Emergency Oar/Paddle for 14' deep-V?

[dkuster]

When I bought my boat the seller included two, 8' oars.

These things are huge, there's no easy way to stow them, and they take up a ton of space.

I'd really only need them in an emergency, i.e. both my outboard motor _and_ trolling motor crapped out.

Do you guys bother to carry some kind of "manual propulsion", and if so what? And how do you stow it?

 

[wihil]

My 12'er came with oars also - I'm not really sure of the length, but they're at least 7' if not more.

I keep them both in the boat, and actually use them from time to time if I'm just drift fishing. One of the previous owners of the boat put in four PVC rod holders, slightly angled out going from the bench to the gunnel on both sides of the boat. If I know I'm not going to be using them, I just pop them out of the locks and stow them behind the PVC - the front pipe is tight enough to lock the paddle section in, and the rear pipe has enough room to easily let the handle rest on the seat. Everything is kept flat to the sides, and well out of the way for my boat.

It can be a pain to dig them out on the water, so if I know ahead of time that I want to use them I'll take them out before I launch and put them in the locks, paddles angled into the boat against the front pipes, with a small section of bungee keeping them tight until I want to use them.

C

 

[benjineer]

They make a paddle that is collapsible. Some Wal-Marts carry them.

 

[bcbouy]

mine is aluminum and breaks into 3 sections,can be stowed in my center compartment easily.its actually shorter than my net.

 

[dkuster]

Are guys talking about oars or paddles?

Oars (in pairs) are typically what you see in larger boats.

Paddles are for canoes.

I've seen collapsible paddles, but how would you paddle a boat with a 65" beam? (Especially when you have to keep switching sides to go straight?)

 

[nomowork]

I have a 13 1/2 foot Gregor. I bought two used six foot oars for $30 and store them between the hull and the bench seat braces to the hull. Sometimes the oars are easier than using the trolling motor to get out of some tight or shallow spaces, plus it makes for a good workout on slow fishing days. :mrgreen:

 

[BassBlaster]

Do you guys bother to carry some kind of "manual propulsion", and if so what? And how do you stow it?

In my state it is required that you carry at least one paddle for emergency purposes. Ive always just used the cheap colapsable paddles that Wally World carries. My outboard took a dump while fishing one day on my old boat and we ran the trolling battery down trying to get back to the ramp. There wasnt any other boats out that day that we saw, it was still early in the season so no one there to tow us. Had to use the emergency paddle. It took a long time to get there and it sure gave us a workout but it works in an emergency!!

 

[J.P.]

I've seen collapsible paddles, but how would you paddle a boat with a 65" beam? (Especially when you have to keep switching sides to go straight?)

read about skulling. specifically one oar skulling. it's a nice efficient way to move around. check this out: https://www.amateurboatbuilding.com/articles/howto/sculling_oar/
i only know how to scull from the transom, but i know a few traditional fishermen who can do it from the side of any boat. it looks deceptively effortless but takes a lot of practice.

 

[Stove Iron]

As for sculling, just ask anyone who grew up fishing in the 1940s'50s or pre-trolling motor days. My dad is in his late 60s and remembers being the "sculler" i.e. trolling motor, for his dad and uncle. Those were the days when working class men built their fishing boats from thick cypress planks and sealed the cracks with pitch and rope. But my dad always referred to sculling as using a small paddle one handed from the bow to maneuver a boat without creating much noise....not necessarily Olympic sculling, Chinese sculling, etc.

 

[benjineer]

Sculling is easy and works pretty well from the bow with a short paddle. With a V-hull, you can get on the front and paddle it like a canoe. May be a little awkward, but probably better than sculling for distance. I guess it depends on how far you'd have to paddle in an emergency. You might want to make room for the oars or a tiny outboard if it's very far.

 

[lovedr79]

I carry one traditional canoe paddle mounted to the rear bench on the front side

 

[MRichardson]

I once paddled a 20' flats boat 1.5 miles across the Indian River with nothing but a TupperWare container lid.

It's good to have paddles.

 

[fender66]

I don't carry one....but I probably should. :roll:

 

[Butthead]

I used self adhesive velcro to attach a wooden paddle to the hull. It's out of the way and with the soft side of the velcro on the paddle it doesn't hurt your hands when you have to use it. :LOL2:

 

[dkuster]

Thanks for the replies!

It sounds to me like the easiest approach is to get a cheap, two-piece canoe paddle, and if I ever need to use it just paddle from the bow of the boat.

 

[PATRIOT2]

I carry a 7 foot length of 1.5" Schedule40 pvc pipe capped off on both ends. Can't count the miles I've "poled" my 14' V standing on the bow with it. Comes in handy for avoiding rocks as well as pushing off.