how do i figure oar length for boat

[mrpike1973]

hi i have a 14 foot row boat it is 59 inches in the beam oar lock to oar lock after looking online for the formula i come up with needing a 10 foot oar aint gonna happen would 6 1/2 be ok. mostly for emergencies or moving boat a few feet at a time

[TooTallTom]

You could make a two-foot canoe paddle work if you wanted to. The formula is probably The Formula for a reason, but it sounds like you've already made up your mind to go a different route.

I don't think using too-short oars will cause world to end or anything, so have at it.

[Grum]

Too short and you will have to row more strokes to get the same distance of longer oars, too long and the will be clumsy. I have a 14' and a set of 7' oars, I don't know what formula you found but I wouldn't want them any shorter and if they were too much longer they wouldn't fit in the car. Just my

[mtheis]

Just bought oars for my sons boat. The formula posted at Fleet Farm was:

(.5 x oar lock width) x 3 + 6". So for his 12ft boat with 4' between oar locks, that would be (.5 x 4) x 3 + 6 = 6 1/2 feet. They fit perfectly.

[Powerstroke]

Using the formula from mtheis, you would use an oar that is 7.875ft or closer to 8ft than 7.5ft but I'm sure either one would work.