Driftboat oars...suggestions requested.

[kayakfisher]

A friend of mine is looking for some good oars for his noname aluminum drift boat. We are not experienced in driftboating, although I am plenty experienced in kayaking.

Any suggestions on a good set of oars to get...we are going to the boat show tommorrow, early, thinking there may be something there.

My persoanl thoughts are wood, but is fiberglass or some other synthetic better for any reason?

Thanks for any and all thoughts on the subject...

Oh...if anyone who is skilled wants to go along sometime let me know...I can read a river just fine, but do not have much experience in a driftboat...and could use a little coaching on the fine arts of driftboating.

M.

[freespool]

Check the fishing classifieds on this web site. Wade Deep has a pair of 9ft Sawyer Lites used 5 times for $200. That sounds like a good deal to me.


salmon hugger

[Premo]

Cataracts would be my first choice because they are light and indestructable. I think they are some sort of composite. The Sawyer lights are a good oar too if you like wood. Both are not cheap. If you are going to be rowing a driftboat around all day it will pay off to get some good oars. Good luck.

[rags]

Get the Cataracts they are worth every penny.

I'd like to chime in here and ask a question. While shopping for oars, I found myself needing some clarity on ordering Cataracts. The oar shafts are advertised as 9'and 9.5' does anyone know if that's the shaft lenght and when you put the blades on, do they grow? Or, is this the finished/assembled length? I'd like to get these things ordered before the springers get here...

45/70

[Gizmo Man]

45/ the final length with the shaft + blade is 9, 9.5 or 10'. (The blades are the same length, the shafts are different)

As for which is the best, depends on the rower and how much maintance you want to do. The catarac or the al. shaft oars require virtually no maintance.

Wood oars split, and need to be refinished from time to time.

Other factor to consider is the balance point of the oars. Some are very tip heavy requiring you to hold them up while rowing, others are counter balanced so they are only slightly tip heavy.

Best is to hang around a boat ramp and check out the different oars when the boats come in. I think if you ask nice, most guys would let you sit in the boat and try rowing around the ramp, as long as you are not in a heavy current. This will give you a rough idea of the feel.

I would suggest you take the boat down the N F. Lewis for your first outing. You will have lots of room to practice without experiencing any technical water.

Giz...

[wade]

If the boat is a standard 16 footer I'd recommend wooden 8.5 footers. After years of use I broke one of mine and replaced both with a pair of 9 foot Cataracts which I greatly regret. Whereas the much wider paddle on a Cataract is a big plus for power, the extra 6 inches of length make a big difference in comfort and ease. I don't know if they make a 8.5 foot Cataract or not, but I couldn't find them here in Eugene. The wooden ones I did have to strip down and refinish every couple of years.

Kevin

[kayakfisher]

Cataracts..did any one see good oars at the sportsman's show?

m.

[freespool]

Wade,I too have found 8.5ft oars to be perfect for a 16ft db. Short quick strokes are much more efficent than long strokes. They also improve maneuverability in those tight dicey spots. Many people just use raft oars because they are so readily available. Rubber rafts are a totaly different animal compared to a driftboat.


salmon hugger

[speyfly]

Oar length is determined by what type of drift boat you have and what types of rivers you float. Smaller streams and rivers are a little tight in spots to use a 9-½ foot oar. If you have a high-sided 16’ drift boat you may be better served with 9’ oars (a happy medium) so you don’t have to raise your hands too high to get the blades into the water. On a newer low-sided boat a 9-foot oar seems to be a perfect match. On my 17’ the 9 ½’ work nicely but you do have to watch out in the tight areas. Personally I think that 8-1/2’ oars are a little short for a 16’ boat and tiring to row all day.

Regarding the Cataract’s, they make a very sweet shaft but I opted to put the Sawyer thin composite blades on mine. These blades are extremely light and there is no need for counter balance weights in the shafts to compensate for the heavier Cataract blades. With that being said the Sawyer blades don’t float like the Cataract’s so when you’re not on the oars you need to bring the tips out of the water for safety reasons (you should do that with any oar). Oar length is a personal preference and you will get a lot of opinions so I hope that I was able to shed a little light on this subject.

