# Gilman grips



## noahfecks (Jun 14, 2008)

Started using them at the beginning of last season and I agree.


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## GOTY2011 (Mar 18, 2018)

Sawyer is co-hosting a live stream discussion with Jeff from Gilman Grips on Tuesday, May 5th, at 4 PM PT if you're interested in learning more about the design and applications. 

Look for more details on the Sawyer Paddles and Oars Facebook page, in the "Events" tab early next week.


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## MSTANLEY (Sep 10, 2007)

*Gillman Grips*

I purchased two sets for my Cataract oars and Love them. Used them last summer on the Tatshenshini. The finish is a little rough on the hands I found and would recommend gloves for long hard days of rowing. 
I think I was the first customer they had send them to in Canada and the company was great to deal with. There was some shipping issues and was called directly to ensure it all worked out.
Removing the old handles was a bit of a chore but otherwise the installation went well.
I purchased them with the optional counter weighting and I am very pleased overall.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I purchased a set, and installed them on some old cat shafts thinking it would be easier on my old wrists, unique they are, comfortable, well to me they aren't. The shape was hard to hold, for ME.. I much prefer un-indexed old wooden oars, but then I'm an old curmudgeon that's resistant to change of any sort.. 

My oar geometry is already good, so the added weight of the grips didn't do anything for me, one thought that came to mind was you'd have to pretty much put these on your spare oars, and then select the correct one should you bust / break / lose an oar...
Lastly, with un-indexed oars, you're only 180 degrees away from a stroke, with these grips, you're always 360 degrees away from a stroke. 

For me, some things just don't need improving upon.. 

In a sense, sorta like oar wrongs, training wheels... 



Now, if you just changed to pins and clips all of this add on junk would be superfluous LOL


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## RiverJoe (Sep 4, 2020)

This is interesting I never thought too much of the dedicated side issues but I have heard this from numerous people out on the river now. I have a pretty bad tennis elbow with carpal in my wrist and was wondering if these may help that. It’s kind of a split crowd on these from my experience. Seems the newer boaters prefer them and rowing veterans prefer the standard handle. Without trying them I am kind of in your corner Mnichols. I have talked to more folks that have removed them after running them A while. I haven’t heard any feedback on handle durability maybe they are too new still or they never get that far with them


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Your observations mirror mine, but then at the end of the day, different strokes for different folks LOL.


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## GOTY2011 (Mar 18, 2018)

I field this question multiple times a week, and the answer from my experience with these grips falls along two lines; recreational/professional whitewater rowing, and rowing for anglers. If your primary use is rowing whitewater and you're not comfortable with feathering blades, or you are currently using Oar Rights and want an alternative, then the concept is good. As noted above, most people run with two spare oars, but losing the wrong one at the wrong time is going to be an issue. 

Rowing for anglers is a different skill set and the strokes are more varied, and transitioning between strokes and oar angle/approach is not a satisfactory experience. Contact with the grip is far less than a standard barrel-type grip. 

Bottom line, choose your oar grip based on your primary use.


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## RiverJoe (Sep 4, 2020)

GOTY2011 said:


> I field this question multiple times a week, and the answer from my experience with these grips falls along two lines; recreational/professional whitewater rowing, and rowing for anglers. If your primary use is rowing whitewater and you're not comfortable with feathering blades, or you are currently using Oar Rights and want an alternative, then the concept is good. As noted above, most people run with two spare oars, but losing the wrong one at the wrong time is going to be an issue.
> 
> Rowing for anglers is a different skill set and the strokes are more varied, and transitioning between strokes and oar angle/approach is not a satisfactory experience. Contact with the grip is far less than a standard barrel-type grip.
> 
> Bottom line, choose your oar grip based on your primary use.


Thank You, this was along the lines of what I was imagining. As a long time drift boater and using dynelite blades having the best water entry and feel out there for blades I have always feathered my oars so they would probably be a hindrance to me as opposed to helping the situation. Are there different models because In some of the pictures they very much resemble something you would get out of the adult shop (sorry) not sorry 😂. Alot of river folks even have a special slang name for them D___O Grip


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

For more info, there's a thread with a lot of discussion. Some folks love them, others not so much.









