Widgeon Oar locks.

Jun 11, 2018
13
O'day Widgeon Lower Stanchfield
Anyone have experience mounting oarlocks to a Widgeon or similar boat?
Where did you mount them? What length oars did you go with? How did it turn out?
I'm thinking about making a removable seat and foot pegs on the board trunk and brailing the boom to the mast using the jib halyard.
Thanks.
 
  • Like
Likes: asigsbee
Jul 27, 2017
5
O'day Widgeon Wisconsin Rapids, wI
Sorry about the long delay. I have oar-locks and oars on my old Widgeon, pre 1971. The center of the oar-lock pivot is 42" forward of the corner of the transom measured from the outside edge. The oars are 7' long. I made the oars myself using suggestions from Brian Gilbert's book FIX IT AND SAIL. The oars could be a bit longer but not much or they wouldn't fit under the side benches where I keep them secured with line thru cleats, which are screwed to the bottom of the side benches. When underway, I keep the oars in the oar-locks with the business end hanging out past the stern and held up with line thru cleats on the side decks; the oars can then be quickly brought into play. When rowing I keep the boom up using a topping lift and pull the sheet out of the block above the cleat on the center plate trunk. I don't have photos but I trust I've given enough detail. Hope this helps. Note: rowing seat is a plank on the CB trunk held in place by wooden blocks with arches cut into them to conform to the shape of the trunk. I used a hole saw, can't remember the size but a bit bigger than the CB radius so as to glue carpet inside the arch. Clear enough??? Rowing actually works fairly well but I wouldn't want to do many miles that way.