On Sep 25, 10:01 am, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message

...

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:15:58 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

I like the
round ones, as they can be feathered, but whatever.

I'll second that and add a couple of other reasons:

The U-shaped locks are dangerous if someone falls on them, and they
can allow the oars to escape at inopportune moments.

The "captive pin" oarlocks weaken the oar and prevent feathering.

One can always tell a serious rowing dinghy by the oars, oarlocks and
oarlock sockets. The oars should be manufactured from wood. The oarlocks
should be round and made from bronze and the sockets should also be
bronze and secured to the gunnels with bolts and not screws. Placement
is important and should be so that the arms can straighten during the
stroke. The oars should be long enough so the shaft clears the gunnels
and shows no wear but not so long that the oar will not fit into the
length of the dinghy. The round oarlocks allow feathering which is
important to proper rowing technique. The round oarlocks and oar sleeves
produce very little wear and keep things quite. A real traditionalist
will use leather sleeves but I like the modern plastic sleeve attached
with brass nails. The oars themselves should be kept well varnished or
painted. The business end should be free of splits or cracks. The grip
should be smooth and not overly large for the hand. Some folks like a
rubber grip but I prefer painted or varnished wood.

Rowing a dinghy is an art - a SILENT art. One must have the proper
traditional equipment in order to do it right and to be though well of
by others in the know. Nothing says novice like those silly horn
oarlocks that use a pin through the oar. Here he comes, squeak, clunk,
squeak clunk, squeak clunk! Sillier yet is the clamp-on type. Freaking
lubbers!

Wilbur Hubbard

Proper buggy whip technique is very important. Being well thought of
by expert buggy whippers is truly important. Oh, the horror, I sail
into the anchorage with fenders over the side AND THEN, dare I say it,
I have CLAMP-ON oarlocks. I will be ostracized by Hubbard. I wont be
invited to the commodores ball, Oh the shame.