How long are your oars?

Ed L.

Ed L.

Well-known member
Supporter
Using the traditional formula for oar length. X = 1/2 the beam + 2", Length = X / 7x25. Using this formula my oars should be 9 1/2' long. I've called every boat shop in a 25 mile radius and all I can find is 7' in length. Everyone I've asked tells me this is as long as their supplier offers. The beam on my boat is 65". Is this formula a little out of date?
 
I've done the same calculation and my guess is that people use oars that are too short :). There is a price (possibly shipping, but also materials) threshold at 7' and a 10' oar is too expensive (I've found them and they are expensive), so they just suck it up.

I've rowed plenty of aluminum boats with regular oars and they row fine, but I don't know how much better they woudl row with the right size.

I wanted a pair of properly sized oars for my snowgoose and given how long and wide it is you need quite a set of oars. It was a better compromise of storage and cost to just buy a kicker than I can store in the boat when not in use.
 
Ed,
Make sure to get them the same length on both sides, otherwise you'll just row around in circles.
Rick
 
Todd,

I hear you on the cost thing. No room for a kicker but I can buy a trolling motor cheaper and place the battery in the bow which will help with the porpoising issue I have.
 
Rick,

Very important point. Thanks for bringing that up. It always took a long time to get anywhere in my canoe because I only had one paddle. Then one day a guy told me I could use the paddle as a rudder. It was so much faster than that ever widening circle!..;-)
 
Ed, what your equation does not account for is the height of the oarlock from the water line. I had a big plywood garvey I hunted in Vermont. Not a place to be stranded with a failed OB during duck season....so I bought some real long oars, maybe 10ft if I remember right.... I actually rowed standing with them, and boy could I move that boat when I had to! I actually took a step back and forth when I rowed. I found the oars at a small boat exchange. As you found, you won't find them at Bass Pro, or Gander Mt. I would suggest you borrow a set of 7ft, and try it, and then search or build if you need longer. I prefer a little longer to shorter, takes a little more technique to not slap on the back stroke, but keeping my hands lower is more efficient. But I make sure my OB is ready, I don't like to row to get home or to get to the hunt if I can avoid it.
 
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Ed,
Make sure to get them the same length on both sides, otherwise you'll just row around in circles.
Rick
Click to expand...


Sounds like the voice of personal experience speaking. Course you guys are both from the other side of the river, so I guess it should come as no suprise. :>) :>)
 
Dave,

Your right about the math. I couldn't find any reference for side height. Here is another length equation though. This one from the Jamestown site.

Quick Oar Length Estimate: Take half (1/2) the distance between the oar locks and multiply by 3, then add 6 inches.

And this one is from the Hamilton Marine site.

"A general rule of thumb to determine oar length is 1 1/2 times the beam of the boat."

Both of these get me closer to a 8' oar.

Man, I can't imagine rowing a boat like that for any distance. Actually when I think about it the longest distance I've had to row at one time was about a mile.
 
My thought about rowing during the duck season was it gave me something to do and would keep me warm until help arrived! Where I usually hunted, I could work to shore at least with the oars, maybe not all the way back to the ramp.
 
These guys make oars up to 12' http://www.paddlesandoars.com/Oars/SAWYER-WOOD-OARS/ They aren't cheap but are good quality and will last. I know lots of people that use the sawyer lights for there drift boats and those things get a workout and take some abuse on the rivers here in the northwest
 
Thanks for the links guys. One of my co-workers asked if I'd contacted a local tractor supply place. It never crossed my mind. Low and behold they oars in stock. Not exactly what I wanted but hey...like Dave said, make sure your OB is ready.

Neal and John,

Some of those look like works of art.
 
Ed, Ebay has some 9' oars for $100 (plus shipping). I bought 9' oars for my boat from the same source.

I stripped and scuffed up the varnish finish, painted them with "camo" boat paint and they were a good buy.
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Hamilton Marine also has a bunch of options up to 8 feet.

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/oars/2,488.html

I'm really liking John Livoti's link--especially as they sell unvarnished spruce or ash oars, so I don't need to sand them to put on a coat of flat camo paint. Prices there look great.

As for rowing vs. a motor, my Merrymeeting sculling boat is a true displacement hull, and I can row it almost as fast as my little 3.5 hp can push it. (I can use the exercise, too.)

In a true demonstration of what "displacment hull" means, I once used a GPS to determine that at half throttle I can push the boat at 4.8 mph, and at full throttle get all the way to 5.2 mph.
 
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