Sweeps

[ghostlymoron]

I have some wooden oars for my dinghy which i would like to use as 'sweeps'. I plan to have removable extensions of about 3 feet. Has anyone done this, and would they be so kind as to share the details. I can use a rope loop over my sheet winches as rowlocks.

 

[Blueboatman]

( no other replies so....)
You will want to get the stiffness and loom weight balance right and maybe add some leather or sommat to stop em chaffing and sliding in and out inadvertedly, the loads you apply will of course be more significant. Good stout oars with enough blade?
And play with rowlock or rope loop height over the water, without clipping the toerails..some freeboards are too high even if you are standing tall?

If you made up rowlocks that sit in the winch handle sockets then not only would they be strong and secure, but you could wind the sails in as you row!( or fit a bush so you don't drive the ratchet )

In short,may I suggest that it is worth doing a mock up, a prototype and having a practise or two before finalising the product..
I would start with some 2x2 ex estate agents board timber and a bit of plywood trimmed and retrimmed...

Great idea though..

 

[TSB240]

I don't know what size boat you are fitting your sweeps to but I can remember using a single sweep on a 20 foot boat 1 ton day sailer.

The boat had a galvanised rowlock socket inset into the toerail and the sweep was probably 14- 15 foot long to give the necessary leverage.

You had to be very careful to build up speed without risking breaking the sweep. (Which of course I did!) I doubt very much that any easily removable extension on any oar could withstand the forces involved. It might be worthwhile experimenting with an old carbon-fibre windsurfer mast that are easily obtained, lighter and stronger than any wooden oar.

 

[ghostlymoron]

My boat is 19' and weighs 1.25T. Not the QE2 and I'm not planning to row at any great speed or distance but think that it might be handy to have an alternative means of propulsion at times.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Sanderling (YM 3-Tonner) is 20' on deck and had a 14' sweep made from a cut-down lifeboat steering oar. I had one removable bronze rowlock that could be mounted on either side coaming for rowing (standing up, facing forward), or on the transom for sculling. I have to say it didn't get a lot of use, but when it did it worked okay.

Mike

 

[Greenheart]

I bought a pair of nice 8ft oars from Cap'n Popeye last year. I had originally expressed interest in a 9ft pair he'd offered, but their condition wasn't so good...

...some time later, in a cupboard I found a disassembled standard lamp of peculiarly ugly appearance. The sections of the stand are 15" heavy tubular brass I think, of exactly the diameter to fit over the hand-holds on my oars. If I drill through the hand-holds and fit pins to secure the brass extensions, I hope I'll have exactly the length of oars I needed.

Having oars as a stand-by is a great reassurance and adds pleasing versatility. Leaving other dinghies to drift on the tide when the wind drops, is exceedingly satisfying.

 

[William_H]

Yes I use paddles with long handles on my 21fter. I find the oar can use the post of the stern rail asa rowlock. It is good to get the rowlock out as close to the gunwhale as possible to allow for greast angle down and avert wear on the toe rail. I don't know that you need such very long oars. A seat might be a good thing across the cockpit depending on where you row from. a bungee on the tiller will also help. As i only use the oars when there is no wind they don't get much use but are always easier than dragging out the engine from under the cockpit. I have successed in sculling but that may be anothe roption. good luck olewill

 

[pcatterall]

I guess that the width of your yacht may make conventional rowing difficult. Sculling with a good oar and standing position may be a better option.
PS It would be no use against the Rhone in flood if that's what your worried about!!

 

[JumbleDuck]

I have some wooden oars for my dinghy which i would like to use as 'sweeps'. I plan to have removable extensions of about 3 feet. Has anyone done this, and would they be so kind as to share the details. I can use a rope loop over my sheet winches as rowlocks.

I have oars as auxiliary propulsion on my Hunter 490, and it's surprising how long they need to be to be any good. Mine are eight feet long, because that's the absolute maximum size which can be stowed in the cabin, and they are just about OK, but ideally I'd like them to be at least two feet longer.

 

[Seajet]

I tried rowing my Anderson 22 in a flat calm with a chum when we were both 19 or so and fit, using wooden dinghy oars about 6' long lashed to a boathook & spinnaker pole.

It was pretty hopeless, the extended lash-up had too much flexibility and wasn't strong enough.

As others have said, to be any real use sweeps need to be surprisingly long and strong.

I do have a rowlock socket in the transom coaming for Plan Z sculling...

 

[JumbleDuck]

It was pretty hopeless, the extended lash-up had too much flexibility and wasn't strong enough..

I had to row my rigid dinghy with rope rowlocks one weekend after some bounder pinched my nice galvanized ones. It was absolutely horrible. However you do it, OP, make sure the oars are pushing on something hard and held tightly to it for recovery. Rope loops over winches will not work.

 

[lenten]

i have got 10 foot oars for my 6 feet wide --15 feet long dinghy---(not sailing)---with crew the all in weight would be over 1/2 ton---with a huge amount of effort alternating sitting and pulling and standing and pushing i think i would be lucky to make much over 1-2 miles in an hour----only to be used in an emergency ---regards lenten

 

[Alan ashore]

When I did the RBIR in a Fulmar (32ft, 4500kg) some years ago, we made sweeps from old windsurfer masts with plywood blades and wooden handles. Trial and error up and down the Hamble to optimise the length, size and shape of the blades. Conventional steel rowlocks and sockets mounted on teak blocks bolted to the cockpit coaming.
Rowed standing in the cockpit. One person could do not much more than convince himself it was worth it, but both together we could exceed 1.5 knots.

We rowed into Lerwick Sound on Midsummer's night in thick fog, surprised at the frost forming on the deck. (Gosh, I'd like to do that again!)

 

[Greenheart]

We rowed into Lerwick Sound on Midsummer's night in thick fog, surprised at the frost forming on the deck.

In a single line, sir, you have justified all the cost, bother and overcrowding of keeping a boat on the South Coast! My sincere thanks. :encouragement: