Row a TDB ????

D

Dick Sargeant

Well-known member
Hello all - I am in the process of planning to install new oar locks on my classic TDB 14. My first attempt at this was to mount the receiver to a piece of wood and through bolt to a rear section of gunnel on each side. Because of the high sides and shape, I needed to get long oars and my bolt on receivers do not really use the gunnel to absorb the stress from the oars.
The new plan is to bed receivers flush with the top of the gunnels and reinforce a large area of the gunnel surrounding the received with backing and epoxy. I am planning to have this done forward of mid ship and would be able to row standing or seated on something.

**** the point of this job is simply a back up should I ever have a motor problem and otherwise will not be rowing, however, it needs to work fairly well ***

If any of the members have added a rowing capability to a classic TDB 14 - please take a few minutes and let me know what you did and how well it works ?

Of course, any other ideas etc. greatly appreciated !

thanks -
sarge
 
The oars came in handy last season when I blew the motor and had to row about 1.5 miles upstream. Sneak box rowed pretty well. I will also stand and row to pick up decoys.
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Mounted 1.5 inch white oak posts through deck and bolted same to side of hull. set a bronze female lock sleeve and drilled a weep hole at bottom of fitting. Oar lock also serves to hold decoy boards.
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I constructed a simple slat back rest which also fits over cock pit to form my rowing seat. Small oak blocks holds the slat seat in place.
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Good Luck
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It was great seeing your name on the thread. I hope you are doing well.
Al

Last Wednesday I had a cardioversion and once again I can smile because I am no longer running out of breath when walking.

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Paul~

Whether or not they row well, I applaud you for having the means for a Plan B. I hate to leave a launch site if I do not have a way to get back under my own "power" - and always have a set of oars/oarlocks/stanchions on board. Paddles may serve the purpose on the small, protected waters I hunt here in dairy country but have no real utility in wind and tide.

Have a safe and fruitful season,

SJS
 
Hi Paul - Thanks for your info. I did have a layout boat (BBSB) which was a dream to row and remember one evening having to row it about the same distance, fortunately WITH the tide while my lab occasionally licked my ears to keep me going.
The TDB is a very different shape with sides that are much higher, yet drawing very little water.
Will post if what I do works.
thanks -
Dick
 
Hi Al - glad to hear you are on the mend ! I have a few challenges ahead but there are people in the world with real problems !
all the best,
Dick
 
A couple of points to "kick around": You are going to have to have some long oars due to the high oarlock anchor points on these boats if you mount on the cockpit cowling. You are also going to have a very limited sweep arc during a stroke sequence, due to the short distance from oar handle to oarlock-not much mechanical advantage conferred, so moving the blades through a stroke will not be very easy.
 
A couple of points to "kick around": You are going to have to have some long oars due to the high oarlock anchor points on these boats if you mount on the cockpit cowling. You are also going to have a very limited sweep arc during a stroke sequence, due to the short distance from oar handle to oarlock-not much mechanical advantage conferred, so moving the blades through a stroke will not be very easy.
thanks, This is a good point and a firm in Maine has also mentioned the lack of leverage. I can, however, overlap my hands to help. The Maine firm also recommended that I consider adding a stern single oarlock and using a sculling oar instead. When I questioned this, they advised that, done properly, a sculling oar could really move big boats.
I suspect that I would also need to add some sort of a keel but will be checking on that.
thanks again for your insight
sarge
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I am intrigued by the scull oar idea; affords you an opportunity to use a big blade and very quick course correction ability...good things to achieve when stroking into a head wind!

Good luck!
 
Dick & RL~

The portion of the looms inboard of the locks can be more than half the distance between the locks. Our GSB Scooters are narrow (~42") so the handles always overlap. One can row cross-handed or alternately - which is the way I learned to row. Not quite as efficient as simultaneous strokes but it does the job. (I learned recently from veteran bayman John Verbeke that this method is known as "the Dutch Roll".)

That said, I might consider stanchions that got the locks out near the gunwales. Lots of our Scooters have removable pipe stanchions. This might be a good choice for a TDB if the oars were only for emergency/occasional use.

Here is one on the Skidmore Scooter I restored last year. They had been removable - they pass through the deck and fit into a wooden socket screwed to the frames - but I installed them permanently because rainwater was finding its way in and wreaking havoc (in the form of rot). On boats that hide in or next to marsh, they can also be used for anchoring or tying to marsh stakes.

The stanchions can be lengths of 1/2-inch ID galvanized iron pipe. Rubber chair protectors make good caps.

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And, as I am sure you appreciate, neither sculling nor rowing will be a pleasure in any planing hull.

All the best,

SJS
 
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