When it is feasible, Ken and I have started to forgo putting the outboard on the dinghy and have chosen to row into shore. This meant that over the last, say, 3 months, the outboard has only been on for maybe 3 or 4 weeks. We anchor close enough to not make it an onerous, and even an enjoyable, prospect. Our particular rigid bottom inflatable rows surprisingly well. We have certainly saved money on gas for the Yamaha. It has also allowed us to just pull the dinghy up on shore with ease. Plus it makes moving along easier, as stripping the dinghy down for towing is so much easier without the fuel tank, and outboard to deal with.

The other day I was rowing into the beach at Hillsborough, as I do every morning, to go for my morning run and workout. The tide was quite high, and the swells slightly more boisterous than most days. I hit the shallows far sooner than I expected to, and the next wave pushed the dinghy sideways. Before I knew it, the dinghy was broadside to the "surf", and the captive port oar was getting trapped in the sand and the dinghy was pushing it against it. "Snap", the oar broke. %#$@! I knew I could paddle back with one oar, but it was not going to be an acceptable long term solution for our transportation needs.

The oars are aluminum shafts with plastic blades. Last Spring we had pop riveted the blades on to make them stronger, and we had no intention of removing them (we hadn't up to that point, after all). The break occurred where the shaft inserts into the blade, so the blade was intact, but the collar was shot. The hollow for the shaft extends down the blade, but tapers, so the aluminum shaft wasn't going to fit in there again.

I used a saw to even out the top of the blade. I figured some kind of insert between the blade and the shaft would be the ticket. Fortunately, I had some oak dowelling available from some old handles I had made for foredeck workouts (I have found another workout since then that I enjoy far more, so that they are no longer necessary). I tapered the dowel to allow it to fit better into the plastic blade, nothing had to be done to make it fit into the shaft. So, with some sawing, sanding, drilling, through-bolting (and bolt cutting), filing and a little ingenuity, the oar was fixed. The bolts were eventually cut flush with the lock nuts, unlike the picture above.

Since then, we have found another cruiser who has been trying to sell some unused wooden oars, so we are purchasing them as well. The UV has not been kind to the plastic of the oars that came with the dinghy, and since we are using them about 30% or more of the time, basically whenever possible, they have become more than a safety accessory to 'Scout'. Still, much less expensive than a new outboard!