Finally found some oars.
I searched for six weeks to get some gen-u-ine wooden fishing boat oars. What happened to them all?
Close your eyes....no, wait...read this, THEN close your eyes, picturing the wooden oars, up there on the rafters of your garage, or maybe leaning in the corner. They're grey with age, but if you look close you can see the vestiges of the blue or red or white paint in some of the wood seams. The blades are feathered from being too wet too long, and then used to shove off from rocks, or trying to row in a rocky river. See 'em? They've been left in boats at docks for so many times, they are as weathered grey as the docks themselves. OK,now open your eyes.
Well, I live in rural Wisconsin, for crying out loud, and all those wonderful, taken-for-granted wooden oars have disappeared ! I advertised on Craig's List for over weeks, went to more garage sales in a few weeks than I had in decades...and nothing!d Lotta of folks think canoe paddles are oars.
Went to er...Farm and Fleet and Walmart, and Wally had nothing, F&F had thick slabs of lumber they were selling as oars. From waaay too many web searches, I think that the yuppies decorating their B&Bs have decided they would make "darling" accent pieces.
(blah.) They're oars, for crying out loud; honest, well-made, work tools for a boat on the water.
Well, found two which are a little long (6.5'), and need a bit a rehab, but as soon as I got them home, I hit them with spar urethane, and ordered the oar locks. I have oar yolks, but these are old enough that I don't want to stress the pivot point. THESE were oars as they were meant to be made...with some skill and appreciation for the work they were intended to do.
I've been using metal and plastic oars that came with the 12ft boat, but those are as wrong as the sound of a league baseball hit with an aluminum bat.
Got Mick out for his second boat ride. He did fine, mostly. Still messing with the 5.5., so I took it in to get the carb rebuilt. Currently using a 10hp, 1959 Johnson, which one of the previous owners decided should be painted ENTIRELY in battleship grey. In the few times I've been out, as some others said, that 10hp is about the perfect engine for the 14ftr Alumacraft.
Pictures:
The ravages of time