Cajun rowing oars

[jdupre']

I have a pair of oars for a Cajun rowing skiff Daddy never got around to making. He had a local guy make them for him between 60 and 70 years ago. The guy that made them was the man you went to for specialty items. He made most of the round wooden cisterns around here for many years. He also made the removable jougs and oars. No power tool every touched his hands- old school all the way. When I was a kid ,the old store the my daddy bought was torn down to build a new one, this old guy came to clean up the lot with his horse and 2- wheeled cart, which he probably built also. The oars have been in the water once in all that time. They have a finish straight off the spoke shave- no sand paper.

Notice the similarity of the blades to a Greenland paddle. Same priciple developed by people seperated by an entire ocean. 8)

 

[bearridge]

that top oar haz some mitey fine grain in it......mebbe ya oughta build a boat like the one Keith 'n seedtick been workin' on ta go with 'em? [grin]

 

[Kayak Jack]

... Notice the similarity of the blades to a Greenland paddle. Same principle developed by people separated by an entire ocean. 8)

That's one of the phenomena of the paddling world. There's more variation within various groups of boats in Alaska, and within groups of boats in Greenland, than there is BETWEEN the groups of the two, widely separated areas. This proves the wisdom and intelligence of our forebears in these locations and times.

 

[jdupre']

Jack, it's interesting how things that people use improve over time until they become almost perfect for the enviornment in which they are used. It reminds me of something in one of the Traditional Bowyers Bibles. Natives in the rainforest of South America use 7ft long bows and arrows almost as long. To the average archer, this seems ridiculous. If they used shorter bows and shorter and lighter arrows, they would gain more speed. BUT, in the 100% humidity of the jungle, highly stressed wood soon compresses and bow become limp and useless. You make your bow long so it is not under much stress. Shooting is done mostly straight up so arrows really don't have much drop from the line of sight. Long, heavy arrows have great penetration and help to immobilize small game so they can be easily recovered. So, over time these weapons have been perfected for that particular enviornment.

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

Samo samo in New Guinea.

 

[seedtick]

hey joey,
whats the dimensions on those oars?

we haven't started on the oars for the rowing skiff yet but we start with a 4" X 6" X 9' board for each one

 

[jdupre']

Seedtick, here are the specs:
length : 107"
blade width : 5"
max. diameter( right above the pivot point) : 2 3/4"
grip diameter at end : 1 1/8"

Joey

 

[jdupre']

I had a nice visit from keith and seedtick yesterday. They came by to check out the oars first hand for a set they're building. I had never really looked at them that close, but the thought that went into the design was amazing. The cross section shape goes from round at the grip, tapering up to about 2 3/4" right above the pivot point. It necks down to about 2" round and gradually changes to a rounded diamond shape right above the blade. It flows gracefully from the diamond shape to the flat plane of the blade. Very subtle change in shape with no hard transitions. This was not this oar maker's first rodeo.

Anyway, we talked about boat design and materials and I picked up a couple of trade secrets from friend keith. Keith, my lips are sealed. A trip to their shop is up on top of my list in the near future. We might even do a little paddling on the Amite river. I really enjoyed the visit, fellas.

Joey

 

[bearridge]

We might even do a little paddling on the Amite river.

winter time? after the bugs fly south?

 

[jdupre']

Bear, bugs are not too bad in the middle of a river or bayou in the daytime. You step onto the bank among the trees ,though, and all bets are off. You just have to contend with the heat and humidity.

 

[bearridge]

in the winter?

 

[jdupre']

We might make a trip before winter, but we still have a few mosquitoes on warm days in winter. Heck, when piper and Jack and I went it was late Feb. with temps in the low 40's at night and we still had quite a few buzzing around. Like I tell my wife, in South Louisiana , if you let heat, rain or mosquitoes stop you from doing stuff, you're not going to be doing much of anything.

 

[oldsparkey]

Like I tell my wife, in South Louisiana , if you let heat, rain or mosquitoes stop you from doing stuff, you're not going to be doing much of anything.

I must of married the sister to your wife , The wife is fussing about the heat and it is not officially summer down here. I'm sure when the rains come back and the bugs come out it will be the same thing.

All I'm hearing is that ... "It sure is hot " I keep telling her the more she says it the hotter it will get. Then when November rolls around ..... "It sure is cold" :lol: It's not like I don't know it is warm outside today , just step out there and you know it in a flash but that goes with the territory when you live in the land of Heat , Humidity and Hurricanes.

As I told her , one thing that let me know was when the perspiration was running down my glasses and I thought I was looking at a waterfall. ( While she was inside in the AC recuperating ) It felt dam good to me when I came back inside , that cold beer was even better. :wink:

Chuck.