: Once upon a time a long time ago I read a formula for the length of oars in
: small boats. They are supposed to be approximately the width of the boat
: plus something. Does any body know the rest of the formula? or any other
: suitable formula? Thanks for any information available.

Howard I. Chappelle (former curator of the national watercraft collection) says in his book American Small Sailing Craft that the length of the oar should be twice the beam of the boat they're intended for. Sounds a little long to me but he is the boss. Using his formula, I tried to find 10 foot oars for use on my dory skiff while crabbing or in case the engine conks down, the very longest I could find was 9 footers and they seem to work well enough for the amount of rowing I do. These days, it's also pretty tough to find anything longer than 8 footers unless they're custom made.