Home Forums Forum Fitting rowlocks/ oar length

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    • #24352
      Mike_H
      Participant

      Hi all, I have an old GRP (8049) that I am slowly upgrading and hoping to tempt my young daughters into sailing with me. They have some interest in rowing, which might help them feel comfortable in the boat. Any advice on fitting rowlocks and position? I’m thinking of sitting in and getting a feel for what is the right position. Also, what length of oar?  I’m thinking they would need to be quite long. If anyone had anything suitable in the midlands area, that they would consider selling, please do message me.

      Thanks!

      Mike

    • #27047
      Steve
      Participant

      Hi all 🙂

      I appreciate this thread is almost 2 years old, but it seemed a good place to pose my question…

      I have a series 2 (converted from series 1) which I generally use for cruising, which doesn’t have rowlocks fitted.
      Are there any “how to” guides available on fitting rowlocks?  Or is this a job best left to the professionals?  (I’d be nervous cutting holes!!)
      If the latter, can anyone recommend a good dinghy builder in the north west that could make these modifications?

      Thanks all 🙂

       

    • #27056
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Noting that this is a wooden boat (Series 1,  with the series 1 to 2 conversion done),  that you say you are nervous of cutting holes,  and that you want a good dinghy builder in the north-west,  I would recommend Tim Harper,  who is based in Southport.   He has in his time built some beautiful,  and somewhat bespoke,  GP14s,  including my own A Capella.    Last time we met,  at a Past Commodores’ Dinner earlier in the year,  he gave me the impression that he is now semi-retired,  and said that he no longer builds,  but still does repairs.

      It would be worth determining first where you want the sockets to go;    there is a lot of material pertinent to this earlier in this very string.

      Then decide on what rowlocks you want.    Metal is vastly stronger and more rigid than plastic,   so I personally would never have any confidence in plastic ones.   Galvanised are el cheapo,  and very strong,  but a bit “agricultural”;   you may feel (as I myself do) that to fit them to a beautiful wooden GP14 would deface the boat.

      The strength of Chrome-plated rowlocks depends heavily on the quality of the substrate,  which is likely to be either brass or die-cast zinc alloy.    I have heard mixed reports,  with some owners reporting fractures,  and others having had no problem.   Indeed there is one adverse report almost immediately preceding this reply in the same string.   However it is difficult to compare like with like,  as I have no information on particular brands;   and even for the adverse reports that I have heard in most cases I cannot recall what the substrates were.

      For my money the choice is either stainless steel or bronze (gunmetal).   Bronze are probably the easier of the two to obtain,  and are normally available from Classic Marine,  or other specialist classic chandlers (such as Marinestore.co.uk,  or Davey & Co.)   Stainless steel may require quite a lot of online searching,  but if you can find stainless ones (that you like) they will be amply strong and they will also be a good cosmetic match to the rest of your stainless fittings on the boat.

      It would be worth discussing this with Tim before you buy;   he may possibly have sources of supply,  or he may prefer you to source them and he will then simply fit them for you.

      The neatest type of installation is to have the deck plates (sockets) recessed into the deck so that the surface is flush;  and that also gives the most comfortable seating if you happen to sit on top of one of the sockets.   However if you opt for that you may find that you need to put a short collar on the stem of the rowlocks in order to lift them a little,  so that the oar does not scuff your varnished rubbing strake on the pull stroke.   I made my collars by buying a short length of stainless steel tubing of suitable diameter (again an internet search will bring up suppliers),  and then cutting it to length.    The length is not critical;   half an inch,  or 15 mm would seem a good length to try.

      Hope this helps,

       

      Oliver

    • #27081
      Steve
      Participant

      Thanks Oliver 🙂

      I’ve dropped an e-mail to Tim.

      In the meantime, have you any suggestions on how to reinforce under the deck to take the forces of the oars?
      e.g. type of wood to use, size of the block, how to fit it in place, etc.
      (Just in case I’m brave enough to take the job on myself 🙂  )

      Thanks

      Steve

    • #27082
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      If you ask Tim to fit the plates he will of course do the reinforcing.

      It is not a job that I have ever done myself,  but it is one that I would have been perfectly happy to do.    (Tim fitted the socket plates on A Capella,  since this was part of the build).    Sitting at home in my armchair(!) I would expect to do the following:

