Rowing a Wave

I have always been intrigued by the possibility of rowing my 2005 Wave Classic.

I know there is an element that considers any form of auxiliary power to be sacrilege, the reliance upon which is proof of the skipper’s lack of sailing skill. Nevertheless, the ability to travel though narrow openings into secluded coves, or take a leisurely row on a mirrored-surfaced lake in the calm of the morning would seem to add to the versatility of what is already a multi-faceted vessel.

I was put off somewhat by the rowing thread in the Open Forum (http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... ght=rowing) but then had a bit of an idea. If a 7-foot beam required long oars, then perhaps competitive sculling oars, with a length in excess of 9 feet could do the job. I tend to use my backrests more often than not, and the length should seem to be ideal, being able to be strapped on top of the backrest mounts when not in use. I contacted my local rowing club and indeed, they had a pair of surplus carbon fibre “spoonâ€

You are exactly right. The Wave hull is molded for either p or s. Only with the application of the graphics and install of tramp track does it beome side specific. I see no reason why you could not use these as mounting points for your oarlocks. They serve no other purpose, unless maybe they are utilized w/ the spin kit. I believe the machine screw size is 1/4-20. As for the tourqe handling capability of these points, I would guess it depends on how you set it up. I don't think you would want to soley rely on those threaded inserts, transferring all that rowing force to them. But to use them as attachement of oarlocks, and have some other means to transfer the tourqe, say via a cable or rope to the aft crossbar from the oarlock bracket, I think that would be fine.
FWIW, I see nothing wrong w/ fitting your Wave w/ alternatve propulsion.

Now, sacralige would be convtering a Wave into a bass fishing rig, as I recently saw on Ehay.

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

I for one can relate to the attraction of alternative propulsion. Seems a shame to pass by quiet coves, or to cut an afternoon short as evening approaches and the wind dies down.

Lots of people have toyed with the idea of trolling motors / outboards etc / all of seem rather in-elegant or unwieldy. I carried a kayak paddle on my Bravo for the same reasons you've described.

My solution was - Hobie Adventure Island: Sail / Peddle / Paddle. In all multi-purpose craft there are compromises ---> it is not a purist sailboat.... but, what a pleasure to not be becalmed.

Now - if someone figures out how to mount a 'mirage drive' to a Wave...that would be the ticket!

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'08 Hobie Wave, Hobie Adventure Islands

Norm,

I think that's a great idea to fashion oar locks to those capped threads mid way on the hulls.

Another alternative would be to fashion oarlocks that could slide into the trampoline tracks. That's what I did to create tie downs for my padded PVC / duck cloth seats.

I figure that if the tracks can take the loading of the tramp, then they can surely handle oar locks.

If you are a a handy welder and good with metals, it could be fun project. One could build one without welding, with a little design thought, but it wouldn't be as pretty.

Jim you were right about the machine screw size. The 1/4 - 20 fits perfectly into the threads. I think I will go with the hex heads so I can mount and remove quickly with a socket.

I just picked up a pair of new Concept II competition sculling oarlocks (Olympic class "pre 2000" design with the shorter pin) - definitely overkill but what the heck. It is meant to mate with my sculling oar collars so that during the power stroke the oar blades lock perpendicular to the surface.

Now all I have to do is fabricate a plate that ties the vertical double-screw hull mount with the required horizontal mounting for the oarlock pin bolt. My old man is handy with metal and happened to drop by today. I outlined my “issueâ€

It works!

One week of trials and the system seems to work quite well, and was a hit with the young ones who are not yet up to taking the Wave out solo under sail.

Photo report accessible at: http://picasaweb.google.ca/Norm742/HobieWaveRowing


Updated photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/csfoZg8ZsAyYExVy5

Execellent!

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

Great pictures Norm! It looks to me like you can market this thing to others... why don't you either mass buid/sell it online; or approach Hobie to buy the design from you? How much do you think you can charge for a setup like yours (all in?)

BTW, which lake is that? Looks like somewhere in the Okanagan Valley to me...

Indeed, it's Osoyoos Lake in the South Okanagan Valley. So South, in fact, the US border actually bisects the lake.

As for the marketing of the components, I went pretty high-end so I'm afraid it's not really very economic, unless one compares it to the price of a Honda 2hp or something like that.

My costs:

Used carbon fibre sculling oars: $100 (new they're about $500!)
New Concept II oar locks: $120 ($60 each)
Two Stainless Steel rudder gudgeons: $100 ($50 each! - heavy duty)
Fabrication shop to adapt gudgeon holes to accept oar locks: $80 (cash)
Miscellaneous stainless machine screws, nuts and washers $20
Aluminum plates and fabrication (favour from Dad)

Although my Wave is about my only irrational economic vice, I think I'll avoid the agony of adding it up.

Looks like a wet butt to me.

How comfortable is the rowing, and how fast (approx) can you row her?

No wet butt in my trials, even with a Classic tramp. In a chop, you are likely correct, but then in a chop there will be wind.

The rowing was reasonably comfortable, probably due to the fact that I seemed to be centered on the tramp and not battling an uphill or downhill slope. It was certainly far more comfortable than paddling! The most puzzling question was what to do with my legs, since raising my knees would interfere with the oars. I think I developed some type of hybrid cross-legged posture, with one leg extended more than the other.

As for speed, walking pace is easily exceeded with minimal effort. With moderate effort I was able to easily pass a tandem kayak. Sorry - no GPS readings.

Pretty good. Sounds like 3 to 6 mph depending on rowing muscle.

I would guestimate that I get 1 to 2 mph when I paddle my WAVE. I am too much of a purist to buy an outboard, even an electric, so maybe I may give the oar thing a try.

Thanks for R & D 'ing it for us!

Cool idea, have a wave at a lake house, looking to do some rowing there as well, never thought to combine the two... here's a thought:
http://www.easyriderkayaks.com/cormorant_oarmaster.htm