# Help me buy new oars.



## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

9' finished oar length. Feels right on my buds 60" frame with Nrs towers

I run 9'6" on my 66" Nrs frame. I have a bud with 8.5 and 54" frame. That works too


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## kayaker (Oct 29, 2003)

yes, 9'6" is way too big bud... try 8' cataract oars, they are super sporty, nice flex.
I drive them on anything at/under 14'
I do my own wraps on the shaft for a nice fit in the open oarlocks.
Remember: pins and clips are for goons

two-piece 7' minimags are $100
or the 8' cataract SGG is $150 - I'd go with the 8' but you might like a 7'6"
best of luck and always watch that downstream oar
else you'll look like me!


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

I'm using 8.5 cataracts on my 12 ft. X 6 ft. raft and they are perfect. But I'm using an NRS frame with 10 inch NRS towers, so I can tilt the towers outward to achieve more width, and get the 1/3 2/3 balance just right. My oarlocks are about 70 inches apart. I started with 8 ft. oars and 8 inch towers and they were too short. Since you have a set distance between your oarlocks, you don't have the option to change things. 

I found this formula on the River Connection website for figuring out oar length.
Distance between oarlocks X 3 minus 6, then divide by 2, then divide by 12 for feet.
So 65 X 3= 195 divided by 2 = 97.5 divided by 12 = 8.1

A lot depends on your height and rowing position as well. I'd 5'6" and rowing from a dry box. I'd be inclined to recommend 8.5 ft. oars ???? It's a tough call. I was lucky in that I got my oars from backcountry.com and they have a 100% satisfaction return policy, and they are based in SLC, so I just drove them across town to return them.

Avatard..... I know you were concerned about my oar tower distance on my little raft, but it worked perfectly on Deso last week. No binding in the locks, and the oars felt really good. I just kept tilting the towers outward, while keeping them from going past level, until I reached the tipping point, then worked with what I had. About 69-70 inches, which made balancing the oars pretty easy. My hand position on power strokes was just right, not too high like it would have been with the 8 ft. oars.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Wow. I think my 72" frame is about 76" and I run 11' oars. Sounds like you have a lot more mechanical advantage but also a terribly short stroke


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Avatard said:


> Wow. I think my 72" frame is about 76" and I run 11' oars. Sounds like you have a lot more mechanical advantage but also a terribly short stroke


Possibly, but it works, and doesn't feel out of whack. I have about 3 inches between the oar handles when level, and adequate knee clearance. The shorter oars would have put the oar handles kind of high once I got the oars in the water. The trade off of small boats or narrow frames I suppose. As soon as my posse sends me some pics from the Deso trip I'll post some of the boat.


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## verendus (Nov 4, 2012)

Before you sell your oars and rebuy, see if you can cut your oars by a few inches. All you need is a simple saw. If you are handy enough, it might just be cutting a few inches and drilling a couple of holes to reseat your handles. 

I personally think you could make 9.5' work. I run a set of 10' on my 70" frame, and I do have an option to spread my oarlocks out by a few inches. You could ask recretec to make a set of oarstands that extend out by a few inches, or raise your seat and oarlocks a bit higher. I think you can find shims or some sort of extenders to raise those oar stands by a few inches. 

IMO, 7.5' or 8' oars will be too short. Don't worry too much about 1/3in, 2/3out rules. It's general guideline, but it's not too difficult to adjust your stroke unless you have really weak arms.


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## Rogue Warrior (Jul 10, 2009)

Thanks Cataraftgirl. I didn't realize Backcountry.com did that. That's actually where I got my oars from so I'll be sending them back tomorrow. I just ordered three of the 8.5 footers. They are on sale right now for $86.77 with free 2 day shipping! Can't beat that.


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## mr_diggs (Feb 6, 2013)

"Sounds like you have a lot more mechanical advantage but also a terribly short stroke"

I've had that. :-(


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Ok Avatard, here's a picture. What da ya think? They felt & worked great.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

cataraftgirl said:


> Ok Avatard, here's a picture. What da ya think? They felt & worked great.


Looks good. I was worried you had the angled out such that your locks would bind against the shaft. You are seated pretty high for such a small boat


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

I'm using the dry box off my cat. It has the welded hang tabs and is three inches above the crossbar. Lower than on the cat with the AAA flip seat over it & a high back seat. I kind of liked the lower position on the raft, it felt nice and stable. I was amazed at how overall stable the raft felt for being so small. I never had a sense that I was going to bite it in the wave trains. I did have one wave crest and break over the bow and soak me pretty good. I had water dripping off my hat. That was awesome.
Little Blue and I are headed for a weekend float on the Southfork Snake over the holiday weekend.....if the weather doesn't suck. We're planning our next adventure on the Main Salmon in late June. Maybe the river gods will smile on us and the water will be low enough by then to contemplate taking the little boat ????? Yeah.....right :wink::wink::wink:


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