Background Information

Background Information:
Man has used boats to assist him since the beginning of earliest recorded history. Across the world, each civilization adopted its local resources to the water, but with such primitive craft, skill and luck were required to avoid danger (Lavery 11). A key part of this early construction involved the manner in which the boat would move across the water. A boat needs some means of propulsion. If conditions allow, it can be towed or it can be moved by punting- using a pole to push against the bed of the river- but a more effective and adaptable way is to paddle by hand or by using a pole with a flat surface at one end as a paddle. Facing in the direction of travel, the paddler leans forward or stands up, places his paddle as far forward in the water as he can, and then pulls it back toward himself, propelling the boat forward. Rowing is a more complex idea. Usually, the rower sits with his back facing the forward course of the vessel, and the oar is pivoted near its center. In Greek triremes, the oarsman stayed in his seat, directed the oars behind him, and leaned backward with the stroke, his feet braced against a bar. An oarsman uses his whole body in every stroke, not just his arms and back as in paddling, this propelling the vessel more quickly (Lavery 15).
The descendants of these ancient techniques: rowboats, portable dinghies, aluminum boats and their derivates have undergone many design changes throughout the years, but the technology for keeping the oars secure while rowing has not changed significantly, if at all. Oars are commonly held through a simple metal loop, such as seen in figure one. The oars are placed inside of these small hoops, and are securely fastened to the boat through the vessel’s oarlock fitting, shown in figure two. These fittings cannot move, and the oars can be hard to manage for smaller rowers, or cumbersome to row for larger people. Personal preference could demand the oars be placed further forward or backward, but even modern oarlocks make no concessions for adjustments.
This ancient technology that is provided with the most common rowboats and dinghies is not in keeping with the advanced locking systems used by many racing shells. As shown in figure three, these shells use highly advanced clamp systems to give the rowers a competitive edge in the sport. While this progress may help professional rowers and athletes, this amount of technology is not required on the personal dinghy. These clamp systems are designed to work on specific types of rowing sculls, and do not mount on standard rowboats. No appropriate device has yet been developed for the common rowboat, even though such an apparatus would have a wide market open to it.
The wide range of owners and operators who take advantage of the versatility and utility of rowboats requires boat designers to craft vessels which are comfortable for the greatest range of people. Creating a boat such as this means that those outside this range will have a reduced level of comfort, and as such, the accessibility of the design will be significantly reduced. With the addition of a product that increases the ease of use for a greater variety of people, these boat designs would become more popular to those who previously could not take full advantage of all that the vessel could offer.
An adjustable oarlock would provide a solution to the above problem, but the solution itself must overcome several problems. The oarlocks must be removable from the vessel’s hull, if the original fittings are required for any reason. The product must use marine grade materials, or the structural integrity of the mechanism will become compromised once exposed to the rigors of the marine environment. It is preferable that the design requires minimal use of tools, as these tools can become lost, preventing removal or further adjustment. Despite these limitations in design, such a device would greatly improve the performance of any craft suitably equipped.