Drift Boat Oar Recommendations

Snakes

Snakes

Steelhead
Hi All,

Need your thoughts and advice please. I have a 16’ Clackacraft FFB with the ‘standard’ set of oars. Nothing fancy - just the plastic set. I’d like to upgrade them at some point but can’t make sense of material, shape, or manufacture.

Anyone favorites out there that you love? Or maybe link to articles or something that explain what to look for.

Thanks as always!
 
I loved my Sawyer MX composites with the shoal cut blades. Would absolutely get those again on another boat.

Edit: I've also had Cataracts and Carlisles (if those count). I'm sold on the Sawyers.
 
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Snakes said:
Hi All,

Need your thoughts and advice please. I have a 16’ Clackacraft FFB with the ‘standard’ set of oars. Nothing fancy - just the plastic set. I’d like to upgrade them at some point but can’t make sense of material, shape, or manufacture.

Anyone favorites out there that you love? Or maybe link to articles or something that explain what to look for.

Thanks as always!
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Sawyer lights.
 
I'd recommend the SquareTop DyneLite with blade preference being a factor in the primary use. Coastal rivers and rowing from point to point go with the wide blade, rowing for anglers fishing from the boat a Shoal Cut. It's a better profile for year-round use as well.

The standard SquareTop is stiffer than the Dyno-X, and with a bigger boat like that, you'll want less flex than the Dyno-X. I'd also recommend contacting Clackacraft directly for availability, as SquareTops are backordered at least until late July. Or, as an alternative like Evan recommended, the MXS series with a DyneLite blade.

They will have inventory first as all of the boat builder and retail orders are being filled with priority.

Derek
 
Deansie said:
Sawyer or Sawyer…I second the square tops Rooster suggests
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I third square tops. Ran those on my 16’ drifter and we’re a huge upgrade over the oars I had previously. Don’t know all the other models like some others suggested.

Im not entirely sure the specs on the ffb but friends are running the new big eddy snd 9.5’ers work well on it so I would def suggest talking with clacka to confirm good length
 
Sawyer square tops. Shoal cuts if I’m trouting in western rivers. Probably go with a standard blade if I was mainly fishing for steelhead in the west in big water.
 
At this stage of the game, any 9 foot oars (or longer) you can find from either Sawyer or Cataract might be worth grabbing. But it sounds like you are not in a hurry since you currently have a set. It's can be Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota thing...lots of guides (and others ) swear by the square tops from Sawyer. My opinion is it is hard to go wrong with either brand as far as quality but there are features that can appeal to some more than others. The problem with these kind of recommendations is often folks can't or won't explain WHY they like a particular brand over the other. It often comes down to what you like, not what someone else does. The only way you can really confirm what will be is by trying them out yourself. That yet poses another problem. Quantities are limited now so even finding a set to try out can be difficult. If you are looking for article links, that might have to be something you do on your own.
 
swimmy said:
Whatever you decide, make sure they are counter-balanced. That is a deal breaker for me.
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I also like counterbalanced oars - have had squaretops on my previous boats and now have counterbalanced Cataracts on my raft.

With a driftboat coming in a couple months, I've been wondering about the super-light oars that don't need the counterbalance: Sawyer Smoker Bandits, Pro-Loc, Edge, etc. Thoughts on pro/con between these and standard counterbalanced oars?

Addendum, these are for a frequent but still shitty rower with bad shoulders.
 
Thomas Mitchell said:
I also like counterbalanced oars - have had squaretops on my previous boats and now have counterbalanced Cataracts on my raft.

With a driftboat coming in a couple months, I've been wondering about the super-light oars that don't need the counterbalance: Sawyer Smoker Bandits, Pro-Loc, Edge, etc. Thoughts on pro/con between these and standard counterbalanced oars?

Addendum, these are for a frequent but still shitty rower with bad shoulders.
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Pro loc are lighter than helium......almost.
 
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