When I bought the old Skunk dingy a few years ago I immediately tossed the cheap plastic oar locks and mounts for cast oar locks mounted in hardwood. Last summer the granddaughter and I got caught on the other side of the river (1/4 mile wide) by a rapidly rising north wind which raised white caps and led to a one and a half hour row home. Later inspection revealed a crack in one of the hardwood mounts, so I decided to replace them.
A friend who has a fish plant donated a chunk of 1 inch thick plastic.
I still had to drill recesses for the bolt heads,washers and nuts when this pic was taken, but I an hopeful this will be a more durable set up. The mounts for the locks go inside the hull, the backing blocks which are match drilled are outside.
Best
Les