I had
intended that my next post be the laying of the teak deck; however this has
been delayed because of challenges that I will allude to in due course. In the meantime
this interim post regards the construction of the oars, yes the plural!
Francois Vivier’s design included just one sculling oar to be carried aboard
Beniguet, but as I have previously stated in my post last December, I have
fitted rowlocks to give me the option of rowing. The drawings give the
dimensions only, with no recommendation as to their construction. I concluded
that they would be structurally more stable and stronger if made up in four
pieces. I used ash as recommended, grooving the mating faces and inserting a
tongue throughout, after gluing with epoxy they produced a solid structure. They
were then shaped down to the design profile by chisel and plane then, again
making good use of my home made mast sanding tool, I rounded the shafts or
looms. Following varnishing, a leather
sleeve will be stitched to the looms for a wearing surface and protection against the rowlocks or
transom notch.
This shows how I jointed the blades of the oars with the shaft or loom,
tapered to a point rather like a cricket bat.
Glued up prior
to shaping
The finished
articles. Note the sheathed tips to reinforce the ends to prevent splitting or
damage.
The other item
to the right is a seat for rowing, this will span the cockpit.
