This is not really a Boundary Waters question, but I thought I would reach out to other canoeists.

Does anyone have experience installing oar brackets on a canoe and rowing it? (Chesapeake Light Craft sells them, for example.) I was thinking of getting a small rowing boat, but then I thought I might consider outfitting my 16 foot canoe for rowing.

I'll be grateful for any thoughts or advice.

I have a 17 ft OT Discovery with the 1 ft wide square back. On it, I have a little Suzuki 2.5hp motor. It rocks for river trips where I can putt-putt up stream and float back down due to no shuttles.

I paddle it while doing so, but the center seat has oarlocks and it came with two oars. I was amazed at the efficiency of the oars on that particular canoe.

I designed a very simple stationary rowing rig for use in a tandem canoe. The outrigger attaches at the portage yoke using the pads and runs across the gunnels where they are attached to side mount oar sockets with 1/2 inch carriage bolts embedded in the outrigger. The actual oar sockets are top mounted at the end of the outrigger. It gives a spread of 42 inches, suitable for 7 foot oars. The solo seat hangs from the outriggers and you can turnaround and row from the bow seat with a partner in the stern.

Having the solo seat attached keeps everything lined up for quick installation. With wingnuts on the yoke pads and gunnel attachment it only takes a few seconds to install. It would not be adjustable for other boats like the CLC model is.

I easily keep up with tandem paddlers rowing solo and can make way in a wind that would have me shore-bound paddling solo.

A buddy of mine made something similar to sedges setup. We used it as a drift boat for flyfishing small rivers here in Pa. Angler in the front could stand and cast while the other rowed. Have since upgraded to a raft style drift boat but it worked well for a while.

We have the Spring Creek rowing setup and have used it on a 17 foot aluminum canoe. Works great and goes really fast.

In Quetico a couple of years ago I saw a canoe - likely a MN3 - flying along on Basswood. And it was towing a second canoe full of gear (no humans).

The lead canoe had normal paddlers in the bow and in the stern.

The real motor was the guy facing backwards in the middle with the legit rowing setup.

We were in a triple and decided to attempt to keep up. That was laughable, and we gave up the chase quickly. They were cooking and it looked effortless.

"We have the Spring Creek rowing setup and have used it on a 17 foot aluminum canoe. Works great and goes really fast."

How far apart are the oarlocks? And how long are the oars you use?
I was thinking of getting the wooden rowing unit sold by Chesapeake Light Craft. Not as fancy, but much cheaper.

We were on Agnes about 15 years ago when we saw someone fish out from our site every night using oars. It appeared that they caught many fish and had great boat control. We were jealous of that.

overland: ""We have the Spring Creek rowing setup and have used it on a 17 foot aluminum canoe. Works great and goes really fast."

How far apart are the oarlocks? And how long are the oars you use?
I was thinking of getting the wooden rowing unit sold by Chesapeake Light Craft. Not as fancy, but much cheaper."

It is at our cabin in MN so I can’t measure the distance between the oarlocks. Oars are 7’.

Spring creek stuff can be pricey but we bought this from the previous owner along with a used alumacraft ultralight aluminum canoe that had their seat/yoke to use as a center seat for rowing. So it worked as a good package for us. And Spring Creek’s stuff is very solid.

I’ve got a Piantedosi sliding seat rowing rig that I use in an 18-1/2 foot aluminum canoe. They’re a bit pricey new but work quite well. Being able to use your legs can move a canoe along at a pretty good clip. Downsides are facing backwards (I use bicycle helmet mirrors mounted on a visor hat), some fiddling around to install unit, weight of whole boat/rig (small portage cart works well getting everything from car to water).

I think in the right place, like day tripping (no portaging!) on a big slow river like the Mississippi, it’s pretty enjoyable, and worth the extra setup time. I’m pretty sure I’m quite a bit faster rowing the aluminum tandem than paddling my Wenonah Advantage over the same distance, although the tandem is a 1980’s era Beaver Marathon canoe.

There’s a woman whose online name is Ellen Magellan who I believe has rowed the entire Mississippi River with one of these units in a Grumman canoe.

Nice gunnel clamps. Where did you get them? And how high are the "leveling legs" on either end of the rowing unit?

The gunnel clamps are DIY: 1/8” 6061 aluminum angle, stainless U bolts with hand nuts from Rockler, fuel line to pad the U bolts, and baler belt to pad gunnels and rigger. The supports on the ends of the unit are also DIY and specific to my canoe. They’re about 5” high. Basically the rigger sits on the gunnels and the legs need to make up the distance to the floor of the boat.

I bought the unit from Adirondack Rowing and highly recommend this company. Give them a call and see if they have a “Scout” version of the unit, which just drops in and hangs from the gunnels of the canoe. I’m not sure how available these are anymore.

I'm hoping to buy or make a rowing rig with which to use a pair of 8' Shaw and Tenney oars that I recently acquired. But as it happens, I also have a Piantedosi sliding seat rowing unit and would like to try in my 18' canoe. I'm impressed with your DIY fittings--very clever--and will try to imitate, if I can.
How does the canoe row? I exchanged messages with Pete at Adirondack Rowing, who pointed out that a canoe has a different shape than a rowing boat, such as a wherry or double ended sculling boat. Maybe not at the waterline, but above, where a canoe may have a different stability and less of an ability to rise up over waves (sculling boats tend to flare at the gunnels). Hence my question.
I'm in Chicago. Shouldn't have any trouble finding a baler belt!

Backwaters: "1980’s era Beaver Marathon canoe
"

That's a cool boat you do not see very often!

The aluminum canoe rows quite well. It feels very stable and I haven’t had any issues. I’ve ended up rowing into some pretty good headwinds and chop that would have had me crawling if I’d been paddling. If you use the Piantedosi unit you’ll need full length sculling oars.

For comparison I’ve also got a recreational single that weights about 40 lbs. (including the rigger, which doesn’t need to be removed to car top). The single wins for ease of transport and rowing performance, but the canoe is really pretty good with the Piantedosi rig. Gary Piantedosi was a competitive rower and designed the rig with correct rowing geometry in mind. The canoe is stable on its own while the single relies considerably on the oars (while they’re in the water) for stability.

The baler belt used on the gunnel clamps adds so much friction that it doesn’t take a whole lot of clamping pressure to secure the rigger.

sns: "

Backwaters: "1980’s era Beaver Marathon canoe
"

That's a cool boat you do not see very often!"

It’s the only one I’ve ever seen in the flesh!

Is there a good substitute for baler belt that I might find online or in a Home Depot or Menards? Something thick and tough and rubbery, it looks like.

Is there a good substitute for baler belt that I might find online or in a Home Depot or Menards? Something thick and tough and rubbery, it looks like.

overland: "Is there a good substitute for baler belt that I might find online or in a Home Depot or Menards? Something thick and tough and rubbery, it looks like."

I got mine at Fleet Farm a few years ago. Not sure if you have those (or the equivalent) in Illinois or eastern Wisconsin. Or perhaps contacting an implement dealer to see if they sell it by the foot or have a scrap from the end of a roll?

I’d imagine something else would work as well. The baler belt is about 1/8” thick and really tough.