Building Oars

Hello All,

I decided to build the Oars for my 10 Foot Row Boat, and have also decided to change the design again, allowing for a small 2.5 hp outboard. This blog is about the Oars.

When first starting this project, the first thiing that came to mind is "where can I find information on Building Oars"? I have already gone through a number of books on boat design, and I recalled from my readings that an author had discussed this subject. It did not take me long, and I found the information; the author was Gavin Atkin He addressed the subject in his book Ultrasimple Boat Building: 17 Plywood Boats Anyone Can Build
.

The perfect solution for what I was looking for was on page 65 of his book. The oars are actually designed by Jim Michalak. The oar depicted in Gavin's book is 83 inches long or 6'-11". This is approximately the right length for my boat. These are not double paddle oars; they have a 5 inch handle at one end and a paddle at the opposite end (see image at right). I will explain how the length should be derived below.

For calculating the length required for your boat use the following formula:

1. Determine Beam at the Oar Locks.

Then, Oar Length equals approximately (Beam @ Oar Locks/2) * 3 + 6 inches (West Marine)

The oar design looks very nice from the picture in Gavin Atkins book; being a traditional style oar. If you haven't done any woodworking for awhile, like myself, building the oars is a good way to get accustomed to any new tools you have purchased for your boat building project. Total material cost for 1 Oar is under $5.00 Canadian for a nice piece of 1 x 8 spurce, plus finishing cost. The book calls for using a 1 x 6, but a 1 x 6 (nominal) will be too small for one oar while keeping the dimensions the same as what the author calls for. I found this out the hard way.

I finally determined that a 1 x 8 (nominal) would be about the perfect size board for building one oar. The tools I used to make the oars were:

1. Hand Saw
2. Surform
3. 4 Foot Straigt Edge
4. A wood file
5. Tape Measure
6. Powerful Jigsaw (with a blade that does not bend easily)
7. Electric Orbital Sander
8. Electric Planer

I find that good power tools are worth the investment. You need a good powerful Jigsaw and Electric Planer to shape the oar. I used DeWalt and Bosch in that order. The small Electric Handheld Sander was inexpensive but did a good job.

To me, the first time you approach this job there is nothing very easy about it. You have to spend a bit of time laying out all the measurements. Then, you have to cut the three pieces of wood with a jigsaw, being sure to cut on the high/wide side. Finally, I did the final edge trimming using my Bosch Handheld Planer. The Electric Plaer allowis you to achieve very accurate final cuts.

Day 1
Being new at this, it took me about a day to do all the measuring and cutting of the oar. If you plan on building more oars down the line, it is a good idea to make a template of the oar. Then all you have to do is use the template to lay out the outline of the oar on wood. This saves a great deal of time you would be spending on making all the measurements for the oar.

Day 2
The second day you spend gluing the three oar sections together. I used West System Epoxy, by the Gougeon Brothers. They have a great book out called Gougeon Brothers on Boat Constructon 5TH Edition. They also have free User Manuals you can use with their products. I made the appropriate epoxy mix, applied it to the oar surfaces that needed to be glued together, applied clamping pressure, then let the oars set for about 24 hours.

Day 3
Day 3 is spent shaping the oar. With an Electric Hand Planer, Surform, Wood File, and Electric Sander, this is done very quickly; and is no more difficult than any other part of the project. For positioning of the Oar Locks, see page 107 of Gavin Atkin's book.

Day 4
Finish the oar using a method of your choice. The five inch rowing handle should be left as bare wood.

Thre references provided will get you started on building your own oars; especially the book from Gavin Atkin. The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction is an excellent book to have if you are new at boat building, are interested in Epoxy on Wood Construction, and would like to learn how to use Epoxy in Boat Construction.