      • Measure up and mark the centres of the holes.    Double check these measurements;    the old adage is “Measure twice,  have a cup of tea,  then measure again;  then cut once”.
      • Offer up a piece of mahogany under the deck,   I suggest 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick,  very substantially longer and wider than the socket plate,  but precise dimensions not critical;   bond this in place with epoxy.    If underside of deck is bare,  or if it is coated with epoxy,  the new bond will be strong.    If it is merely varnished,  the bond will be the (uncertain) strength of the varnish,   so err on the large side with your choice of dimensions for the reinforcement.     One way to hold the reinforcement in place while the epoxy cures would be to drive a single screw into it from above,  screwing exactly through the marked centre;    once the epoxy has set you can remove the screw,  and when you then drill out the hole all trace of that screw will have been removed.   Preferably remove the screw before the epoxy has cured fully hard;   but if you misjudge and then find difficulty in getting the screw out a soldering iron applied to the head of the screw should soften the epoxy enough to enable removal.
      • The socket plates may have a very short downward protuberance around the hole;   to call it a tube would be too grand a term,  perhaps between 1/8 and 1/4 inch (3 to 6 mm) deep.    If so,  using a self-centring wood bit,  drill out to that diameter and depth  –  adding the thickness of the plate to the depth,  to enable the socket plate to eventually sit flush,  recessed into the deck.    If no such protuberance,  reverse the order of some of the following steps;   drill for the shank first,  using a self-centring drill,  then match the plate to the drilled hole,  using the drill bit as a mandrel for getting the plate in exactly the correct position.
      • Insert the plate into that hole (it will of course still be sitting proud of the deck at this stage),   line it up accurately fore-and-aft,  then use a Stanley knife (craft knife) to mark around the outside.    This will probably be a rectangular shape;   if you happen to have chosen socket plates of elliptical shape this really is making a lot of extra skilled work for yourself!   Take great care to cut exactly along the line of the plate,  and not to mark the varnish outside the plate.   You can afford to cut into the deck to fractionally more than the thickness of the metal plate.   Note that at this stage you have still not cut the hole for the shank of the rowlock;   that is left for much later.
      • Using a freshly-sharpened wood chisel,   remove  the necessary depth of plywood from inside the marked region,  taking particular care not to damage the deck outside that marked region.    It is vitally important that the chisel is really sharp.   Initially settle for making the hole very slightly too small;   it is easy to open it out further,  but impossible to do an invisible repair if you cut too much!    Aim to achieve a level bottom to your hole,  which will perhaps be about 1 mm deep.
      • Using the chisel and the Stanley knife as required,  open out the hole until the plate sits neatly inside the hole,  and flush with the deck.
      • Once you are satisfied with the fitting of the plate,  insert the securing screws.
      • The shank diameter will typically be either 12 or 13 mm or 1/2-inch (which falls between the two metric sizes).   Provided you have access to the correct size of drill bit (which may be a problem if it is 1/2 inch and you have only metric sizes),  you can drill through the socket plate,  and in that case the bit does not need to be self-centring;   either a wood bit or a metal bit will do equally well,  as the plate will keep it centred.
      • So,  with the plate fitted,  and screwed down,   drill through the hole in the plate for the shank of the rowlock,  provided you have the correct drill bit size.
      • However,  if you find yourself having to drill fractionally larger than the hole in the plate,   e.g. 13 mm for a 1/2 inch plate (just 0.3 mm over-size) you will need to take the plate off again,  and then you must use a self-centring wood bit;   a bit designed for drilling metal will be too prone to wander off the true line.
      • Now check the rowlock in the hole,  to test for a good fit.
      • Finally,  with everything fitted,  and working,  remove the plate again.   Varnish the bare wood.    Then refit the plate,  bedding it down onto your choice of sealant.

      Job done!

      It actually sounds more than it is;    if you are reasonably familiar with quality woodworking the job is not particularly difficult.    But accuracy at all stages is the name of the game,  and if you are nervous of your abilities then it is a job perhaps better left to a professional.

      If you happen to read these posts by email rather than on the website,  please be aware that this one has had several edits,   so do look up the latest version on the website.

       

      Oliver

      • This reply was modified 4 weeks ago by getmwaqar.
    • #27083
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      The differences in likely shank diameters,  i.e. 12 or 13 mm,  or 1/2 inch (= 12.7 mm) can be significant.

      Although in deference to age (81) I have reluctantly retired from GP14s,  and have very happily passed A Capella over to my godson as an advance on his future inheritance,  I have recently refitted her for him.    After revarnishing the decks and replacing the fittings the starboard rowlock was fine,  but the port one was very stiff.    The obvious solution,  in default of a reamer,  was to re-drill the hole for the shank.

      I tried a 12 mm (metal) drill,  but it went in far too easily,  and achieved nothing.    I then tried a 13 mm drill,  but that would not pass through the hole in the socket plate.   However I am of an age to still have some pre-metric tools,  so I then tried a 1/2-inch drill,  and it did the job to perfection.    A Capella‘s rowlocks,  bought new in 2006,  very much in the metric era,  clearly have 1/2-inch (i.e. non/metric Imperial size) shanks.    Of course,  I could have saved myself a couple of trials had I bothered to get out the micrometer,  or the verniers,  and actually measure the shank  …   …

       

      Oliver

    • #27088
      Steve
      Participant

      Thanks so much for the comprehensive replies Oliver.

      Much appreciated 🙂

    • #27089
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Steve,

      In an idle moment I looked at your profile,  and spotted the name of the boat.    That name rang a bell;   and coupled with a sail number around 9000,  and the Series 1 to 2 conversion  –  which is quite rare,  and based in the northwest,  I think I know the boat.    Did you buy her from Peter Johnson,  a member of Liverpool Sailing Club?

      That is my home club,  and when Peter was considering buying her I vetted the boat for him!

      Peter had joined the club a short while earlier,  declaring that he wanted to try out a number of different boats until he had decided which class to buy.   I took him out just once in A Capella,  and he was so delighted with her that he immediately declared that his search was ended;   his choice was a GP14.   I didn’t attempt to persuade him to try others,  because I am an enthusiast for the GP14 myself.

      Regards,

       

      Oliver

    • #27090
      Steve
      Participant

      Oliver, I did indeed 🙂

      Since acquiring her I’ve added a reefing furler to the genoa, and more recently reefing lines to the mainsail following your excellent guide.
      I’ve also sanded her deck back to the bare wood, expoxied and re-varnished.  Slowly fitting her out to be a cruiser, rather than a racer.  I can’t tell you how useful and informative your guides have been in helping me with this.  I’ve even had a couple of them printed and bound for easy reference.

      Haven’t sailed her quite as much as I’d hoped, but have been on Bala, and Barton Broad in Norfolk just a couple of weeks ago, so building my confidence up.  Hoping to join a DCA event when the stars align with my other weekend commitments.

      Best regards.

    • #27091
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Excellent!

       

      Oliver

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