New Innovative Oar Grip Design


I currently use Cataract rope wrapped oars with convertible oar rights which allow me to feather oars against the stop or flip down the guides for use by my daughter. My preference on the Colorado and smaller rivers is to have the ability to feather oars in or out of the water for efficiency...




www.mountainbuzz.com


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

The newer cataract grips have a thumb groove for indexing. I liked it well enough that I made my own for my older oar out of Sugru.


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## Senor D (May 22, 2018)

craven_morhead said:


> The newer cataract grips have a thumb groove for indexing. I liked it well enough that I made my own for my older oar out of Sugru.


Damn, now I just went down the rabbit hole on Sugru. Never knew such a product existed.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

Oh yeah, Sugru is rad. Handy to keep around for odd little applications.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

craven_morhead said:


> The newer cataract grips have a thumb groove for indexing. I liked it well enough that I made my own for my older oar out of Sugru.


I tried that on a set of oars I made, and found I didn't really like having my thumb over the end of the handle.

With square tops, I found myself using the top of the square to index my hand, and push against the flat of the square.


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## GOTY2011 (Mar 18, 2018)

Only guys named James who are the same. 



RiverJoe said:


> Thank You, this was along the lines of what I was imagining. As a long time drift boater and using dynelite blades having the best water entry and feel out there for blades I have always feathered my oars so they would probably be a hindrance to me as opposed to helping the situation. Are there different models because In some of the pictures they very much resemble something you would get out of the adult shop (sorry) not sorry 😂. Alot of river folks even have a special slang name for them D___O Grip


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## Kayakguy (Feb 19, 2015)

RiverJoe said:


> This is interesting I never thought too much of the dedicated side issues but I have heard this from numerous people out on the river now. I have a pretty bad tennis elbow with carpal in my wrist and was wondering if these may help that. It’s kind of a split crowd on these from my experience. Seems the newer boaters prefer them and rowing veterans prefer the standard handle. Without trying them I am kind of in your corner Mnichols. I have talked to more folks that have removed them after running them A while. I haven’t heard any feedback on handle durability maybe they are too new still or they never get that far with them


River Joe, with any new radically different product design there, will be a lot of misinformation or people making assumptions about the design without ever trying the product or without using it long enough to get comfortable enough to see the benefits. Just think back to the first self-bailing floor or the first cataraft, shape ski, or snowboard. These designs were misunderstood at first by many, but have now become the standard. 

After 30 years of kayaking, I designed Gilman Grips to be a safer, ergonomic, more comfortable rowing option and to provide users with intuitive feedback about your blade angle in the water. Our Grip allows users to fully control the oar with a loose handgrip and using just your thumb and index finger. Our Grip Right Technolgy reduces stress and fatigue. Unlike traditional grips Gilman Grips allow oarsmen to safely row with your thumb at the end of the Grip or in the thumb under position. As for veterans, pros and fishing guides hundreds of them have been using or Grips for years and they say they will never switch back to a traditional grip. Like any high-performance product, a beginner will see a bigger improvement than a pro but the benefits of the Grip are real, so it easy for a product like this to be pegged as a beginner product. No product is for everyone, and I have no issue with anyone that has rowed with our Grips for a day and prefers a traditional grip. We've found when people don't find Gilman Grips more comfortable than traditional grips the issue most often is that the Gilman Grips were indexed in the wrong position. If the Grip index is off by a couple of degrees it will not work as designed, will be uncomfortable, and should be reindexed. We have found that many people do not follow the installation instructions and try to wing it with the indexing and have to re-index the Grip per the directions.

You may want to check out our website and read the many reviews from pros, guides, and veteran boaters who love our Grips. We have several reviews from people with similar medical issues as you that say Gilman Grips allowed them to row without pain for the first time in years. We also have a 1-year money-back guarantee if you don't like the Grips send them back. In the 2 years, the Grips have been available to the public we have not received a single pair back. PM me or reach out to me on the website if you have any questions.


