FAQs

At present we do not have an online order form as such, and advise customers to call to discuss their requirements with us first. Many of our products are made to order and therefore delivery times etc can be discussed at time or order.

Leathering a pair of oars is not as difficult as one may think. With the aid of sharp hand plane and tack hammer, together with a little skill, a professional looking result can easily be archived. Every boatbuilder or shipwright will have their own particular way, but all follow these basic steps in attaching the leather to the oars.

First the leather needs to be skived which involves feathering out the edges so there is no step or ridge. Place the leather on the edge of a flat surface and using the plane carefully par down the underside edge on all 4 sides to an angle about 25o. Care needs to be taken not to break through on to the top side as it will be seen when in place. The leather now needs to be submerged overnight in water to help soften it so that it can be stretched tight onto the oar.

Wrap the leather round the oar, lining the join with the flat of the blade. Starting on the opposite side of the join, insert a copper tack to each edge of the leather locating it in position and square on the oar. Stretching each side round the oar, insert another two tacks in each edge at 90o form the first tack. Stretching it round further, the leather will now overlap where it is to be joined. Pulling it as tight as possible insert the copper tacks through both layers working across the join but maintaining the tension as you go. Leaving it overnight to dry and harden off, a clear boot polish can then be applied, after which it will not only be ready for use but look traditional as well.

To find the required length of a skiff or spoon oar together with the position of the button, this simple calculation can be used:

First find the outboard length of the oar by taking the beam of the boat (rowlock to rowlock), add 8.5'' and divide by 2, then multiply by 2.45.

The next step is to find the inboard length by taking the beam, divide by 2 and add 2.25''. This allow for an overlap for rowing hand over hand, but added to the outboard length, the length of the whole oar can be established as well as the button position.

With the standard oars we use the same formula as for the skiff oars but reduce the calculated length by 6". This is very much a rule of thumb, as other considerations need to be taken into account such as the type of craft and free board. It is also worth remembering the overlap in the handles; as generally when recreational rowing with standard oars, a 3" gap is ideally suited rather that the hands overlapping.