# oar length advise please.



## Eugene (Jan 18, 2015)

Hello every one. Need some advice on oar length for my boat. NRS E-130 13' by 6'2". 18" tube. C to C 56. planing to build a frame 60" wide by nrs recomendation 
and i think of using 8" nrs towers. for now planning sitting on flat board+foam or cooler. me 5'11", 145lbs. nrs says their oar tower add 3-4 inches so 60+6(8)=66-68" frame oar lock c-to-c 68/2X3=102"+6"(local guy told me to add) so i am at 108" --- 9' oar. am i correct? Thanks.


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## FlyingDutchman (Mar 25, 2014)

Yup. 

No need for longer than 9’. 

I run 8’ on my frame which is about 66” lock to lock on 13’ x 6’ wide momentum raft and 13’ x 5’9” Super Puma. 6” NRS towers and cobras.Works good, a little steeper entry. I run small rocky rivers. So to me, shorter was a better choice. I also had the oars already for the Super Puma before I got the wider momentum. I put the 8” oar towers on my frame if I plan to sit on the cooler.


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## markhusbands (Aug 17, 2015)

I use 9.5" on my 14er, 7'2" wide, so 9' seems like the outer limit for your dimension boat.


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Yup, 9' oars should be about right with the 13' boat. 
I used to run the E-130 commercially, and a really great boat, both to row, and paddle guide in places like the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas river. I loved all that rocker in the back, made it easy to pivot, and I could see where the heck I was going over my paddle crews heads! Should be real nice for sliding through some of those slots up on the Rogue:-D


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I run 9.5' on my 13.0 Trib, frame is 72" lock to lock.


The 13.0 is a wider boat than yours, 9' sounds great.

If you were planning to run very narrow waters like FlyingDutchman, I'd recommend looking at 8.5', but 9' sounds better for general use.


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## Eugene (Jan 18, 2015)

tanks you all. 9' it is. i don't want to get wrong staff an then sell it and buying new all that hassle. better to ask couple times and buy once. keep comments coming may be some one find help here for their boat.
also not planning to do multi-days trip (maybe one a year) but mostly fishing 
and floating class 2-3 river in Oregon with my young kids (when we have friend we can paddle but just my kids do not have the power yet). Carlisle oars is that good enough or is it necessary to go with cataract for my use?


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

It's all personal preference. We can really only say what is right for us, you'll have to decide that 9' is perfect for you....but odds are it's the best length to start with!


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## GOTY2011 (Mar 18, 2018)

All good advice, in addition consider blade length and profile (standard, shoal, hybrid) when choosing the best overall usage. For example, I've guided anglers and have run the MF Salmon, Selway, Gates, etc with Shoal Cut blades, but your preference may be a different profile based on primary use.


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Plenty of opinions out there on oar brand, but the Carlisles will work. 
Get the outfitter model if you go with that brand, the ones without the plastic sleeves that they make, are not as sturdy as the outfitter model ( you can tell the difference because of the plastic coating that the outfitters have). 
Carlisle is all I have used since I started boating 18 years ago, and they do work. I have used them on stretches as difficult as the Grand Canyon, though more expensive oars would be much nicer, I have never had the money for them.

One other thought, is the spares. You could potentially get a set of 8' carlisles for the spares, and then ad a set of 1' carlisle extensions. That way you would have the set of 9', and if you ever ran something really tight, you could always just pull the extensions off your spares, and run those for that trip. Not sure if 8' might just be shorter than you would ever want? But it is a thought. 
I have done this with the oars on my 14' raft up on the Rogue one time, and i was thankful for the shorter sticks when I got down to Mule creek canyon. Carlisle extensions will fit both Carlisle, and Cataract oars.


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

Think also about where you want your hands during your stroke. Close, shoulder width somewhere between. Also shorter oars have to enter the water at a steeper angle and can bind in the oarlock. Tower height and seat height, knee height all make a difference here too. Best would be to demo some different lengths. Definitely a lot of variables to guess at without trying first.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

We have 8', 9', and 10' in our personal fleet that I would let you demo if you buy through us. We are located in Southern Oregon. Let me know if we can help.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

LSB said:


> Also shorter oars have to enter the water at a steeper angle and can bind in the oarlock.


That's one HUGE benefit of NRS oar towers--you can tilt them out if your oarlocks are binding so they're more in plane with your oar swing.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

MT4Runner said:


> That's one HUGE benefit of NRS oar towers--you can tilt them out if your oarlocks are binding so they're more in plane with your oar swing.


Almost all Oar Towers allow for tilting and I would buy almost any other brand before I bought NRS towers. Check out Rowframe or many of the other custom builders you will get what you pay for.


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## Michael P (Mar 18, 2009)

If your decide on the 9 foot, I just ran across this sale of Cataract SGG breakdown oar shafts at Steep and Cheap but only for the 9 foot for $80.13 plus shipping. Their shipping charges are quite reasonable. I was tempted but I don't use 9 footers. Here is the link.
https://www.steepandcheap.com/catar...=UExQIENhdDpPYXJzOjE6MTpzYWNDYXQ5MTEwMDA1MA==


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## Denray (Sep 14, 2010)

I have a set of those plastic covered Carlisle's that are over 30 yrs old and still working. Not slamming them on class 5's anymore helps.


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## Eugene (Jan 18, 2015)

How strong are Cataract SGG breakdown oar shafts for white water?


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Denray said:


> I have a set of those plastic covered Carlisle's that are over 30 yrs old and still working. Not slamming them on class 5's anymore helps.


I've got about 12-15 years on my pair. They have turned from Red to Yellow, and the plastic is starting to crack, still work fine though.


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## Aerocam (Jul 11, 2011)

Michael P said:


> If your decide on the 9 foot, I just ran across this sale of Cataract SGG breakdown oar shafts at Steep and Cheap but only for the 9 foot for $80.13 plus shipping. Their shipping charges are quite reasonable. I was tempted but I don't use 9 footers. Here is the link.
> https://www.steepandcheap.com/catar...=UExQIENhdDpPYXJzOjE6MTpzYWNDYXQ5MTEwMDA1MA==


THANKS MICHAEL!!!!
Can't pass that up! Just ordered a couple for Dory spares on the Grand in July!! Woot! Woot!


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