Choosing a set of rafting oars should be simple considering there are really only three primary brands but sizing and blade styles can quickly expand and confuse the buying pool. In some cases, you might just buy a used raft or drift boat and it already has the right oars but buying new requires some research to determine the best options within your budget.
Determine Oar Length
This is the part that can really confuse people. There are two ways to go about choosing the oar length for your raft or drift boat – experience or a formula. Experienced rowers often know what feels right for the given boat length and frame style. Adjusting oar length is also done to work with the parameters of a specific river. For example, rafters tackling super technical rivers might go shorter to help squeeze inside narrow chutes while big water boats might go longer for more leverage.
The formula method requires that you measure the distance between the oarlocks. Subtract a few inches as a consideration for space between the oar handles. Take the resulting number and times it by three for the final oar length. NRS also has a specific measurement chart for their frames because the oarlocks have some tilt. You can access their chart here.
Consider the Oar Blade Styles
Oar blades are often overlooked but the different styles all serve specific functions. The best way to find your favorite style is by rowing as many as possible. I rowed several different blade styles before discovering that I absolutely love the laminated fir blades from Sawyer Oars. They are light, tough and they scoop shallow water or pull hard against big water depending on the situation.
Each brand has different blades to consider. Take your time looking through the options and demo whenever possible. Sawyer and Cataract have the widest variety of specialty options while Carlisle has standard blades that do just fine for most rowers.
Spare Oar Options
Every boat needs a spare oar and it’s not a bad idea to have one that at least matches the length of your primary oars. You can add a breakdown oar to a drift boat easily and even mount it on an interior bracket. Many boaters will keep a cheaper oar or two strapped to the raft as spares and that is just fine. If you can match the main set, all the better. Just don’t hit the river without having a spare oar on board.
The Primary Drift Boat and Whitewater Oar Brands
You will only find a few brands of oars on the market. There are custom makers out there as well but these are the big three commercial brands. They are all good and can handle everything from your local class II run to class V in the Grand Canyon.
Sawyer Oars
These are the cream of the crop oars and blades on the market. They have the widest range of options with wood and composite oar builds. The laminated fir and smoker blades are exceptional and the composite Dynalite models are also excellent options. Durability is pretty amazing with the Sawyer oar brand. Fishing guides and folks rowing drift boats really gravitate towards the squaretop oars. I have friends that won’t every go another direction and I like them as well. For some reason, I prefer the standard composite shafts over the squaretops. You really can’t go wrong with this brand and I just love their oars.
Cataract Oars
Cataract is right up there with Sawyer on their composite builds. They don’t offer any wood models but their composite shafts are super durable and are loved by a ton of rowers. They also have a nice selection of blade shapes and sizes for different uses. I really like their standard blade but also have rowed the Magnum blades and they grab a ton of water, making them great for power. I’ve also rowed with the cutthroat blades and they feather and crawl really well. These are a great option for fishing rafts and drift boats. Some folks like adding a counterbalance weight on these oars but I just can’t get comfortable with the setup. I’d much rather row their oars without the balance weight.
Carlisle Oars
If you’re on a budget, consider a set of Carlisle whitewater rafting oars. They are also very popular for spare oars strapped to the side of a raft. Although these are budget options, they perform well and I’ve used them for years. I had a set paired with the NRS Helix oar blade and it was a killer setup. The oars have a metal shaft with a plastic sleeve covering the metal. The sleeves can crack with excessive wear but it usually requires many years of hard use to reach that point.
