Oars for the Black Sheep

The Bateau Black Sheep came without oars. I guess that the original ones are no longer usable. I was advised that I should go for ten foot oars. This seems reasonable. My Whitehall's oars are nine feet and the Black Sheep needs longer handles on its oars so that one person can hold an oar with both hands.

I checked out Lowes. I was hoping to find some cedar but what they had was not usable. All of it was either knotted, splintery, or warped. Instead I found some 1"x3"x10' poplar that was nice an straight and clear. Gluing two pieces together gives me square pieces. I bought an extra plank for the blades. I got eight 16" blade sides from this with the last two inches cut on the diagonal.

Titebond now has a waterproof formula. Most people advise epoxy for boats and oars but Lowes only had small tubes and it would have been a lot more trouble. We will see how strong the glue is. I got everything cut out and glued in one evening. I will use a draw knife and a spokeshave to shape the oars then paint them the same color I will use for the inside of the boat. I should be able to finish the oars over the weekend.