Hello,
As I understand the NED build instructions, angled oarlock sockets are placed on the inboard side of the rubrail and top hull plank. This would put the top screws on my dory going part in the rub rail, and part in the top hull plank. Is this correct?
Also, I see posts on this forum suggesing through bolts for oarlock sockets. This also does not seem possbile for the top screws.
Do people suggest following the manual and using screws that are part in the top hull panet? Am I misunderstanding the insrtuctions? Is there a prroblem with using a side or top mount oarlock socket instead of an angle mount? Risers? I would love to know what others have done.
Thanks.
LearnsTheHardWay:
"And then it will match the general aesthetic that I have going on anyway :)."
Ha! I'm with you, though. It's a boat you're going to drag in and out of dirty water, not a Martin guitar or a Steinway piano, for all love.
Our PMD came out looking pretty good, even from 5 ft. away instead of 10, but she is a lot closer to "fisherman finish" (Phil Bolger's expression) than to museum grade. She is mostly painted: semi-gloss white latex porch paint on the outside (easy to touch up - Phil Bolger's influence), a flat warm tan on the inside and the rub rails, with varnish confined to the outsides of the transoms. My #2 son wanted to varnish the whole business, but I talked him down to the exterior transoms, and he's now very glad I did. Here's how she came out looking on first launch:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gxgh4mz8rnpynfysgmbuq/180_A540a0399.JPG?rlkey=ce6tfrx1xc18w5kr1r7tlzcfo&dl=0
...taking a couple of grandchildren for a row. Oh, and yes, we did varnish the transom doublers on the inside, too.
Anyway, yes, I can still point out the divot that got me banned from bringing any live power tool within 10 feet of the work as we finished the build...though the paint mostly covers it. <;-)
Well, I've gotten us off topic here...sorry.
Our PMD kit came with risers and the instructions which showed how to use the inboard angled oarlocks supplied, so I can't speak from personal experience as to mounting them without the risers. However, looking at the NED photo albums, it seems most of them have the angled oarlocks installed exacly as you described and, yes, I expect some of the vertical screw will end up in the plywood vs. the rub rail. If you're nervous about it - right, I don't like screws in plywood, either - a quick call to CLC might put your mind at rest.
The main thing is to make sure you drill the correct size of pilot hole for the screw. You want that not too big, not too small, but, like Goldilocks, just right. Get CLC's advice on that if it isn't specified in the instructions somewhere. I've found that internet searches for pilot hole size can yield widely varying opinions. Mind how you go out there on the Cyber Sea - thar be pyrates and dragons thar!
.....Michael
Thanks Gramps. I'm going to do it as the manual says. The worst thing that happens is that I will have to patch the top panell And then it will match the general aesthetic that I have going on anyway :).
I was a little suspect on the strength of the oarlock attachment per-plan on my NE Dory, and think I read about someone having an oarlock tearing out on one of those excursion races. Anyway, I used spare pieces of rubrail (about 7/8" square?) and about 6 inches long to place under the rub rail. You could use any appropriate little blocks of wood if you don't have ends of left-over rub rail. Just shaped them with a belt sander to fit curves and slightly rounded appropriate edges and corners, then epoxied in place. Then upgraded the screw size by a little bit to do the lock mounting. Mine are now plenty beefy. And the little block up under the rub rail is virtually invisible/unnoticeable when the boat is viewed from all common angles, due to being up under the rub rail.
The angle at which the oarlock mounts if OK, but just barely. I find that in wavey conditions where you really need to maximize the blade height above water on the recovery stroke that I'll occasionally touch the limit at which the lock/oars allow. Changing the angle (making the mount flatter to the horizon) using a small riser or something similar would be a bit more work, but might be a consideration.
