 To get a perfect rowing stroke the oar can’t have too much forward pitch or it will dive. If you have too much rearward pitch the oar won’t lock on the water, either way the oar and boat performance suffer. For the oar to be its most efficient it should be held at a 6 degree pitch. The way to achieve this pitch is with flat forwa rd bearing surface oarlocks and “D” shaped oars or oars with flat sided sleeves. Racing oars and oarlocks have always had controlled pitch for maximum performance. Occasionally rowers with more traditional boats have adopted the technology but it wasn’t a pretty sight. Now we have a better solution, a 6 degree pitch, “424” manganese bronze oarlocks that will fit in standard ½” oarlock sockets. The Douglas Oarlock was designed by boat designer, sculptor Doug Martin to produce perfect 6 degree pitch and to be beautiful. Oars Traditional oars usually have two shaft shapes where they fit into the oarlock, round or D shaped. The D shaped oar can be used with no modification other than a plastic sleeve to protect the shafts of the oar from wear and the addition of buttons to hold the oars at their proper extension. Round oars of 1 ¾” diameter can be rigged with flat sided sleeves and buttons to get a flat stroking surface and 6 degree pitch. ( photos ) Oarlocks $ 50. pr./ Angled Bronze Oarlock Sockets $ 15, pr.
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