# Thoughts on oar leashes and securing spare?



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

another downfall to the ring is if you use carlisle blades at all an ship your oars, the ring slides down and catches where the blade connects to the shaft.. It really sucks when you need to get an oar back in the water and cant because it's caught. I never have noticed noise with the rings, but on my small boat with carlisle blades the ring hanging up drives me crazy.


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

I use cam straps to the frame for my spares. I always carry two spares as I use the spares to park my oars on. I rarely ever need to break out a spare, but I don't run anything over class three in my old age. I like the NRS ones for my regular oars as keepers, but they do have a ring on them. They are around $25 a pair. 

For years I used a 9' cam strap and put the cam side around the frame and tied the end to the oar. I had an oar pop once and got caught on a rock. I was able to get the oar back, but at the take out I couldn't get the knot in the webbing undone, so I had to cut the strap off. I then bought my first pair of oar keeper straps but they came with fastex clips on them. I lost a Cataract oar in a flip because of the plastic buckle. I've thrown all those away and prefer the type with the metal cam strap and ring now.


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## Fly By Night (Oct 31, 2018)

My title was meant to include "oar securement" if anyone can edit that I'd appreciate it. 

https://www.whitewaterworthy.com/product/oar-tethers/

These seem to address issues the posters above have expressed and are a fair price, has anyone used them?


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## Osprey (May 26, 2006)

I just use some decent quality 5-6 mm I think climbing cord. Couple bowlines do the trick. I leave the one on the oar side there, and just tie off to the frame each time. 

For the spares, 3' cam straps are about right. I larks head the cam side to the frame so the cam is on top hanging down and then wrap the free end around the oar twice. One press of the cam and that end is free without the strap falling.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

I use a modified loop strap with the loop end narrowed to a tight fit just over one inch wide. The buckle end is girth hitched around the oar stand leaving it about 6 inches long. The long end of the loop is fed though the small loop and is free to slide on the shaft but will cinch up tight if it is out of the lock. Most regular loop straps could open up enough to let the oar slip out if it was flailing around, although I have never witnessed this happening...…...


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

I use the same setup as Osprey. 
Another consideration is what type of sleeve you use. I use a plastic sleeve on Cataract shaft and have no problems with the leash cord binding and getting pulled into the oarlock. 
Our only mishap on the grand last year was caused by just that problem. The setup we rented from PRO had rope wraps with rubber oarstops and used the same white nylon cord as a leash. Right from the start the leash would hang up on the wrap and get pulled into the oarlock when anyone would ship an oar. 
At House Rock our lead boat pulled out of the scout eddy to ferry across the boulders but had to ship an oar around a rock and the leash got hung up on the wrap and pinched in the oarlock preventing her from getting it back into the water quick enough. She got pulled into the boulder garden and hung on a rock for about two hours until the water came up and we were able to pull her off. That afternoon I cut those silly little cords off my boat and replaced them with longer cam straps so the weight of the buckle held the loop down below the wraps. The rest of the oarsmen kept theirs on but never stopped bitching about them.


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## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

Osprey said:


> I just use some decent quality 5-6 mm I think climbing cord. Couple bowlines do the trick. I leave the one on the oar side there, and just tie off to the frame each time.
> 
> For the spares, 3' cam straps are about right. I larks head the cam side to the frame so the cam is on top hanging down and then wrap the free end around the oar twice. One press of the cam and that end is free without the strap falling.


Very effective and cheap. Make sure they are long enough to be able to pull them up onto an upside-down boat. I had a flip where one of them was too short and was a huge distraction, which is the only way to learn that lesson.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

I like to use these for oar keepers, no noise, easy on and off (no need to remove blade like with a ring). To attach spares to the boat I make my own spare oar keepers so the spare oars ride high and tight. I prefer 2 spares and rig them so I can rest my rowing oars on them. 
I like Jakes design also.



https://www.downriverequip.com/oars...ent/down-river-oar-leash-deluxe-pair-pid-2523


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I made these for my spare oar. Just slide the handle end of the oar through the ring and have the cam and loop strap where you can reach it easily. just hit the cam button to release the loop strap and pull the handle out of the ring. Just like that you are ready to go.


