What is your back-up emergency propulsion?

S

Scott Kuehn

New member
Was hunting in my BB III yesterday and am trying to get extra junk out of the boat.

I have a set of oars that I keep in the boat in case the motor quits, I think they are 8' oars and are always in the way. Space is at a premium in the cockpit sooo...... was wondering if a take apart kayak paddle would do in a pinch?

What do you other BB III or BB II owners use?
 
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I'm not a BBII or III owner but from doing a little rowing and paddling I would at least have a canoe paddle not a kayak paddle. If you are in places that you might have some distance to travel or current to fight keep the oars and practice with them once in a while. It can be very enjoyable rowing a boat and it takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it, granted my fish cat pontoon isn't very hard to row.

Tim
 
Don't they make take-down oars too? I would not feel comfortable with just a kayak paddle for that boat. I use one for my Marsh Rat and scull. The kayak paddle is barely adequate for those two much smaller boats. You might be able to get back to shore, if it is not too far off. But I don't think you would make it back to the boat ramp with a kayak paddle.
 
I doubt a good sized planing hull like the BBIII will be enjoyable to row. Too much drag from from the hull when it is not on plane. Rowing it would be much more enjoyable than slowly floating to the ocean though.
 
I hunt lakes and rivers here in SE ohio rowing is enjoyable. I fact using one oar and shooting carp with my bow off the deck in the summer is fun.

Just trying to figure out if it would be safe?
 
I keep a canoe-type paddle in the boat. But its not intended to get me very far. The cell phone & PTT radio are for real breakdowns.
Oars are a much better option if it is intended to get you any distance. I dont carry a set but probably should.
 
Back up emergency propulsion is my buddy, Joe, on the oars!! The year I had my heart surgery we spun the blades off of the prop on a rock wing dam on Pool 9. At WOT we were moving about 1/2 MPH. Joe got on the oars and had to row 1 1/2 miles upstream to get to the boat landing. Needless to say we were the last ones to come in that day.

Scott, I run a BB3 and keep my oars between the coaming and the oar lock blocks. That is, they rest outboard of the coaming and inboard of the oar lock block. They end up under the blind material and I never know they are there. I'm pretty sure my oars are 7 1/2 ft. long. They have been in the same place for 4 years now and I just glance at the once in a while to make sure they haven't moved and they never have.
 
Scott,
I have a pair of 8ft nominal (really7-1/2") oars, as was as a small paddle laying on the floor of my BB2. They do not get under foot too bad, but, I do occasionally wish I could do something else with the oars without impacting under deck storage. If I were to build the boat from scratch again, I would consider setting up the floor with removalbe sections (about 1 ft wide) down the middle so that the oars could be stored nderneath, out of the way.

As far as the kayak paddle, I'd try one and see how it does from you under your hunting conditions- location , load, wave, etc.... See if you really think you could make it home if you had to. Sometimes I sit on the bow of my boat and use the paddle to set/retrieve dekes, but have not tried to travel any distance that way.

Take care!

-Bill
 
I keep a set of oars bunged up under the deck of my Estuary, one on each side. Some small eye screws and the real small bungee cords hold it just fine and out of the way. Easy enough to get at them if needed.
 
I bought a Tanaka 1.2 hp motor to wrap in burlap and stow under the bow of my Chuck Huff box for days that will have long river travel so just in case the bigger motor quits, I'll have back up if I have to go upstream, it it's down stream then I'll just row
 
My buddy has a set of oars and oarlocks on his Snow Goose. The oars do take up room which bugs me. They do make collapsible oars, I have one as a spare aboard my driftboat. With my new Cackler I just threw in a pair of graphite canoe paddles. They are very light, don't take up too much room and work well for short distances, but I think a better long term plan for my boat is collapsible oars and oarlocks.

John
 
Well,,,,

Take the wife/girlfriend along, they can row, you can spot ducks, deer, fish, and other things of interest and maybe take advantage of the "quiet" propulsion system as it is employed in an emergency(keep thy shot gun at the ready).....just be sure you fit the women with the right size of paddles or oars for the boat..you don't want to be inefficient...the power supply might complain to loudly and ruin the solitude....


Whako Whako,,,,,


Matt
 
Scott - My BBSB is a little smaller at about 12'. I lay the oars on top of the deck from the stern to about midships and then tie them to the outside edge of the coskpit coaming. They don't get in the way and one night I really needed them. I had a motor die and rowed about 3 miles - fortunately with the tide by moonlight. The lab that I had at the time said it was the nicest trip in she could remember. I have a second small cockpit forward where the dog would ride and every time I slowed down to take a rest she would start to lick my ears to get me going again. If I had to paddle, I would still be there !

sarge
 
The owner of Marsh Rat died because of high winds came up his boat swamped they found him floating in his PFD.......so having good ors might help except where there are strong winds or tides. A good anchor with chain is good along with marine VHF or cell phone to use for help . So weather condition will tell you if ors are going to be useful....I keep a pair in my boat and a paddle in the small boat for picking up decoys , as I hunt the tidal marshes
 
I agree with John G, after a PFD the most important safety gear on a boat is the ground tackle. When you really need it, it can "stop time" and stablize a bad situation.

I could justify swapping space for a couple out of the way canoe paddles with the knowledge that getting to a safe harbor, but not the launch ramp, would become the real option.
 
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