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Author Topic:   Oars on a Montauk?

Kelly posted 04-15-2003 09:15 AM ET (US)
Has anybody ever seen an oar setup on a Montauk or any 17' Whaler hull? No, I am not going to get rid of the motor. I just thought for emergencies and some fishing situations they might come in handy.
Kelly
T Party posted 04-15-2003 11:22 AM ET (US)
I keep a paddle on board my Montauk. A pair of oars long enough to be useful would take up a lot of space, it seems to me. I guess you could lash them to the rails, though. The boat would not row very well at all, and I think you can accomplish nearly as much (which is, to say not much) with a paddle.
I could imagine attaching oarlocks so you could row from the RPS, but personally, I wouldn't do it.
elaelap posted 04-15-2003 11:40 AM ET (US)
Kelly,
Just after I bought my Katama, a thread developed regarding a trolling sail for the 16/17 hull. Many laughed; others were interested, at least theoretically; one or two had tried it; and several talked about their biminis acting as sails, whether desired or not.
I learned to scull with one oar on a French yacht in the Mediterranean during the 'sixties...that was the preferred method of propulsion for many European "you-yous" (dingies/tenders). In parts of the Near East and Africa large crafts are propelled in that fashion, with a single long oar either lashed to the transom or suspended above it by a cradle of beams and lashings. Sculling is an art swiftly learned...on a smaller boat it's "all in the wrist," a U-shaped rocking motion of the oar blade as it is moved from side to side in the water. Something to think about...I have. One oar on board might end up averting disaster if your motor fails.
Now watch the howls of laughter...
Tony
poker13 posted 04-15-2003 12:53 PM ET (US)
One suggested use I've seen of a paddle or an oar is to lash it to the outboard cowling for steering should the steering system fail.
BugsyG posted 04-15-2003 04:28 PM ET (US)
I don't exactly have 2 oars, but 1 retractable pattle. Its good to have a proppulsion device if your engine goes down.
Thanks
JAZZ
andygere posted 04-16-2003 01:13 AM ET (US)
With the right oars, a 17 Whaler would row OK. Commercial fisherman row heavy 20-24 foot plywood surf dories off the beach in Oregon with no problem at all, and these hulls are not nearly as efficent as a 17 Whaler. The problem would be the center console, which is right about where you'd want to sit or stand while rowing. On a standard or Currituck, I'd say it's doable. The length of the oars might be a problem as well, but could be solved with a pair of clever 2 piece sweeps. Perhaps you could try mounting a set of oarlocks on the rails forward of the console to allow rowing in a standing position. I had the pleasure of rowing my 13 many times and it was indeed a very reasonable form of auxilliary power. Paddles are darn near useless on boats like these since you tend to just move in circles.
Whalerdan posted 04-16-2003 08:50 AM ET (US)
Are the rails on a montauk strong enough to handle oarlocks?
If one was to mount them to the gunnels, I don't think there is any wood on top.
I think you could row while sitting on the anchor locker or the RPS with the back swong forward.
Paddle sounds usless. I can barely row my canoe by myself with current and wind.
where2 posted 04-16-2003 12:18 PM ET (US)
My 15' came with a pair of oars and oar locks. It's not quite as swift as my 10' Zodiac was to row, but it is rowable. The oar locks are mounted to the top of the gunnel, for seating you move the foward thwart to where it feels best for you. The biggest hassle is that the console gets in the way of using your legs for bracing. Although it may be true that there is no wood on top of the gunnel, my oar locks have not yet pulled out either... They don't take the beating that rails and things tend to do to their screw holes. The majority of your force is applied toward the bow, not up.
dww posted 04-16-2003 06:25 PM ET (US)
hey...you guys reminded me of the next question i was going to ask Whaler Nation.
my '69 sport has what appear to be oarlocks up near the seat in the bow. i have never seen or heard of anyone rowing a whaler. are those indeed oarlocks, and how praticle is it to row these boats? i have a canoe paddle now that i use in emegencies and to get me off the beach.
why did they put them so far forward and not centered. how does sitting in the bow effect your rowing power/ease?
andiamo posted 04-16-2003 06:54 PM ET (US)
Are you kidding?