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## RiverJoe (Sep 4, 2020)

Pretty amazing if no one has returned any in that time frame, people must be liking them. Sounds like a great guarantee I will give a set a go and see how they do for me on my drifter. Thanks for the information



Kayakguy said:


> River Joe, with any new radically different product design there, will be a lot of misinformation or people making assumptions about the design without ever trying the product or without using it long enough to get comfortable enough to see the benefits. Just think back to the first self-bailing floor or the first cataraft, shape ski, or snowboard. These designs were misunderstood at first by many, but have now become the standard.
> 
> After 30 years of kayaking, I designed Gilman Grips to be a safer, ergonomic, more comfortable rowing option and to provide users with intuitive feedback about your blade angle in the water. Our Grip allows users to fully control the oar with a loose handgrip and using just your thumb and index finger. Our Grip Right Technolgy reduces stress and fatigue. Unlike traditional grips Gilman Grips allow oarsmen to safely row with your thumb at the end of the Grip or in the thumb under position. As for veterans, pros and fishing guides hundreds of them have been using or Grips for years and they say they will never switch back to a traditional grip. Like any high-performance product, a beginner will see a bigger improvement than a pro but the benefits of the Grip are real, so it easy for a product like this to be pegged as a beginner product. No product is for everyone, and I have no issue with anyone that has rowed with our Grips for a day and prefers a traditional grip. We've found when people don't find Gilman Grips more comfortable than traditional grips the issue most often is that the Gilman Grips were indexed in the wrong position. If the Grip index is off by a couple of degrees it will not work as designed, will be uncomfortable, and should be reindexed. We have found that many people do not follow the installation instructions and try to wing it with the indexing and have to re-index the Grip per the directions.
> 
> You may want to check out our website and read the many reviews from pros, guides, and veteran boaters who love our Grips. We have several reviews from people with similar medical issues as you that say Gilman Grips allowed them to row without pain for the first time in years. We also have a 1-year money-back guarantee if you don't like the Grips send them back. In the 2 years, the Grips have been available to the public we have not received a single pair back. PM me or reach out to me on the website if you have any questions.





Kayakguy said:


> River Joe, with any new radically different product design there, will be a lot of misinformation or people making assumptions about the design without ever trying the product or without using it long enough to get comfortable enough to see the benefits. Just think back to the first self-bailing floor or the first cataraft, shape ski, or snowboard. These designs were misunderstood at first by many, but have now become the standard.
> 
> After 30 years of kayaking, I designed Gilman Grips to be a safer, ergonomic, more comfortable rowing option and to provide users with intuitive feedback about your blade angle in the water. Our Grip allows users to fully control the oar with a loose handgrip and using just your thumb and index finger. Our Grip Right Technolgy reduces stress and fatigue. Unlike traditional grips Gilman Grips allow oarsmen to safely row with your thumb at the end of the Grip or in the thumb under position. As for veterans, pros and fishing guides hundreds of them have been using or Grips for years and they say they will never switch back to a traditional grip. Like any high-performance product, a beginner will see a bigger improvement than a pro but the benefits of the Grip are real, so it easy for a product like this to be pegged as a beginner product. No product is for everyone, and I have no issue with anyone that has rowed with our Grips for a day and prefers a traditional grip. We've found when people don't find Gilman Grips more comfortable than traditional grips the issue most often is that the Gilman Grips were indexed in the wrong position. If the Grip index is off by a couple of degrees it will not work as designed, will be uncomfortable, and should be reindexed. We have found that many people do not follow the installation instructions and try to wing it with the indexing and have to re-index the Grip per the directions.
> 
> You may want to check out our website and read the many reviews from pros, guides, and veteran boaters who love our Grips. We have several reviews from people with similar medical issues as you that say Gilman Grips allowed them to row without pain for the first time in years. We also have a 1-year money-back guarantee if you don't like the Grips send them back. In the 2 years, the Grips have been available to the public we have not received a single pair back. PM me or reach out to me on the website if you have any questions.


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