Oars

[mbowser]

Hi all,
I'm about to install oarlocks on my DSII, but just realized that my mainsheet is mounted center boom with the tackle located on the aft end of the centerboard trunk.
I saw some photos of others with the same setup but I'm wondering how annoying this will be. Am I going to get tangled up in the mainsheet every time I row?

Also, I have a set of 7' oars that I would like to use, but I see most everyone is using 8' or 8.5'; Is 7' way too short?

[dannyb9]

i think at least 8's are much better. 7's would probably need oalock pads to even get the sockets high enough to effectively reach the water with the oars.
my old style sheeting system attaches to the rear of the cb case. i sit near the front of the case on a boat cushion. i use 8's. the main sheet does not interfere. check barkleysoundoar.com for some great info about rowing ergonomics

[jeadstx]

I think 8' oars are probably better than 7' oars, although I have been using 7' oars myself. I have had trouble finding 8' oars. The boat rows nicely with the centerboard down slightly.

As far as the mainsheet getting in the way while rowing, I don't find it to be a problem with the boom held high enough with the topping lift. Attached is a picture of my rowing seat.

I store the rowing seat while sailing near the stern in the drainage groove. The curvature of the groove helps lock it in place without the need to strap it down.

As far as installing your oarlocks, they should be online with the mainsheet. I recommend using 5" or preferrably 6" inspection ports for access to the inside of the rails. I used 4" ports and it was very difficult to get my hands inside to tighten bolts. I may in the future put larger ports in place of the 4" ports.

John

[mbowser]

Thanks for the replies, I located the oarlocks inline with the mainsheet and used 4" inspection ports. A little tight, but that's all I had on hand. I was able to wedge and epoxy in 7"x1.5" mahogany blocks for backing plates and screwed the oarlocks into these. I expect it will be sturdy enough.

I am building a contoured balsa cored seat that spans the trunk and rests on the adjacent thwarts. Way overdone, but I just finished up a deck recore job on my alberg 35 and still have 2 sheets of balsa, several gallons of epoxy, and many yards of 1708 biaxial fiberglass cloth leftover. Seemed like a fun project. I'll post pics when I'm done (hopefully tomorrow).

Unfortunately, I was unable to source 8' oars without a trip and didn't want to pay for shipping so I went with the 7 footers. I'll pick up an 8' pair when I can, but I am headed up to Bar Harbor Maine next week and want to have something better than the single paddle I have been using.