Carrying an Oar in the Boat

[Mel Taylor]

I have a 14' Mirrocraft with a tiller steered 30 HP Evinrude on it. It has full bench seats front and rear. Where the third (center) bench seat would normally be, there is a tool box on each side with a "walk through" opening in the middle . Sides of the bench seats go nearly to the floor.

I carry a full length paddle in the boat but regardless of where I put it, it always seems to be in the way. I usually lay it lengthwise in the floor in the center of the boat, but when I stand up to cast, there it is, under foot. I can put one end on the rear seat and the other end on one of the tool boxes, alongside the gunnels, but it's even more in the way there and tends to fall off one end or the other when underway at high speeds.

It cannot go crosswise behind the rear seat because floatation chambers on each side take up too much room.

It looks like the best place would be to mount some kind of bracket on the front of the rear bench seat to hold the paddle. Only trouble with that might be that the back of my legs, when operating the boat, would be next to, or against, the paddle and brackets. In other words paddle and bracket probably shouldn't stick out too far.

I know I cannot be the only one who has run into this problem so I'm betting that someone in this forum has done it before and can come up with a solution.

I'm open to any and all suggestions and ideas.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

err...get a smaller paddle that fits somewhere.
I don't carry a paddle but I do have a boat hook pole.
may be a small paddle and a push pole/boat hook would be better.

 

[beason]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

i keep a paddle in the ski locker. its not big, but would be better than nothing.

 

[Lowe170]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Collapsible/telescopic paddle alternative?

http://www.mengo-ind.com/displaysection.aspx?which=48

 

[oops!]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

those little collapsible paddles are the cats meow.

you can store them any where.....under a seat....in the bow.

if you dont want to buy one.....i would make a bracket on the side gunwhale that holds it flush with the side if the boat.
having the thing underfoot is an easy way to go swimming.

in canada.....it is law that we have a oar or paddle on board.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Since I often use the paddle to push off from shallow rock or gravel banks, none of the plastic and aluminum paddles I've seen are nearly strong enough for my purposes. If anyone makes a really strong collapsable paddle, I'd go for that in a heartbeat.

At any rate I'm pretty partial to my old heavy duty wooden paddle. On two different occasions I've had to move my boat several miles by paddle power on a large, isolated lake in Mexico after having engine troubles. Not a place to try to depend on a small or not-very-strong oar or paddle.

A push pole sounds interesting but there again are they collapsable? And, if not where to keep it?

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

We used to keep the paddle wedged in the (seat) stiffening brace on an old Lund. Something like this might serve to store the paddle likewise.

 

[MercMe]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

I have seen people mount them right on the side of the boat. Its kinda ugly though.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Collapsible/telescopic paddle alternative?

http://www.mengo-ind.com/displaysection.aspx?which=48

That's what we have in the emergency kits in both boats.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Get one of those rod holders with the velcro strap.
Mount it to the inside of the boat just under the gunnel, out of the way, secure for trailering, always within reach.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

in canada.....it is law that we have a oar or paddle on board.

oops, is there a boat size in the law? Like 16 ft. or less. Just curious, is all.

 

[dan t.]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Actually its 2 oars or paddles,defined a a "manual propelling device" I think over 18 ft you can substitute an anchor.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

where I boat on the marshes of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, your shove pole (which can be an oar) is your second most important safety equipment, the first being the anchor. Usually you have a duck foot since it's a mud bottom; the home-made wooden ones have a slight beaver tail carved so they can be used for sculling.

I use a telescoping shove pole with a duck foot on the bottom for the dual console; I just got one that collapses in 3 parts so it's only 5' long collapsed, and fits nicely on the deck between the console and stern, along the side (with the paddle and boat hook). My previous 2 part pole didn't fit well there; just a little too long. For the jon boats, I keep one just shorter than the length of the boat (14') so it doesn't poke over the bow and hit the pier when landing. On the 19' cc we have a 15' pole that lays along the side between the deck and stern; we have the console off-set so it lays on the side where you don't pass through and is out of the way.

Since you have bench seats, no problem laynig a pole along the side. But if you are in deep water you want an oar or paddle; a set of oars is even better.

Simply lay the oar(s) or pole along side the gunwale, and install one or two rubber straps to the hull to hold it/them there. Bungee or velcro would work. eventually they need replacing from being in the weather, but that's no big deal. They don't stick out like brackets do, or break off.

Collapsable paddles are too flimsy for shoving.


You use your boat for boating. how it looks is irrelevant. It's sad (and scary) to see boats that are not properly equipped because they aren't designed for equipment; every boat under 22 feet or so should have at least a paddle on board.

 

[hostage]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Why not mount it on the side of the boat with brackets? This is the first thing that came to my mind:

 

[erwinner]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

I keep a wooden paddle in my 14' tinnie always. Works great when I don't want to get to the trolling motor in the front.
Mine fits nicely right over the gas tank under the motor clamps.

 

[arks]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

i bought a pair of 2 piece wooden oars from ebay.
They fit nicely in the bottom of a 14' Jon but are 6' long when assembled.
I think the ones I have were originally for an inflatable dinghy.

 

[drrpm]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

I carry a 3 piece break down paddle in the back of my whitewater kayak. There are 2 piece whitewater canoe paddles as well. Paddles designed for whitewater use are much stronger and would hold up to abuse better than a standard paddle

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

that's a good point; I'd change what I said about collapsable or take-apart paddles if you buy superior grade such as white water. But not the typical boat store stuff. They seem to be made more for keeping the boat "looking nice" but are a failure in function--and the latter is far more important.

Kayak paddles also give you the advantage of length.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Whatever it takes, I absolutely will not leave the dock without a paddle, preferred over a docking pole as you can manuver with it, but I do understand the significance of a docking pole/hook where you can pull yourself up to something, especially with larger boats, whereas you can't with a paddle......but on the smaller boats you can get on the opposite side of the boat and using the paddle push the boat up to the dock or whatever.

Mark

 

[hostage]

Re: Carrying an Oar in the Boat

Whatever it takes, I absolutely will not leave the dock without a paddle, preferred over a docking pole as you can manuver with it, but I do understand the significance of a docking pole/hook where you can pull yourself up to something, especially with larger boats, whereas you can't with a paddle......but on the smaller boats you can get on the opposite side of the boat and using the paddle push the boat up to the dock or whatever.

Mark

I can use my oar as a docking pole. I just flip it around and use the T handle on the end to help grab onto things. It is a nice multitasker.

Also has the OP thought of stowing the oar in the up right position? It would be out of the way.