'Toon Boat Oars?

[flybinder]

Without going into a plethora of "reasons why", I've realized that I need to change the factory issued oars, that came with my Creek Co. boat originally.
They're basic "break aparts", (punch button in the middle, to separate in two) and up to now, have been just fine.
But, I can no longer use fins, as a secondary means of bringing my boat up on plane, so that's one, huge, reason oars now need to be changed and I guess I'm asking...............
"Which, after market oars, do you fellow and fellow-ette, 'Toon owners, prefer?" (if, at all?)
Oar locks, I can either fabricate on my own, or adapt to my frame, so that's not a huge issue. I'll also only be using my 'Toon on still water, from now on, so white/moving water doesn't need to enter into the equation either.
(My boat is an "Outcast", 8 footer as seen on Creek's home page).
I have my boat, also set up with a Minnkota, but don't always like using it and of course wouldn't think of going out, on the water, without good "back-up power"!?!

[Normand]

for one, the creek company doesnt have an "outcast" on their website! thats another brand!

Carlisle make some pretty good oars

whats wrong with the creek company oars?? looking for a one piece oar??? you have an electric motor so the oars are basically a secondary means of propulsion??

i changed out those silly little oarlocks that came with my super sport to the oar kit thats available from the creek company

[Jack Hise]

Paul;
I also have a pontoon (Creek Co, ODC 816) and would like to hitch a ride on your thread.
Most of my tooning has been on rivers and have often wondered if there are not better oars for getting up stream.
I have equiped it with a 34 lb thrust trolling motor mostly for still water.

[flybinder]

No, I',m the "outcast", due to lack of memory and typing skills. "Jet Pack Outdoor Discovery Craft" is its maiden name, sorry.
The oars that came with, the boat, are not the same as pictured on their site now,(2-piece). The blades are smaller and do not have much surface area, either length or breadth. Nor, do I like their oar locks provided.

[beigefoot]

I have a 9' fishcat from outcast and had a bunch of trouble with the rubber stops on my 3 piece oars, so I'm buying the composite set the I have seen another local using them on his 'toon. I'm not sure about the room that their going to take, but its got to be better than fixing a loose oar stop going down the river.

[DarrinG]

Just be aware that if you step up to quality oars, they are a larger diameter than the cheapo aluminum ones that come standard on most 1-man toons. If you upgrade to them you also have to change out your oar locks as the smaller locks will not fit the bigger diameter oar shafts. Been there, done that.

[Max]

Biggest Blade Area--I think is Cataract Oars. These are composite oars in 2 or 3 pc. They are offered as upgrades by some toon makers including Outcast.

Yep, they are high quality and pricey.

IMHO most one man toon oars are too short at 6 1/2-7ft. I like them at 7 1/2-8ft. Alot more power and movement out of a stroke.

[DarrinG]

I have the Carlisle 2-peice whitewater grade oar shafts and blades for my 13 ft cataraft, complete with oar sleeves and oar rights. Tighten the sleeves down and then tighten down the rights on top of the sleeves and I've never had them move.

Most of the standard oars (the cheaper aluminum shafts) that come with most 1-man toons are 1 3/8" diameter and the oar locks that come on them are of appropriate size. The larger whitewater grade shafts are usually 1 7/8" diameter and thus you will have to upgrade your oar locks likewise to acomidate the 1 7/8" sticks. Also be aware of the diameter hole on your oar tower.....some 1-man toons may take a 1/2" shaft on the oar lock (especially w/ a bushing installed) while most of the larger oar locks have 5/8" shafts. Yep, it creates a problem! The only place I have found 1/2" shafts on 1 7/8" oar locks are from NRS. However, the 5/8" shafts will fit alot of oar towers if you dont use the bushings. Just a matter of preference I suppose, but the bushings installed will make for quieter, rattle-less rowing.

I've been through this whole rig-a-mroe with my Scadden Skykomish X7 frame. It's a shame that a builder will make such a fine boat and ship it out with such a crappy set of sticks. It's like buying a new Corvette and it coming from the dealership with tires on it from a 1980 Chevette!

[Joe Valencic]

If you want to make better time on the water, lose the toon and get a kayak or canoe. Pontoons are not speed demons, especially the ones built by Creek Company. They have an uncoated fabric outer bag that creates additional resistance with the surface of the water, as opposed to some other manufacturers who have a smooth vinyl coating on the bag. This design creates drag, and makes for more work for the tooner.

I took an all day float on the South Branch of the Au Sable in MI two years ago, and the two Creek Company toons could not keep up with the Outcast toons. Nobody was trying to set any speed records, but when compared to the smooth bags, the untreated fabric showed significant drag. I would guess that the smooth bags were ahead of the fabric bags by 1/8 of a mile every 30-45 minutes, and would have to wait for us to catch up.

Why not adapt something onto your existing oars to create more surface area. Perhaps something can be fabricated from Lexan and bonded to the existing blade with glue or mechanical fasteners. I would guess that adding 1.5 to 2" to the overall width of the blade would make a significant difference, and you could continue to use the same oar locks.

Oh, I learned that a turn of duct tape at the connection of the oar halves will insure they do not come apart. You can't trust that pin.

Joe

[DarrinG]

Joe, not all the Creek Company tubes have covers that are raw fabric. I'm assuming that is what you meant by the term "bag".
Creek's top-shelf boats have PVC coated fabric, like the 1018 and 1220. However, much lower than their top offerings indeed have uncoated fabric covers.
Just to clarify.