how to add oars to a float tube?

[cpierce]

Nice tube.

You should have room, but I don't know anywhere you can buy one.

If I was fabricating it at home, I would use a bottom plate of either aluminum or thick plastic. (A section or two of a 5 gal bucket might work.)

From the underside use pan head screws or carriage bolts with washers to affix two blocks of oak or thick nylon on the top. Coat or cover the screw heads to cut down on wear or abrasion to your tube. Some good epoxy might also be beneficial.

Counter-sink holes in the blocks to hold a small piece of pipe across between the blocks. That way the oar lock can adjust to the angle you need. If you want you could just mount it solid at a set angle. (Look at the picture I put in the last post.)

Drill through the center of the pipe (90degrees) and using nuts mount a piece of threaded rod on it.

The threaded rod can then go through the handle of your oars and be capped with a nut. Another nut and washer would probably be needed under the oar.

I would also probably use some plastic tubing to take up any slack or wear if needed.

Some people have even used ping pong paddles as small hand oars when their legs got tired or hurting.

Good luck whatever you decide to do. Keep us posted on your adventure.
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