I had my engine fail last summer on my Montauk in about 10-12 knts of wind. I got out the paddle. The only thing it was good for was fending off the rocks sort of. I could not paddle the boat at all. It was too heavy and the wind and seas (2 feet) were just too strong. I put out the anchor and waited for a tow.
I am investigating a kicker this summer
andygere posted 04-16-2003 07:12 PM ET (US)
dww, if they are a bronze block with a hole bored in it set into the gunwales, they are in fact oarlocks. The position is quite good, since sitting towards the bow tends to offset the motor weight so the boat does not squat so much. With the right oars, A 13 rows reasonably well. A friend and I once rowed a borrowed 13 several miles after the rope starter on the old Merc 50 broke. I also rowed my own 13 ashore in a storm after having lower unit problems (wouldn't shift into gear after changing the tanks over), and back into Town Cove when a coil went bad. Come to think of it, in the years before I sold it, I rowed that 13 quite a bit...
Kelly posted 04-16-2003 07:38 PM ET (US)
One of the first weekends I took my 13' up to the lake, the motor would not work. I took the motor off and dropped it off at the mechanic. While he fixed the motor, my son and I rowed around the cove and fished. Saved the weekend, and the motor has been perfect since.
I have always had oars on my boats if possible. Paddles are really a poor means of propulsion for anything but a canoe in my experience.
I raised the question because I really think that that the Whaler 17' hull is probably one of the only hulls in its size class that has potential with regards to oars. I think the hull shape, length, and relatively narrow beam make it a good candidate.
I appreciate the responses, I hope we get a response from somebody with first hand experience.
Kelly
MikeG posted 04-17-2003 01:01 AM ET (US)
Our old blue 13' had oar locks mounted on wood located near the rear supports of the bow rail. You would have to sit on the bow locker. That boat could be rowed but it was very difficult. I did it once for about a mile and a half when I was 12 or so after an engine failure.
A 17 would be difficult due to width. However, our Montauk always has two full sized Caviness oars mounted outside the side rails. The stay in there fine when the blade is wedged beneath the rail standoffs. Sometimes I hold them down with an extra bungee but it isn't really needed. We use the oars a fair amount when loading or dropping people off at a beach or to navigate very shallow water. Usually, the oars are used more as poles (gondola style). We have used them to get back to a dock 100ft away after the engine failed. We just stood and paddled. Worked well enough. Since I grew up with oars on a Whaler, I think the boat looks naked if we ever forget them when going out.
Mike
dww posted 04-17-2003 09:00 AM ET (US)
thanks andy. they are bronze, in the gunwale and have a hole.
the last time my engine failed my girlfriend and i paddled the thing in with a canoe paddle and the cover to the bow storage locker. i think im gonna pick up some oars this year...i like rowing.
rb posted 04-17-2003 10:48 AM ET (US)
What would be the shortest set of oars that would work on a 17'? I have a good place to mount 7', maybe 7-1/2' but I don't know if they would work with a 6'3" beam.
where2 posted 04-18-2003 12:36 PM ET (US)
The longer the oars, the better! On my 15', I've got a pair of 6' oars, and they would be better if they were longer so that my angle between the gunnel and the surface of the water was smaller. Envision a rowing shell with ultra long oars... However as the oar gets longer and more of it is outside the gunnel, your leverage decreases due to the space between the oar locks.
weekendwarrior posted 04-19-2003 05:18 PM ET (US)
I have a set of 7' aluminum oars that we keep on my montauk. The most we've used them for so far is paddling in areas where it's too shallow for the motor (but there are lots of fish, so we HAVE to go there). Anyway, if the wind is blowing then even with 2 people It's a major pain in the rump to make any ground. The winde just really catches the hull for some reason.
On the up side I store them on the outside of the rails. Just set them on the outside of the rails so that they are resting on the little horizontal part of the rail and use some zip ties to hold them on. Completely out of the way and not too difficult to get to.

