i recently got some new high stem oar locks from clackacraft, these oar locks let you get your oars higher out of the water on the new low sided clackacrafts, problem is they are to big, a buddy said you can put a couple of pipes over the the two ends and bend them in until they hug or fit the oar. im not sure if i want to go torken on a peice of cast brass???? anybody done this???

I would get myself a large C clamp and a couple 6 inch pieces of 1x4, then slowwwwwwly clamp them to size,I have done this with an old set that spread apart on me, this worked for me but I did'nt have to move them much

clackacraft seems like a good outfit. might want to check with them and see what they say. maybe they would bend em to your specs for you or possibly have the right set available. I'd recommend that before bending and possibly weakening something as critical to a driftboat as an oarlock. wouldn't want you to worry while your pachinkoing your way down the soleduck.

Brass oarslocks are supposed to be able to be bent to match your oars. DONT get them too snug. They are designed to be able to flex enough that with a sharp, hard pull you can pop the oar up and through the thing. Its for safety. If you hang up the oars on a rock or root wod and you are in serious trouble, being able to pop the oar might be your savior ( trust me, if you're ever in this situation, you'll have enough adreneline to do this IF they weren't too tight to begin with.) If you ever have to do this, a padded vise is nice to tweak them back that little bit you bent them popping the oar out. A length of pipe to gently bend them out a little works well. BTW, a spare oarlock at $20 is a good insurance policy too, just like a spare oar.

RiverRaider

Thanks for the info. I was never quite sure about the malebility of oarlocks. Mine have taken a beating in the past and my oars have popped out under stress once or twice before. Thank the Lord. I will rest easier knowing they can handle it. The extra oarlock is a good idea, not that much extra to carry either.