Oar set up

[moocher man]

I want to set up a 18'smokercraft Sportsman sled with oars, for b-dogg'n. What length oar would you recommend 9' or 10'. Thanks for your help. Mooch :cheers:

[KChookem]

I have a 16-ft Willie sled with oars that I cut down to 8-feet. I do not recall the width of the sled. These light-weight wooden oars were about 8.5 feet at one time, but for my use the 8-foot worked better.

I use the oars to position my boat in tidewater, or when drifting with the current. I rarely try to row as I would with a driftboat or row boat. My oar tips lay on the water while I'm fishing, but when I want to reposition the boat, I reach down and lift the oars to my rowing position. If the oars are too long, tip heavy, or have tips that sink, the time and effort to lift them up, and get them into a rowng position, is too much for my comfort.

I've also tried 9-foot Carlisle oars, but they were not at all satisfacotory for my use. I did not need the extra length because I was standing while rowing, so the 8-ft oars are plenty long for me, and usually I'm only applying a little force to move the boat. Plus the Carlisle tips would sink, so I had to lift them OUT of the water, rather than off the water.

I have Willie's uni-rail sliding oar lock mounts - very convenient. The oars fit under the side trays so I have them with me in the boat at all times.

[moocher man]

Thanks KC, I am making the asumptiom that your oars were 8.5' long to begin with. What steps did you use to cut them down, saw, knife, sandpaper! :cheers:

[KChookem]

Yes, they were about 8.5 feet long. These are very inexpensive, light-weight oars that you might find on an inexpensive little pram or rowboat. The shaft diameter is significantly less than a sturdy driftboat oar. Nevertheless they work very well for my purpose.

They were in very poor repair. I cut the tips with a jig saw, rounded the corners a bit with an sander, used a marine epoxy to fill cracks, and used a marine varnish to coat. I wrapped the shaft with rope, as you would a DB oar, but used a larger diameter rope so the oars would fit properly in my standard driftboat oar lock. I do use "Oar-Rites" so the blade is in position for me to reach down with one hand, and with minimal time and fuss, make a minor correction on the drift.

If your use might be similar to mine, here are a couple of thoughts. (1) Borrow some DB oars to see how they work for you. For me, because I stand when flaoting along, they are longer than needed, and it took more time and effort to lift the long tips into position than it did to "row". However, if expect to sit when rowing, you may want the longer oar. (2) Find a pair of cheap old wood DB oars. You may find the blades are much longer than you need if you are standing when using the oars, so you can simply keep cutting some of the blade off until you get the length you like.

Let me know if I've not answered your question. Good Luck!

[moocher man]

Thanks a bunch. I won't really know what I need until I get the boat out and get the feel of what I now have. I have about 86" baem and being 6' tall I have a pretty good wing span. The used oars I have now are 9' wooden from a drift boat. I am sure that they are probably are too long. I don't plan to do a lot of direct rowing, just keeping the boat in the position. Later, Mooch :cheers: