Upcycling a Boat Oar as a Nautical Coat Rack

I’ve hinted at it on Facebook and here on the blog that I would start focusing on cabin-themed projects this year. My in-laws built a GORGEOUS cabin in the North Georgia mountains, which means I get to add a new facet to my blog! And I’m kicking off that trend with this boat oar or wood paddle that I recently acquired. It was the perfect size to upcycle into a nautical coat rack for the cabin.

The wood paddle was well-loved, having pushed and pulled water off the side of someone’s canoe or row boat for a long time.

It wasn’t just in bad shape…in fact, you could say it was in oar-able shape!

But I had faith that with a little TLC and some upcycling magic, I would refinish this boat oar into cabin wall decor that was both functional and decorative. 

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Resurfacing a Boat Oar

Before I begin, here’s a close up of the paddle portion after I picked it up from this favorite Etsy shop of mine. Rough, rough shape…

It was a splinter waiting to happen!

So, I needed to start by giving it a good sanding-down. First, I started with an 80-grit disk and went back over it with a 220-grit until it was clean and smooth to the touch.

Initially, I figured I’d stain it- after all, I *love* a good wood stain. But the oar was begging for restorative moisture. Years of river/lake life had dried it out terribly.

So, I applied some of my favorite wood conditioner, which I have on hand for my cutting boards. And the wood conditioner transformed it beautifully, right before my eyes.

I swear you could hear the wooden paddle breathe a sigh of relief…

I let the newly conditioned oar rest overnight before finishing its makeover!

Wooden Oar Decor with Nautical Stripes

To add just a touch of color, I decided to stencil on some nautical stripes to the paddle.

I used painter’s tape to create adhesive stencils for my stripes (a wide center stripe and narrower stripes on the sides).

Ironically, I chose craft paint in blue that perfectly matched my painter’s tape!

But regardless, I carefully stippled a scant amount of white and blue craft paint between the adhesive stencils. First, I started with the middle stripe in white.

Next, I finished the nautical stripes with the blue paint on either side of the white.

And then it was MY turn to breathe a sigh of relief when I removed the tape! Because the nautical stripes turned out just about as perfect as could be!

After the nautical stripes had dried, I gave the entire wooden paddle two light coats of a spray-on top coat to seal and protect it.

Now it was time finish the coat rack with the appropriate hardware.

First, we spaced out four coat hooks to the front of the handle of the oar and screwed them in. Lastly, we flipped it over and attached two D-rings to the handle and paddle.

Upcycling a Boat Oar as a Nautical Coat Rack

Final result? A rustic coat rack for and and all mountain cabin wearables and carryables (flannels, scarves, fishing nets, etc.).

I really do feel like I revived that row boat oar from something unwanted into something gorgeous! It works perfectly as a nautical coat rack in a rustic setting, like the cabin.

Here’s a photo of it in my in-laws’ cabin! The photo is actually from the Zillow listing because they’ve decided to put it on the market.

And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for cabin decor, then you may also be interested in my Hudson’s Bay blanket inspired rustic home decor project, too!

Craft on!

S

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