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Author	Topic: Oars on a Montauk?
Kelly	posted 04-15-2003 09:15 AM ET (US) Has anybody ever seen an oar setup on a Montauk or any 17' Whaler hull? No, I am not going to get rid of the motor. I just thought for emergencies and some fishing situations they might come in handy. Kelly
T Party	posted 04-15-2003 11:22 AM ET (US) I keep a paddle on board my Montauk. A pair of oars long enough to be useful would take up a lot of space, it seems to me. I guess you could lash them to the rails, though. The boat would not row very well at all, and I think you can accomplish nearly as much (which is, to say not much) with a paddle. I could imagine attaching oarlocks so you could row from the RPS, but personally, I wouldn't do it.
elaelap	posted 04-15-2003 11:40 AM ET (US) Kelly, Just after I bought my Katama, a thread developed regarding a trolling sail for the 16/17 hull. Many laughed; others were interested, at least theoretically; one or two had tried it; and several talked about their biminis acting as sails, whether desired or not. I learned to scull with one oar on a French yacht in the Mediterranean during the 'sixties...that was the preferred method of propulsion for many European "you-yous" (dingies/tenders). In parts of the Near East and Africa large crafts are propelled in that fashion, with a single long oar either lashed to the transom or suspended above it by a cradle of beams and lashings. Sculling is an art swiftly learned...on a smaller boat it's "all in the wrist," a U-shaped rocking motion of the oar blade as it is moved from side to side in the water. Something to think about...I have. One oar on board might end up averting disaster if your motor fails. Now watch the howls of laughter... Tony
poker13	posted 04-15-2003 12:53 PM ET (US) One suggested use I've seen of a paddle or an oar is to lash it to the outboard cowling for steering should the steering system fail.
BugsyG	posted 04-15-2003 04:28 PM ET (US) I don't exactly have 2 oars, but 1 retractable pattle. Its good to have a proppulsion device if your engine goes down. Thanks JAZZ
andygere	posted 04-16-2003 01:13 AM ET (US) With the right oars, a 17 Whaler would row OK. Commercial fisherman row heavy 20-24 foot plywood surf dories off the beach in Oregon with no problem at all, and these hulls are not nearly as efficent as a 17 Whaler. The problem would be the center console, which is right about where you'd want to sit or stand while rowing. On a standard or Currituck, I'd say it's doable. The length of the oars might be a problem as well, but could be solved with a pair of clever 2 piece sweeps. Perhaps you could try mounting a set of oarlocks on the rails forward of the console to allow rowing in a standing position. I had the pleasure of rowing my 13 many times and it was indeed a very reasonable form of auxilliary power. Paddles are darn near useless on boats like these since you tend to just move in circles.
Whalerdan	posted 04-16-2003 08:50 AM ET (US) Are the rails on a montauk strong enough to handle oarlocks? If one was to mount them to the gunnels, I don't think there is any wood on top. I think you could row while sitting on the anchor locker or the RPS with the back swong forward. Paddle sounds usless. I can barely row my canoe by myself with current and wind.
where2	posted 04-16-2003 12:18 PM ET (US) My 15' came with a pair of oars and oar locks. It's not quite as swift as my 10' Zodiac was to row, but it is rowable. The oar locks are mounted to the top of the gunnel, for seating you move the foward thwart to where it feels best for you. The biggest hassle is that the console gets in the way of using your legs for bracing. Although it may be true that there is no wood on top of the gunnel, my oar locks have not yet pulled out either... They don't take the beating that rails and things tend to do to their screw holes. The majority of your force is applied toward the bow, not up.
dww	posted 04-16-2003 06:25 PM ET (US) hey...you guys reminded me of the next question i was going to ask Whaler Nation. my '69 sport has what appear to be oarlocks up near the seat in the bow. i have never seen or heard of anyone rowing a whaler. are those indeed oarlocks, and how praticle is it to row these boats? i have a canoe paddle now that i use in emegencies and to get me off the beach. why did they put them so far forward and not centered. how does sitting in the bow effect your rowing power/ease?
andiamo	posted 04-16-2003 06:54 PM ET (US) Are you kidding? I had my engine fail last summer on my Montauk in about 10-12 knts of wind. I got out the paddle. The only thing it was good for was fending off the rocks sort of. I could not paddle the boat at all. It was too heavy and the wind and seas (2 feet) were just too strong. I put out the anchor and waited for a tow. I am investigating a kicker this summer
andygere	posted 04-16-2003 07:12 PM ET (US) dww, if they are a bronze block with a hole bored in it set into the gunwales, they are in fact oarlocks. The position is quite good, since sitting towards the bow tends to offset the motor weight so the boat does not squat so much. With the right oars, A 13 rows reasonably well. A friend and I once rowed a borrowed 13 several miles after the rope starter on the old Merc 50 broke. I also rowed my own 13 ashore in a storm after having lower unit problems (wouldn't shift into gear after changing the tanks over), and back into Town Cove when a coil went bad. Come to think of it, in the years before I sold it, I rowed that 13 quite a bit...
Kelly	posted 04-16-2003 07:38 PM ET (US) One of the first weekends I took my 13' up to the lake, the motor would not work. I took the motor off and dropped it off at the mechanic. While he fixed the motor, my son and I rowed around the cove and fished. Saved the weekend, and the motor has been perfect since. I have always had oars on my boats if possible. Paddles are really a poor means of propulsion for anything but a canoe in my experience. I raised the question because I really think that that the Whaler 17' hull is probably one of the only hulls in its size class that has potential with regards to oars. I think the hull shape, length, and relatively narrow beam make it a good candidate. I appreciate the responses, I hope we get a response from somebody with first hand experience. Kelly
MikeG	posted 04-17-2003 01:01 AM ET (US) Our old blue 13' had oar locks mounted on wood located near the rear supports of the bow rail. You would have to sit on the bow locker. That boat could be rowed but it was very difficult. I did it once for about a mile and a half when I was 12 or so after an engine failure. A 17 would be difficult due to width. However, our Montauk always has two full sized Caviness oars mounted outside the side rails. The stay in there fine when the blade is wedged beneath the rail standoffs. Sometimes I hold them down with an extra bungee but it isn't really needed. We use the oars a fair amount when loading or dropping people off at a beach or to navigate very shallow water. Usually, the oars are used more as poles (gondola style). We have used them to get back to a dock 100ft away after the engine failed. We just stood and paddled. Worked well enough. Since I grew up with oars on a Whaler, I think the boat looks naked if we ever forget them when going out. Mike
dww	posted 04-17-2003 09:00 AM ET (US) thanks andy. they are bronze, in the gunwale and have a hole. the last time my engine failed my girlfriend and i paddled the thing in with a canoe paddle and the cover to the bow storage locker. i think im gonna pick up some oars this year...i like rowing.
rb	posted 04-17-2003 10:48 AM ET (US) What would be the shortest set of oars that would work on a 17'? I have a good place to mount 7', maybe 7-1/2' but I don't know if they would work with a 6'3" beam.
where2	posted 04-18-2003 12:36 PM ET (US) The longer the oars, the better! On my 15', I've got a pair of 6' oars, and they would be better if they were longer so that my angle between the gunnel and the surface of the water was smaller. Envision a rowing shell with ultra long oars... However as the oar gets longer and more of it is outside the gunnel, your leverage decreases due to the space between the oar locks.
weekendwarrior	posted 04-19-2003 05:18 PM ET (US) I have a set of 7' aluminum oars that we keep on my montauk. The most we've used them for so far is paddling in areas where it's too shallow for the motor (but there are lots of fish, so we HAVE to go there). Anyway, if the wind is blowing then even with 2 people It's a major pain in the rump to make any ground. The winde just really catches the hull for some reason. On the up side I store them on the outside of the rails. Just set them on the outside of the rails so that they are resting on the little horizontal part of the rail and use some zip ties to hold them on. Completely out of the way and not too difficult to get to.