[ 02-08-2004, 09:31 AM: Message edited by: speyfly ]

[cully]

" Wood oars split" well I've had my sawyer solid ash smokers going on 3 years now and I got them used. There is not a split, dry rot or chip in them and I've dug gravel, boulders and river bank many of time. I'd stay away from tip protecters if you decided to purchare wood as they hold moisture in and you want your oar to dry completly when not in use. As far as upkeep goes all it takes is a 10 minute light sanding on the blades once or twice a year followed by a light varnishing. Big deal. I concead that I've never rowed with plastic blades and composite shafts and someday maybe I'll get the chance but I'll let my luck ride with a one piece solid sawyer ash oar even if I do. Anything is possible even shattering a composite oar, in other words have not most of us not shattered a composite rod? I wonder what kind of hairline fracture would occour to a compostie oar if it would fall from a standing position say in your garage and then the next time out when you bare down and dig in it goes pop? Come on composite users, any such stories? You too wood oar owners, any broken oar stories? Not I, knock on wood

[wade]

Cully,
I about bit it coming down through a tricky curve/rapid on the McKenzie when my wooden oar snapped at the wrap when I was setting up and torgued off of a rock with the blade. I think dry rot had set in there at the doughnut. The composite oars are not like the fishing rods you're speaking of, unless you're referring to the older fiberglass rods that you needed a sharp hatchet to break in two.

Kevin

[daveg]

I row a 16 ft 54 wide with fairly high sides. I have both 9 ft Sawyer Lights and 9 foot Cataracts with their floating blade. I absolutely hate my composite oars as they are very tip heavy, and love the Sawyers Lights. I was not very savy when I got the boat and composite oars. I didn't get the counterbalanced ones. I think they would be great if you got them counter balanced or with the Sawyer blades. I didn't even know about that. I am going to look into cuz the break down feature is handy. I can get counter balance add ons for about $80 to $100 a pair, but the thin blades soound great.

[fineline]

I used wooden oars for 20 years on my early model ClackaCraft. Only replaced them once. Repaired them a couple of times due to digging too deep, tip protectors that trap moisture, and one busted in half after eating a power bar or something. After retrieving the then floating other half of one oar, my fishing partner had a pocket full of parachute cord which we wrapped tightly around the splintered ends and were able to continue on like nothing had happened even though we had miles to go. Seems like these oars were smokers, been a while since I looked at them since I sold that boat. I always thought that when I replace the drift boat I would get a set of Sawyers. Little more money but a fine set of sticks. Key to making them last is in proper care. Don't leave them out in the weather.

[weekend warrior]

Granted I don't have that much expertise in this field but my dad and I got a DB this past spring and we upgraded to the Sawyer MX composite oars with the dynelite blades. They seem to work great for me and everyone who has rowed the boat loves them. By no means are they heavy either, they are balanced very well.
Someone I thought said the blades don't really float. Whether I'm in tidewater or the river I just let them sit and they seem to float just fine .
They are a little spendy though, I think they run around 400 for the pair. So far though they seem to be pretty tough.
Hope this helps.

[Reel Premier]

Ditto WW.

I also bought a pair of the composite Sawyer MX-G oars, and love them. They are counter balanced and row like a dream. I've rowed with the wood Sawyer's and at first they felt a little light and whimpy compared to the MX-G oars. I think it was because I wasn't used to them, but after some time pulling on them they felt fine. Have not tried the Cataracts, but I'm sure they are also a fine oar. Only downside to the MX-G oars is the price, can get a little spendy at close to 4 bones. As far as durability goes, they seem to be tough as they come.

db.

[corkyking]

Before I traded it in on a jet-boat I had a Fish-Rite 16' Guide model which I powered with 10.5' counterbalanced Sawyers. I could row all day but the operative word is power.

I'd rather be too long than too short. It's hard to make them longer but you can make 'em shorter.

[kayakfisher]

Good suggestion folks..thanks for the info.

m.