oar repair

[jasonr575]

i want to repair and refinish some old wood oars. They are solid wood, not sure what kind. there are a few splits in the blades. i have heard of a method of gluing the split and winding rope or twine around the oar to hold it together while the glue dries. Anyone have any details about doing this? I heard of using glue or epoxie. Any recommendations on the type of epoxie or glue? Any further tips?

i have found posts on the internet referring to an article in a magazine that has to do with this method of repair,the magazine had to do with rowing, wood boats or kayaking. Anyone have a copy of the article or can you give me details?

Also how should i finish the oars? Any recommendation as to paint, varnish or what. I have heard of fiberglassing them but sounds like a lot of work for old oars.

I have searched the internet extensively and have not found much info. There is a lot about fixing paddles or oars that are laminated and have split at the lamination but not about solid wood oars.
One more thing. At what point is the oar garbage? How big does the split have to be for it to be considered non repairable? Thanks
jason

[WanderingStar]

As long as it works, it's repairable. You're not rowing competition. Don't glass them, varnish or paint them. Epoxy is best. I've had bad experience with the little tubes from the hardware store, West is probably most used. Get a glue syringe to inject the epoxy into the split. Line for clamping should work well, even duct tape. If all this becomes too expensive, try Titebond III. Finally, ask on the Woodenboat Forum, you'll get lots of replies.