# Oars or paddles rant?



## westwatercuban (May 19, 2021)

Lol you’re not the only one. I had to stop looking at Fakebook market place ads. Welcome to your support group 😂


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Oh god, the geniuses on Facecrack.. 

Not to mention the "experts" out there that "Oar" their boats down the river.. I can't count how many times I've heard a noob tell me about how they "oared' their craft down {insert river here}.. 

I suppose everyone has to start somewhere, but come on, at least learn the terminology. 

How many of you remember the children's song, "Oar Oar Oar your boat, gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream? 

yep, me neither.. I got so tired of hearing nonsense like this that I quit boating with westwatercuban... 



And speaking of unbelievable stuff, can you believe folks are taking seats off their lawn tractors and mounting them to rafts ??? 

Wow.. I won't get into open oarlocks and oar wrongs, draining coolers and (gasp) nudity on the river.. Yep.. Nudity.. I couldn't believe it either..

Nice first post Coffee Bear.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

coffee.bear said:


> Does anyone else rage inside when you see someone advertising paddles for sale, but they call them Oars? or vice/ versa, I shouldn't rage---but I do.
> 
> and I rage when i see toy rafts that you blow up to play in the local lake or pool to be sold online as "whitewater rafts".
> 
> I need a support group.


I used to but then I switched to decaf.


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## jerseyjeff (Apr 16, 2016)

calling a kayak paddle an oar definitely triggers me, especially if I have not been on a river for a bit. I make a point of telling new paddlers the difference between oars and paddles. When I was professionally guiding it was a pretty clear indication of how the day was going to go too. 

Custy Yo! Pass me that oar!
Guide crap. gonna be a long day.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

For that matter calling a Kayak a boat, and not a kayak.. I have seen kayak's with oars though, that is a real thing, not sure about how well they work, but IIRC they were even commercially made at one point, spray skirt and all.


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## Rick A (Apr 15, 2016)

MNichols said:


> For that matter calling a Kayak a boat, and not a kayak.. I have seen kayak's with oars though, that is a real thing, not sure about how well they work, but IIRC they were even commercially made at one point, spray skirt and all.


That's a tough one for me. It is a fact that an oar is not a paddle and a paddle is not an oar, but a kayak is a boat.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Rick A said:


> That's a tough one for me. It is a fact that an oar is not a paddle and a paddle is not an oar, but a kayak is a boat.


Probably just semantics. I've always thought of a kayak as a kayak, and always called kayakers kayakers instead of boaters. 

They seem to take great satisfaction in having the particular skill set that it takes to be able to paddle one of those cool little craft, and would much rather be called kayakers that a lot of things people call them. Being kayakers, they would be in a kayak, right? 

Well at one point in time I tried to learn, and had questionable success at doing it, I preferred to be in my boat as opposed to being in a kayak, I think that makes me a boater and not a kayaker..

But it doesn't make any difference at the end of the day I mean it certainly not as important as pins and clips versus open oarr locks or draining, or not draining your cooler lol


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## Rick A (Apr 15, 2016)

Fair enough, I tend to refer to them kayakers as well, unless I'm referring to a group of people paddling different crafts then I would probably call them all boaters. I also call my kayak a kayak unless I'm referring to multiple craft. I call my garage the boathouse as is has kayaks, duckies, and a raft stored in it. I guess one could say I'm a rafter and a boater is someone who takes their motor boat out on the lake.


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## westwatercuban (May 19, 2021)

Rick A said:


> I guess one could say I'm a rafter and a boater is someone who takes their motor boat out on the lake.


What do you call someone who does all three?..


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## Rick A (Apr 15, 2016)

Someone who loves water? You're a boater in my book. 🤣


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

westwatercuban said:


> What do you call someone who does all three?..


Wealthy?

😂, Given that a boat is little more than a hole in the water that you throw endless amounts of money into..


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Rick A said:


> Fair enough, I tend to refer to them kayakers as well, unless I'm referring to a group of people paddling different crafts then I would probably call them all boaters. I also call my kayak a kayak unless I'm referring to multiple craft. I call my garage the boathouse as is has kayaks, duckies, and a raft stored in it. I guess one could say I'm a rafter and a boater is someone who takes their motor boat out on the lake.


I have a snout boat, that has a 30 horse motor on it, but I only run it on rivers... I still think I'm a boater lol, one could even extrapolate that to being a rafter since it does have inflatable tubes lol

Like I said at the end of the day it's semantics and doesn't really matter nearly as much as some of the other pressing things we argue about on this site 😉


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

MNichols said:


> Like I said at the end of the day it's semantics and doesn't really matter nearly as much as some of the other pressing things we argue about on this site 😉


It's all about the attitude we bring to the occasion.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Andy H. said:


> It's all about the attitude we bring to the occasion.


Well put my friend....


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## jbomb (Apr 10, 2015)

Heritage landing on the Deschutes… we’ve had park rangers pointing at the sign and saying we couldn’t use the boat ramp on the left side of the picture but instead had to unload the raft and carry everything up the beach to our trailer.


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## westwatercuban (May 19, 2021)

MNichols said:


> Wealthy?
> 
> 😂, Given that a boat is little more than a hole in the water that you throw endless amounts of money into..


Well at least I have boats to cry in lol as I’m oaring down the river..😂🤣


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

What about when the kayak manufacturers call them boats and boaters? Many spec sheets list boat length and boater weight? Quite the conundrum…


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## River Finger (Jun 3, 2014)

Conundrum said:


> Quite the conundrum…


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Hello, my name is MT4Runner, and I am a pedantic oarsman. Thank you for including me in your group.

How about "graphic designers" who foist shit like this:









































Or for lifeboat propulsion when your ship sinks?











*OARS DON'T HAVE T-GRIPS, YOU THUNDERING MORONS!!   *


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## Sawyer Paddles & Oars (Dec 22, 2020)

We're OK with Paddles _and _Oars. But oar blades _are not_ paddles, to be sure.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Sawyer Paddles & Oars said:


> We're OK with Paddles _and _Oars. But oar blades _are not_ paddles, to be sure.


You should think about selling paddles AND oars, seems you know a lot about this !!! You could even name your company Sawyer Paddles and Oars.. 

Oh wait, 

Never mind..

Bwahahahaha


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