Oars1

MELONSEED 13'4" - Built by Etienne Muller 2020 - Designed by Selway

Oars. I had considered just buying a pair of oars, so I had a look online, and there are some ok looking oars available, at reasonable prices, but none of them were the length I wanted, so I thought, “Ah, what the hell…” I had some Sitka that I had ordered along with the spars, which pushed me over the edge. Had I not had the necessary timber in stock I would have gone the lazy route. I oiled these oars rather than varnishing. In my search for oarlocks I came across John Murray,
https://www.gacooarlocks.com/ and I liked his oarlocks, as well as the theory behind his trapezoid oar shafts, so I bought the oarlocks, and I used a variation on his oar design.
https://www.gacooarlocks.com/plans-for-making-oars.pdf The oar shafts are bevelled, back and sides, from the locks to the tips.

Oars1.jpg