Oars, Oar Locks, And Oar Lock Sockets?

[npauls]

Can anyone give me any kind of info on what style of all mentioned in the title is best suited for a drift boat and where a good place around lethbridge is to pick them up at?

 

Right now I have Carlisle oars that are aluminum with plastic blades. They are 6.5 feet long with red grips on the ends. I would like to be able to use these if possible but I am not sure if they will be long enough. Also there is no kind of sleeve or anything on the shafts so I may need to get something and would like to know what to get and where to get it.

 

I also have some oar locks that are a zinc clamping style lock but I don't think these are very good and would like to know if there is better styles out there and what they are.

 

Last but not least the boat that I picked up was homemade and needs to have the exterior refinished but the interior is still in very good shape. I noticed that the builder made some oar lock sockets out of wood and was wondering if I should just use those or go with some sort of metal ones?

 

I am very new to this whole drift boat thing and would appreciate any help on fixing it up.

 

Thanks,

 

Nate

[SamIam]

How long and what brand of drifter you have? Those oars are probably too short. For a 14' drift boat, you need about 8.5' oars. You will want metal/brass oarlocks that your oars will slip back and forth in. The clamp or fixed style are fine for lakes, but on a river, even a slow one, they could get you in trouble. It sucks to have to by oars for a drift boat, as they aren't cheap. A new pair of cataracts or sawyers will run you around $500. I have a short set of wood sawyers that I would consider selling if you have trouble finding some down there.

 

I have fixed up a couple of drift boats. Would be glad to help you out if you have any questions. Is it wood, glass, or aluminum?

 

I would recommend make some oar-lock sockets out of some type of hard polycarbonate plastic. If you made some new ones out of a good hardwood or teak, that would probably work too.

[npauls]

It is a hand made boat that isn't a normal drifter design. The lady that sold it to me called it a canoe but it very wide and has a flat bottom. She said he husband built the boat by hand years ago to float the bow and oldman rivers and it is made out of oak and teak. I am pretty sure the oar lock sockets are a hard wood so I may just stick with them. The boat is about 4 feet wide and is 12 feet long.

 

What should I get for my oars, those sleeve with a built in stopper or just the rubber doughnut stoppers? I will have to run the oars I have until I can afford to buy another set. I will look into getting a set of brass oar locks pretty soon.

 

I will also be cutting some knee locks into both ends and adding a folding back boat seat for the rower. There is already a small spot at the back that will be a good storage area for an anchor and rope so I will get some oak and make a door for that area. I am still unsure what I should do for the whole anchor system yet and am still looking at options. I would like to keep the boat looking like an old fashion boat so the more wood and less metal on the boat would be better for me. I will eventually be getting some wood oars for that reason also.

 

If you want to pm me your email I can get some pictures and show you what me and my father are working with. I think when we have the outside all refinished it will be a sharp looking boat. I am also hoping I can get my aluminum boat trailer converted into a trailer that can haul this boat.