What length oars should I get for my DS1?

[mrlympi]

I read the link from "Penobscot Bay Cruise" and noticed the oarlocks, so I would like to put oars on my DS1. Can anyone recommend the length I should get?

[GreenLake]

There have been several discussions of the use of oars for the DS on this forum. I'm confident that you'll find useful information if you were to search the forum for the term "oar".

[mrlympi]

i tried that before i made the post and tried it again just now. i was unable to find an answer.

[GreenLake]

You were unable to find a discussion, or unable to find a very specific length value?

If you click on the search button on this page, then enter "or" you get several threads, including these two, which go on at some length.

http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2756
http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2451

One of them starts out with a poster reporting that he has 8 1/2 ft oars he wants to use (I believe, from memory) he concluded at the end of the discussion that this was successful.

You could also send him a p.m. with a direct question.

Owners who have installed oarlocks are a bit of a minority. I suspect that nobody really is an expert at dimensioning oars here. Those who've tried certain lengths might be able to report what worked for them, but I wouldn't be sure that this would work for you. Like the poster, they might simply have tried whatever length oar came in handy.

Or you could look at what rules other people, who are more experts in rowing, use for selection of oar sizes.

http://www.shawandtenney.com/wooden-rowing-oars.htm

gives a formula that's based on a fixed leverage of 7:18, plus a 2" overlap when the oars meet.

The leverage ratio is clearly dependent on the design of the oar blade, so the value here may work best for their style. The following site discusses the factors that go into sizing an oar, without resolving that into an actual formula.

http://www.concept2.com/us/oars/selection/oarlength.asp

They give these guidelines:

* The more efficient your blade, the shorter your oars should be to keep the load reasonable.
* The slower the boat you are rowing, the shorter your oars should be.
* The narrower the spread of your oarlocks, the shorter your oars should be.
* The longer your reach, or more specifically, the greater the angle of your oar at the catch, the shorter your oar should be.

If you like a really detailed calculation to follow along, here's

http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Boats/Oarchoice.html

He ends up with an oar length of 8 1/2 ft, for a boat that is about as long as a DS, but apparantly a bit narrower. His boat should be going faster (so your oars for a DS should be shorter) but his boat is narrower (so yours should be longer). That cancels out, more or less, and would mean that if you have the reach and strenght that he does, you could try 8 1/2.

I would simply plan on buying / borrowing one pair, and then correcting the choice when you've realized what actually works for you when trying to move a DS.

[dannyb9]

i use 8's with mine, they work fine and stow easily along the sides of the seats under the decks. notice that 'penobscot' has his sockets blocked up to the height of the coaming.

[kokko]

President Lincoln (allegedly) was asked how long a man's legs should be. He replied "long enough to reach the ground".

[talbot]

I'm lurking from the DS II forum. We had a big discussion about oars last year. I would agree that 8 1/2 feet would be optimum, but on our boats, the cockpit isn't long enough. 8' oars just fit along the tubes, tied up to small eye-straps. With a classic DS I (no bulkhead) I assume you could have any length you want.

There would be a point of diminishing returns, though. While the oars are sometimes used for a long haul back to the dock when the wind dies, they often need to be deployed in a hurry after a lapse of judgement close to a lee shore or crowded dock. In those conditions, long sweeps aren't as important as lightweight oars that are easily retrieved and set in their oarlocks.

[GreenLake]

For emergency use, nothing beats a set of paddles in my view.

You can use them without any set-up, from whichever position you happen to be sitting. They fit into the tiniest space between boat and obstacle. They can be used to fend off or for propulsion (without having to be wrestled in or out of oarlocks) or as a brake (vertically stuck down). Most usefully, you can even use them at the transom to move the back of the boat sideways. Finally, a lightweight paddle makes a great whisker pole.

They stash temporarily against the outside of the coamings, their blades wedged between shrouds and cuddy. I knotted a short length of bungee around the shaft, just below the handle. That gives two protruding hooks. I keep forever finding new uses for them...

I see the potential advantage of oars in trying to escape longer stretches of calm with more efficiency. I once paddled a half mile, more to see whether we could do it, and I would regard that as about the practical limit.

[mrlympi]

Thank you VERY much everyone for your input. I will be going on a 4-day sail starting the day after Labor Day on Lake James NC. I'm going to take a set of 7-foot oars to try out when there is no wind. But I will definitely keep the paddles onboard.

[vfranke]

I installed oarlocks this year and trying to find best way to lash down the 8'6" oars when sailing. I like laying them on the outside of the coaming, but haven't found the best method to tie down. Anyone have any suggestions or photos?

I also am thinking of using the main halyard as a topping lift for the boom. Has anyone done this?
Many thanks!
Vince

[GreenLake]

You can find shaped foam blocks that make a U channel. If you can slice that in sections, you might get two rests for the oar out of them. Then put a strap eye in the middle and use that with either velcro or web strapping with a clip. Since you have a DS1, you can fix the strap eye to the wood coamings, which might be the better location than the side decks.

[vfranke]

Thanks- Sorry I wasn't clear and didn't notice the title of the thread when searching-Looks like I jumped in on the DSI thread.... I have a DS II. I can secure one end to the aft cleats, but haven't found a system to tie down the blade that end up near the shrouds.... It has occasionally fouled my jib sheets. I'll do more searching in the DS II threads...

Thanks for any suggestions.

Vince

[talbot]

On a DS II, why would you want to lash the oars to the deck? 8.5' oars fit easily in the cockpit. You just put a couple of eyestraps on each tank and hang them port and starboard, right behind your ankles. The only drawback is that if your hiking straps are too close to the tanks, the oars make it harder to slip your feet under the straps. Maybe my boat came with a special curse, but my experience is that everything on the deck is a potential -- no, probable -- snag for the sheets, halyards, bowlines . . . usually at the worst possible moment. The DS I (at least the new ones, with a sealed aft tank) don't have enough room in the cockpit for oars, so the deck option may be the only choice. An advantage of the DS II.

Sure, you can use the halyard as a topping lift at anchor. but the topping lift is often used while the boat is under way (e.g., for reefing). At that point, the main halyard is also in use. So no, when it really matters, you can't use the halyard as a topping lift.

[jeadstx]

I initially mounted my oars outside the cockpit, but found that they worked better stored inside the cockpit as Talbot has mentioned.

John

[vfranke]

Thanks!
Turns out I have 9' oars, so that is why I never fit them inside. I'm working on a trade for shorter oars!

Also, thanks for the confirmation of the main halyard as a topping lift.... Yes, I only planned on using it when I had to row home (and would drop the main sail).

I appreciate the help!
Vince