A Guard Rail
or fender, of 1 by 2 inch lumber, alongside of and even with the top of the side-boards, from bow to stern, gives finish and strength to the craft; but in a cheap boat, or a hastily constructed one, this may be omitted, as it is in these diagrams.
If you are building your boat out of the convenient reach of the hardware shop, you must make your own rowlocks. [Fig. 200] shows the crude ones formerly used by the raftsmen for the Yankee pines, and [Figs. 203] and [204] show rowlocks made with the oaken or hard-wood thole-pins fitting in holes cut for that purpose in the form of notches (U, [Fig. 204]) in the side of the boat, or as spaces left between the blocks, as shown by R ([Fig. 203]). When the side-boards A, A of the boat are notched a cleat of hard wood 5 or 6 inches wide, and extending some distance each side of the side-boards, must be used, as is shown by diagram V ([Fig. 204]) and [Fig. 203]. The diagram R ([Fig. 203]) explains itself; there is a centre block nailed to the side-board and two more each side, leaving spaces for the thole-pins T ([Fig. 203]) to fit and guarded by another piece (R) bolted through to the sides.
If bolts are out of your reach, nails and screws may act as substitutes, and [Fig. 204] will then be the best form of rowlock to adopt.
To fix the place for rowlocks, seat yourself in the oarsman's seat, grasp the oars as in rowing, and mark the place which best fits the reach of your arms and oars as in rowing. It will probably be about 13 inches aft from the centre of the seat.
Fig. 205.