Posted by David Bamford on July 10, 2004 at 23:12:14 from 203.10.110.132 user David.
In Reply to: Re: PIN oars, PIN rowlocks? posted by Peter H on July 10, 2004 at 13:18:31:
To add to the store of "useless" knowledge like mousing sisterhooks, the pins are known as tholes. In the Orkney and Shetland Islands tholes are used in conjunction with a loop of rope called a "humlibund" around both oar and pin to keep the oar in place. The rower places the oar aft of the thole and then it bears on the thole during the power stroke. In other places, the oars have a flat piece of wood fastened to the side of the oar where the thole is to be, and the thole hole goes through the flat. Piercing the oar itself would weaken it too much.
David.