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Always bring a spare oar!!!!!

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  cupo 
#1 ·
Couple of pictures I thought I would post from a float last week in my new watermaster. Went to pull back on the oars and the damn thing bent in half. Not blaming watermaster, I just think the metal had a weak spot.

Anyway the moral of the story is always bring a backup. I should have known better....

Here is the locking piece that broke:
 

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#2 ·
And no it did not stop me from fishing. Here is the fix. Basically a piece of wood jammed into both ends. Then a tense float down to a place I could where I could run up the bank and buy some duct tape and I was all set (oh that is another thing you should always have with you).
 

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#4 ·
Sean

I always hated carlisles (which most of the boats our there come standard with them, though they may have their own names stamped on the blades). That has always been a downside to them. They are prone to bending, especially in high stress rowing. I'd suggest upgrading to a set of cataracts. They're a little more expensive, but worth every penny. They have the smaller diameter breakdown models like the carlisles.

But yes, I ALWAYS carry a spare oar. Sometimes a full set if I'm running heavy water. But haven't seen a cataract fail yet. But have seen plenty of carlisles. What could've happened Sean is that there was a bend in the shaft that you didn't see. Once they're bent like that, only takes small force to bend rest of way (similar to a knick in graphite). Can beat the crap out of a cataract without the problems. Sportco has the best deals on them, if you wanted to upgrade. Then leave your one good oar as a backup (just make sure you buy same length oars lol).

Glad you like the boat. Have a friend who owns a couple. He loves them too.
 
#7 ·
Terrifying story from the Sandy a few years back--a guy breaks an oar setting up a fairly innocuous run, and before he knows it he's into a sweeper, upside down, and under water. Said he was sure that this was it. Not so much a story about needing a spare oar (he wouldn't have had time to do anything with it) as needing good ones.
 
#8 ·
Sean-
I almost killed myself on the Upper Hoh a few years back in a buddie's Puma because I did not have a spare oar.

To make long horrifying story short...

Oar hit rock...bounced out of rod holder...side channell came in...threw me onto sweeper...went up and almost over...but slid off sweeper just before boat would of went ass over teakettle.
 
#9 ·
And you would of thought I would of learned my lesson after the following incident.

Half-way through a 5 day trip on the Gulkana River in Alaska, we snapped an oar. It was with some freinds of my family and the provider of the boat had always used a set wooden oars as a backup pair but when he bought a second raft he just used the wooden set until he purchased another pair...however, he had not purchased that pair prior to our trip down the river.

But hey...we managed! BARELY!!!!!!! :whoa:
 

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#10 ·
Been there, done that. Now have spare oar.

The solution when you find yourself with one oar, on the wrong side of the river (and your takeout) = rope two 10' pontoon boats together at the D-rings and then have your buddy row like hell!
 
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