Tel Aviv Rowing Club

 
Short Description: an oarlock which can be closed, locked and opened without the use of the hands, but only with the oar. 
 
There is no rower who has never encountered an oarlock he or she could not open, maybe because her hands were wet or because the keeper was closed too tight. Sometimes it is also difficult for the rower to lean over the boat in order to open or close the oarlock on the other side. This is especially difficult for children or people with physical disabilities.
 
I do not belong to either of these groups - I am just lazy, so I sought a mechanism for getting rid of the oarlock keeper and achieving a more convenient way for opening and closing the oarlock.
 
The oarlock should hold the oars in all conditions, because if an oar gets loose, the boat will capsize, so the safety aspect has been my top priority.

Development took several years of planning, manufacturing and testing, until the final product has become satisfactory and safe and easy to operate.

The final product is now tested and fulfils the requirements. I have already used two such oarlocks for a few years and done with them about 4000 km of rowing without any failure.

Attached here is a photo that shows how it looks when it is assembled and dismantled.

Anyone interested can contact Alfred Kidron via email at kidronaa2+oarlock@gmail.com. Alfred may come soon to Tel Aviv to demonstrate the oarlock usage.