oars over a motor?

[jbarros]

Who here sails engineless?

Tips for those who are thinking of taking the plunge?

Also, what size sweeps would you think is apropriate for a 19'' 2000 lb boat?

Thanks

-- James

[Jeff_H]

I used to row my 25 foot, 4200 lb wooden Folkboat around. It did not have an engine. I used a single 14''or so foot long sweep that I built. It is not the weight or length that governs the length of the sweepbut the freeboard and beam. Because of the freeboard of the Folkboat I needed roughly 10 feet outboard of the rail and roughly 4 or so feet inboard. I had constructed the sweep myself using a clear 12 foot hem-fir 2 x 4 and some 1/4" plywood for the blade along with some odds and ends salvaged along the waterfront. The blade was somewhere around 8" - 9" wide and 3 feet or so long. I had cut a gentle curve in the end of the 2x4 and used closely spaced ring nails (and one small bolt at each end of the contact area of the blade) and epoxy to fasten the blades. I used a winch as a thole pole and loop of line that I dropped over a winch as the oarlock. I had glued long wedges on forward face of the 2 x 4 which kept the oar from sliding inboard unless rotated 90 degrees and I radiused the face of the oars where they bore on the winch so that the blade could be feathered. I had planed a long grip and had bolted a large salvaged zinc plate to the inboard part of the shaft to balance the weight of the extended part of the shaft and blade. A counterballanced oar weight makes rowing much easier. I cut up a piece of old carpet that I hung on the coaming, and on the shaft of the oar to protect the boat and oar from damage when I got careless. I hung the butt end of oar from the flag halyard on the spreaders and used a piece of shock cord at the shrouds to secure the blade end at the deck.

I rowed standing up, facing forward with the helm lashed to counteract the tendancy of the boat to turn due to having only a single oar in the water. If I rowed harder the boat would turn away from the direction of my strokes and if I rowed more slowly the boat would turn toward the oar. It took a bit of work and time to get the boat up to speed but once she was going she moved pretty easily at something I would guess to be roughly a knot (I did not have a knotmeter).

Whenever I could I sailed her in or out of where ever she needed to go and so did not have to row very often.

Jeff

[pirateofcapeann]

I''d just add this, that I keep a pair of 9 1/2-foot dory oars aboard my 28 footer just in case. A dory is 20 feet long so that size may work well for you. Before you go engineless, get your oars and set up your rowing station. Now, on a calm day, shove off and see how far you get before you fire up the motor.

[jbarros]

after a little over a year, I''ve used my motor once every time I went out, with one exception.

In normal conditions, I use it to power directly upwind from the tip of my finger of docks, aproximatley 150 feet.

In Santa Ana''s I use it to power that same 150 feet out of my dock (which is then directly upwind)

the exception: After letting my father take the helm as I went below, I used it to get us off the rocks. =(

But yes, that is a very valid point, and I will definatley be testing out my rowing/sculling situation before I decide to let my beautifull little 2hp honda go.

As for Josie, She sails (slowly, but with directional control) in 3 knots true.

-- James

[bmcald]

How is it rowing into the wind and waves?

I was out in the Great South Bay recently when the diesel cut out in my Stone Horse as I headed for the creek entrance. There was strong breeze and 1-2 foot waves. I have oars and oarlocks, but as Jeff noted it takes awhile to overcome inertia and get moving. Against the wind and the waves it seemed impossible. I tried sailing as close as I could and wound up beached and needed a tow off.

Turned out I had air in the lines from letting the fuel in the tank get too low. Now I know what to do...and still hope those oars will keep me out of trouble at some point. I ordered them from an outfit in British Columbia for about $160.

Have to say, though, for getting home at a reasonable hour when the wind is in your face, there''s nothing like an engine!