a few photos of other oarlocks you may enjoy seeing.

Tuckerton005.jpg



Tuckerton006.jpg



Tuckerton010.jpg



Tuckerton012.jpg


Although my oarlocks are missing, there is one side of the base similar to the last photo.

Hope this helps.

John
 
John, Those were some very helpful pictures. I was thinking of adding some old school oarlocks to my BBIII build,os they are very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to post. Just another example of this GREAT site...!!!
 
The wood to use is white oak. The way to keep from splitting is to use to lengths of threaded rod. One for the hinge at the bottom and one for the protection just under the hole for the oar up higher. These are bored all the way thru and nuts and washers keep it all tight. I would use the same white oak for the lower cleats that form the hinge part attached to the boat.
White oak is heavy, but is very rot resistant and will give very good service in a small area like this where very high loads are placed on it.
Dont forget the wedges to keep the lock upright. There were some really cool old designs that helped push outward to keep tension on the taper of the bottom of the lock so it was fixed in the upright position. When the wedge is removed the lock can be laid down.
 
Thanks so much for all the replies and guidance. Luckily, it's still a while before the boat is sufficiently finished that I'll have to make a decision.

Dave's metal oarlocks do sound like they may be a good choice. It seems like the wooden ones will be subject to substantial stress and wear.

Dave, thanks if you are still willing to post photos of your metal oar locks (thanks even if you aren't). If so, by all means take your time. I don't anticipate getting to the oarlock decision point for at least a week (more likely 2 weeks).
 
No problem Steve.

I'll contact Eric D since he offered to take the pics and if he can't I think Andrew has one. Will see what works for them and maybe get them up by the weekend.

later,

baumy
 
Thanks, Dave. Whenever you get around to it is fine. I think oarlocks can be an add-on even after the construction is completed, so there's no urgency.
 
Steve ,

Here are the photos I promised of the metal oar locks I use.

This is the frame that attaches to the boat deck that I attach the fold down locks to

DSCF0593.jpg


Here is a pic of just the oar lock mount that attaches to the frame in the previous pic

DSCF0594.jpg


Here is the oar lock folded down. The black object in the pic is my utility knife holster that I keep attached to the locks for instant access

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Here is the oar lock in the up right position. Note the hole near the bottom that I put a clevis pin thru to lock in place.

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Top of oar lock is aprox 5" across. My brother welds up the mount and frame. I then bolt the proper size oar lock onto the frame .

Hope these help.

Dave B
 
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Thanks, Dave. That is an interesting setup.

After measuring my deck and testing various set-ups attempting to estimate the oarlock height, it looks like I may not have enough deck width for any type of fold-down oarlock. It looks like they're going to have to remain in the up position.

I am, however, saving a copy of your setup for reference in case I can do fold-downs. Your set up is a big help for me in understanding how any type of fold-down oarlocks work.

Given that I probably need to go the fixed route, however, I think wood will be safer. I'm concerned that fixed upright metal oarlocks will be hazardous in the event somebody or something were to fall on it. Even the fold-down metal set-up worries me a bit with it's hard, exposed edges. But thank you very much for sharing the photos. As noted, they are a big help in educating me about the fold-down mechanism.

By the way, the boat project's moving along nicely now with the warmer weather.
 
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Steve, looked at a slick concept at Tuckerton yesterday. One of the boxes on display by the clam shack, has a dovetailed oar mount that is removable. It used a socket on the top and the oar has the pin affixed. The mount consists of 4 pieces of hardwood. 2 rails are mounted on the boat, which are beveled and taper so that the mating wedge is held fast to the deck, while the forces while rowing drive it tighter. Stand up part of the mount is simply screwed to the wedge. The pieces were soft from rot, so not sure how much stress it could really take, but it was a neat idea. When not rowing, the mounts are slide off and stored within the boat. I took a couple pictures and will post them tonight if I can. Used up only about 4x10 inches on the deck, and disappeared when removed.

Dave

http://s154.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ddiefend/Dovetail%20Oarlocks/
 
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Thanks, Dave. You're quite thoughtful and considerate to have shared this information.

Isn't it amazing how many different, ingenious ways there are of constructing an oarlock system? I definitely want to do oarlocks on my build (at least as a back-up in the event of engine failure, and if so, depending on how easily it rows, as a way of opening up water that prohibits motors).

It's tough to determine the best approach, but it's also turning out to be fun. So, thanks again for your help.

By the way, I'd like to share some current photos of the boat I'm building, but will have to wait for now. Neither I, nor anybody in my family, seems to remember where we put the wire used to download photos from the camera onto the computer. My guess is it it will eventually show up.
 
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I've gotton my hands on Zack Taylor's book "Customizing Small Boats", but this oarlock matter is still confusing me somewhat.

Specifically, I can't figure out how he gets the oarlock to stay upright. Here's what Zack wrote on page 81 of Customizing Small Boats:

"Usually sneakbox oarlocks are made to fold down against the deck to get them out of sight. The inboard bottom side of the oarlock is quarter-rounded so that it will fold inboard. The fit must be so close that the upright block jams slightly inside the vertical position and is held there by a small chock wedged into a deck cleat and a notch in the oarlock itself."

Unfortunately, Zack's book doesn't appear to explain the chock arrangement any further than that. Likewise, the plans in the book make reference to it verbally, but don't appear to draw it. So the reader (me) is left guessing how this device works.

If anybody has a picture of this chock arrangement in action, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could share it.

Thanks.
 
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