Nylon Oarlock Bushings: To use the Nylon bushings, be sure to buy the 1/2" oarlock (SD-582070) and the 5/8" sockets. They go together as shown below, and provide lower friction while rowing.

Feedback:

I have made interesting use of your oarlock bushings on some dinghies I built. On tiny boats it is always a problem to maintain balance when the load shifts--one person in the stern vs. rowing alone, say. With the bow-to-stern center seat design it is easy to shift positions to keep balanced but that still leaves the problem of where to put the oars.

I decided to have multiple choices. Being economy minded, I mounted a 3/4" board on each side and drilled holes about every 6". Then I put (epoxied) one of your bushings in each hole. Now the clamp-on oarlocks can go in whatever hole is appropriate, with the oarsman facing either direction. At $1.04 a pair, the bushings make a very good solution. In the future I expect to just thicken the top of the dinghy on each side and match the contour with 3 or 4 extra strips of 1/4" plywood epoxied on and then drill out for the bushings. The only concern is to try to keep the lip of the bushing down just enough that they don't hook when sliding the dinghy upside down over an edge--truck tailgate, roof carrier, etc.

Tom Schultz