row row row your fish

[fullkeels]

What would you say is the more efficient option? 1) installing removable oarlock brackets which utilize 2 collapsible oars; or 2) paddling the fish kayak style (a single 2-bladed collapsible oar).

Since I live on a relatively narrow, curvy canal (lots of boat traffic) which leads to Great South Bay, I absolutely need some method of rowing my sunfish efficiently in and out of my canal (about 1/4 mile), and for emergencies (ripped sail, broken rudder, wind dying, strong currents, crowded marinas, etc.) I have seen examples of rowing rigs for the fish on the internet and in the sunfish bible which incorporate home-made brackets and two 5 1/2 foot oars, all of which can be a pain to store on board when sailing and to setup and remove (my fish does not have a storage area in the aft end of the cockpit). I naturally plan on trying both options, but I always like to get ideas and input and other points of view beforehand. It seems to me that using a double bladed kayak oar would give the advantages of allowing me to face forward, and stowing 1 collapsible oar would be easier than stowing 2 oars in addition to oarlock brackets and oarlocks. The downside would seem to be less efficient rowing.

My second question deals with going from rowing to sailing and vice versa. Is my better option to keep the sail with the booms upright against the mast and secured to it by the mainsheet when rowing, or to simply store it on deck and then haul the halyard to rig and derig like normal. It seems to me that if I were able to securely stow the sail with the booms upright against the mast, the deck would be less cluttered for more efficient rowing and the rig wont be bouncing around scratching up the deck.

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks so much!

 

[imported_Scott]

One option that I have used when rowing/paddling is to have the rig laying on deck and securing the end of the booms to the bridle. As the rig is on the port side of the boat, I sit on the starboard side and use a single paddle. To compensate for paddling on one side I secure the rudder to steer slightly to starboard.

 

[mike4947]

The length of the boom in front of the goose neck prohibits moving the sail and booms into a vertical position. Not to mention securing it to the mast would mean standing on the deck and I'll bet the farm you'd end up with a lot of damage and a lot of baths attempting this.
We have folks that do drop the rig and with a pad of some kind under the rig on the rear deck just sit straddling the rig and use a paddle on either side.
Myself I leave the rig raised and just let it go into irons when paddling. That way I can take advantage of any wind that does come up.
As for using a kayak style paddle having one that "breaks" into two pieces works well and can be tied off to the mast and deck halyard cleat for "storage" when actually sailing.

 

[Smilin_Beard]

Great South Bay... That brings back memories. My fathers best friend lives on a canal in Amityville an has three boys [now all grown]. I have two brothers, so the six boys got into plenty of trouble during the 1960's. They had various boats, up to six at a time, including a Seaford Skiff for sailing. Our sailboat was in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

Getting to your question.... I've not tried rowing mine, but the best thing I've found for a long distance is this. I rig the boat and bind the boom to the yard [or as you say booms] with two or three of those short bungees with balls, having rolled the sail up to the spars. I have a small strap eye on the mast that I run a short length of 1/8-inch line from to the gooseneck. This line raises the gooseneck about 12-18 inches off the deck [The length is such that the line is slack when sailing]. Next I haul up the halyard, raising the boom, rolled sail and yard to where my shoulders if not my head can clear when in the cockpit [that 1/8-in line keeps the spars clear of the foredeck, the hight I haul the halyard depend on how windy it is and therefore how much weight I want how high]. Finally, I snug down the sheet, kind of tight, so things are not flopping around. At this point I launch my boat and I can do so without without getting the sail wet. If i have a distance to go is beyond my using the dagger board or a short paddle that fits in the cockpit, I use my kayak paddle. My kayak paddle is 220 centimeters in length. Common sizes are 210-230. If I were going out to buy one for my sailboat I'd go with the 230 or larger if you can get it. 220 works best for my kayak, its primary use, so that is what I have and use. Once I'm in clear air and water I uncleat the halyard, support things on my shoulder while I undo the bungees around the sail, start hauling the sail up from the cockpit, finish hauling and cleat the sail then breakdown the paddle and bungee the paddle halves to the mast. At the end of the sail I reverse the process, except that I usually bunch rather than roll the sail since I'm doing it with the spars on my lap or shoulder. When my boat is back up on the hard, I reroll the sail neatly and place the rig in my bag with the 1/8-in line still connecting the mast and gooseneck. In this way I'm ready to go the next time.

 

[fullkeels]

Many thanks for the helpful and extremely detailed responses. Smilin' Beard, your method seems to be the most practical for my situation, although I would love let fly in irons while paddling but my narrow curvy canal can get quite congested, and a 14' boom wung out could cause some problems. Also shifty winds in the canal. I need to take the safest approach. Thanks again for helping me greatly with this logistical and practical dilemma.