Using an Oar for a rudder...???

[pwillie]

...the boat (Dory) I'm building will have a small square rig sail, and how would an oar work as a rudder....thinking about a key hold slot in the stern for holding the oar in place?...anyone ever done it? :?:

 

[gonzo]

That is a very common setup. Rudders evolved from steering oars.

 

[SukiSolo]

Can only echo Gonzo, but thought this little baby might show an example...

http://www.tricoastal.com/ferry/lee quarter.jpg

 

[pwillie]

What about the "Key Hole?"in the stern?

 

[SukiSolo]

The 'keyhole' idea has been done before. If I remember right we used wooden oars with leather wraps on some scout gigs to do this, it is a long lever aft but it works. Equally these gigs (19') were perfectly scullable with the oar in the transom recess - shaped like a rowlock. By scullable I mean sculling with one blade through transom making figure of eights, not the rowing meaning of sculling. If you really throw your weight into it those things used to shift solo.

If you needed to 'lock' the oar in, you push the leather wrap part into the horseshoe/rowlock and it cannot lift vertically. Not a sculling position but a steering one only. Obviously you could put another wrap on the blade shaft to give a shorter lever out aft ie 2 position option.

 

[pwillie]

This is a rough drawing of the stern keyhole

 

[pwillie]

Key hole for rudder...What do you think?

 

[SukiSolo]

What is the advantage over a horseshoe shape at the top of the transom?

Your design requires a longer length of oar to be moved along its length to mount and dismount, ie remove from hole.

 

[DCockey]

Key hole for rudder...What do you think?

Disadvantage is the oar can not be quickly removed, which may be needed in close quarters.

 

[pwillie]

I was thinking about the oar being more secure if you had to drop the tiller in the event of a blow...????

 

[Squidly-Diddly]

I'd like to see a combo oar/rudder/leeboard/sculling-oar/paddle.

I guess it would be a standard flat wooden canoe paddle shape, but a double ended kayak style aluminum shaft and plastic blade, with a couple extra dis-connectors at the right places, and a hand-friendly "T" attachments for single paddle use. The "T"s could probably fit inside the shafts somewhere.