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## jaffy (Feb 4, 2004)

DoStep said:


> Very effective and cheap. Make sure they are long enough to be able to pull them up onto an upside-down boat. I had a flip where one of them was too short and was a huge distraction, which is the only way to learn that lesson.



Question for you - is this in the situation where your boat is too heavy to flip back over yourself, or is there another reason to pull your oars onto the bottom of a flipped boat? 



I'm not much of a rafter, but the few times I've flipped I've let the oars flop around until I have the boat back upright.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

The rings can bind. I run a loop strap buckle end on the frame, 4' strap on the oar. The buckle on the strap is just tight enough so the oar can't get away. Yep, regular 4' strap on the oar, not the other end of the loop strap. Ive had them bind as well where as the buckle stays where I want it until the oar goes under tension. I like the quick release option, without pulling my knife out.


Jaffy, its nice not to have the added friction of an oar in the water while you are trying to get a flipped boat in an eddy or to shore and while righting the boat. Also nice not having an oar flop over and smack somebody in the righting process.


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## Big_B (Feb 17, 2019)

Sdg makes a pretty cool system, haven't tried it personally yet but it's on my list.https://www.sdgrivergear.com/


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

I just use Prusic cord for mine. One end is permanently tied around the frame rail with a follow through 8, the other gets a Bolin around the oar. Never had any binding issues with the cord.
Spare oars are rigged high and tight, with the shaft through a cam strap, then a second short cam is tied to the frame, with one end going through the slot of the blade( Carlisles). Only have to undo the rear strap to get to them. Don't loose oars much either.

The Cord will get caught on the dumb ridge at the base of the Carlisle blades, but I have yet to find any tether that won't, let me know if anyone has come up with a leash that don't catch.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

When I ran carlisle blades I used to build up that "ledge" that the rings/ cord hangs up on. I'd electrical tape wrap it until it turned into a ramp. Never had problems again.


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## Fly By Night (Oct 31, 2018)

That holster looks interesting, I'm curious how well they work. 



Big_B said:


> Sdg makes a pretty cool system, haven't tried it personally yet but it's on my list.https://www.sdgrivergear.com/


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## BAMBAM (Nov 15, 2013)

*oar leashes*

I had same problem with carlisle oars (catching where the oar meets the blade) after shipping oars. I was using NRS leashes which caught on the metal o ring and not able to pull oar back into the boat. I went to prusik cord like MAttman for strength and ease of use but still could catch. I filed down the ledge, ridge at a about a 60 degree angle which made a ramp to get rid of the catch. (It didn't take much filing and because of the location of the filing it shouldn't weaken the oar).


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks for the ideas, Zach and BAMBAM!!


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## newpc (Aug 3, 2009)

codycleve said:


> another downfall to the ring is if you use carlisle blades at all an ship your oars, the ring slides down and catches where the blade connects to the shaft.. It really sucks when you need to get an oar back in the water and cant because it's caught. I never have noticed noise with the rings, but on my small boat with carlisle blades the ring hanging up drives me crazy.


shorten the length of the leash.


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

The easiest and cheapest solution is just a simple 4' loop strap. One side hitches to the frame, the other side you pop the blade off and slide the shaft through the loop, then connect the two ends. You can adjust the length easily so there is no binding and the weight of the cam in the middle keeps the strap hanging low at all times so there is no worry about twisting or getting caught on things. No knots, no worries, and it's quick release if you need to release the oar unlike tying rope, cord or webbing to one end.


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## Osprey (May 26, 2006)

I always thought my knife was the quick release lol guess I never liked the metal bouncing around 

the reason I leave the cord tied to the oar and not the frame, is due to if you are trailering then anything tied to the frame up high just flaps in the wind. My oars go under the boat.


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## Alex_Kayaks (Aug 4, 2016)

I have been using the WhiteWaterWorthy oar leashes for a couple of years now and they have worked great.
They also have straps for the spare oars that are very easy to use.


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