17' Willie Drift Boat oar length???

[fop]

Just going to order a 17' Drift Boat and I am not sure what length oars to get. I'm guessing 9'6".
Anybody know where in Oregon off I-5 I can duck into and pick a pair up on the way south to Willies. I'm sure I want the cataracs and Willie Boats do not sell that brand.
Also anyone there have a 17'er and any pros or cons in that model?
fop

[willierower]

fop,
Grab some 9'6' oars. Get Cataracts. Fishermans Marine Supply carries Cataracts. Call ahead to see if they have some in stock.
I may be able to get a pair for a lot less than you would pay anywhere else. Possibly under $300.00.
There are no cons with a 17 footer. A good friend of mine has one. I like it better than my 16 footer. That extra length gives alot more room than you would think.

[stlhdr1]

I've rowed a 1998 17' willie and it wasn't what I expected yet the oars make a large difference in how the boat responds and the gentleman had some heavy wood oars and it was all I could do to hold them up halfway through the float. I spent more energy balancing the oars out of water between strokes than actually stroking the oars. We had 3 guys and a total weight of about 680 lbs in the boat and it did fair but the best boat I have rowed was a Koffler. I run a 17' 1976 alumaweld and it's no better than the willie.
My .02 worth, they're all great boats though.
Keith

[fop]

willierower, Could you tell me the phone number or the town that Fisherman's Marine Supply is in? I'll give them a call.
Also if you can get a better price I'm for that too!!
I need 1 pair of 9'6", black w/magumn blades.

stlhdr1..Thanks for the info. I had a pair of wooden Ash 9'6"ers for my 19' Willie and they about killed me. I then bought a pair of Saywer mg-x's and they really saved my a$$. But a friend of mine had the black reinforced edges of the blades fall off on his mg-x's so I thought I'd better go w/the cataracs.

Hope to get down Oregon way when the boat is built.

Thanks again, fop

[BlueWater]

fop,

Fishermans Marine and Outdoor
Delta Park off I-5 (just past Interstate Bridge)
1120 N Hayden Meadows DR
Portland, Or
503-283-0044
Make sure you bring extra money. This place is like Disney land for sportsman. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Good luck with the drift boat!
BlueWater.

[Gone Fishin]

fop,

I run 10 footers on my 17' Willie, the extra half a foot gives you more power per stroke and I haven't had a problem with the long oars fishing these small coastal streams.
You may want to think about it. Cataract oars are definately the way to go.

Despite some opinions on here, you will not be dissappointed with the way your Willie performs. I consider mine a 10!

Get it ordered, there's gonna be fish in the river soon!

[Tanner]

fop,
I went from 9' cataracts to 10' cataracts on my 16' Willie. What a difference! At first I thought they would be a bit too long for some of the small streams I fish but they work great and I don't have to work near as hard as I used too. Get 10 footers. You will be very happy you did.

Also, congatulations on buying the best drift boat made. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I know, I rowed an Alumaweld (TANK) for 10 long years.

By the way - Fishermans Marine Supply Oregon City - 557-3313

[ 10-11-2001: Message edited by: Tanner ]

[chuck 'n' duck]

My vote goes for the 9.5' Cataracts. I have a set on my 17' Willie and they work great. I would go to the 10' for the reason GF mentioned, but I would definately not go any shorter than the 9.5.


CnD