Leather man

This morning, I summoned the enthusiasm to stitch the leather onto my second oar. The first oar was a tedious job, but with experience, the second one went much easier. One secret I found was to poke holes of sufficient size in the leather. I used a little brass brad the first time, and the hole it left was too small to pass the sail needle through. This time I used a slightly bigger nail to poke holes, and the job went much easier. I also learned from the first oar about measuring and cutting the bevel for the button (the leather collar at the end of the leather which retains the oarlock). Measuring length and cutting the bevel on a flat button leather will result in a piece that is too short once wrapped around the oar. My second attempt was much better. In the photo above, the button is being held in place temporarily while the contact cement cures. The Passagemaker dinghy isn't the only thing that employs "stitch and glue" technique! One final note- a pet cat in the vicinity slows down the stitching process. Dangling Dacron threads and needles proved an irresistible plaything to our cat, Reuben, while I was trying to work.