Oar rafts are not super popular where I live but are becoming a thing. I want build a simple frame for doing day trips so I can get some experience with rowing my raft. Here are a few questions I’m struggling with:
Is chaffing between the side bars and the tubes a problem to worry about? What can be done about it?
Should the side bars be dead center on top of the tubes or is there some wiggle room?
Where should the rowers weight be centered relative to the center of the raft?
How far in front of the rower should the oar towers be stationed?
Is four lash points sufficient to secure the frame to the raft?
Great question. Unfortunately this is super complicated and the answer to a lot of this is “it depends” on the difficulty of rivers you’re doing, how much weight is in your boat, and if you’re carrying passengers.
Maybe. You can add extra layers of raft material to your raft to help with wear from frames.
There is some wiggle room. I’d rather have them outside the center line than inside the center line.
Center is better for pivoting the raft
I usually have them at my knee caps. Further away makes it easier to ship oars and closer make your oar stroked shorter and less powerful.
Generally yes but it depends on the weight of the frame and gear and the strength of the straps you’re using.