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Sawyer Stories – Tales of Oar locks, Eddies, and The Feel Of Water

We make the world's best paddles and oars for SUP, kayaks, white water rafting, and canoes.

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“The Feel Of Water” Part One In A Series

Sawyer Paddles and Oars - PNW February 25, 2019

Sawyer’s Roots

After a legendary canoe racing career, which includes being a 10 time AuSable River Canoe Marathon Champion (and recently being inducted into the Canoe Racing Hall of Fame), Ralph Sawyer began building paddles and oars. In 1967, he established Sawyer Paddles and Oars in the small town of Rogue River, Oregon, where he quickly fell in love with whitewater rafting and began producing whitewater oars. Sawyer oars were soon found in the hands of river outfitters all over North America with a reputation for quality, performance, value and beauty. Ralph drove the use of Douglas fir, for its high strength to weight ration and flex in combination with Ponderosa Pine and Sawyer’s signature Walnut racing stripes. His use of these woods in combination with fiberglass popularized the concept of composite paddles. Ralph is now retired and enjoys exploring the Puget Sound and Alaskan waterways from his home, an ocean faring catamaran, with his wife Roberta (a.k.a. Bobbie).

Innovations

Bruce Bergstrom took the helm in 1987 and propelled the company’s innovation and reputation of durability. Most noted was the introduction of the Sawyer SquareTop Oar matched with another of his innovations, the Cobra Oar Lock. This combination is a favorite among drift boat fisherman and whitewater rafters, which may row a thousand strokes per mile positioning for the perfect cast or negotiating heavy whitewater. The two innovations paired together make for the highest performing whitewater oar and oarlock system in the world. Bruce also acquired chief rival Smoker Oars & Paddles in 1992. The acquisition set up Sawyer to be the premier paddle & oar maker in the USA, complete with a durable line of composite oars balanced by a line of legendary solid ash wood oars for extreme conditions. Bruce was recently awarded a lifetime achievement award by the American Outdoors Association for his contributions to our industry.

The SquareTop Oar, a nod to history and the future 

Link Jackson, owner of Streamtech Boats, was one of the first to row with a set of SquareTops. Well, his wife Becky also was. “My first experience with Sawyer Square Top oars came years ago when Bruce Bergstrom sent me one of the first pairs of them made to row around and give him feedback on them. I took them on an early spring trip camping and floating on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam. It was a cold day with rain, sleet, snow, wind and all the miseries that come with it. Becky chose to row first and so she was the first to test the new SquareTops. After our customary half-hour or so I asked her to change up and let her fish for a while as I rowed. She said No. So I waited a while longer and asked to row. She said, “No”. So, I asked how those new oars were working? She said, “Shut up and fish”. A while later I said, “Come on, tell me how they feel”. She looked me square in the eye and said, “You can pry these from my cold dead fingers.” And so, I learned that SquareTops are the finest oars we have ever used.”

A few years later after the Shoal Cut blades were developed, I finally decided it was time to give them a try. We took a set of them on an 8 day trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon on a low water September trip. We decided to take only Shoal Cut Square Tops along to force the issue of testing them well. It was immediately apparent upon entering “Door #2” on the very first technical spot that shoal cut blades would be an advantage. The entry to this drop is very shallow and the blades provided great purchase on the shallow water. More importantly, the rounded shape was glancing off rocks nicely rather than pitoning and grabbing as I was accustomed to. After running them in larger rapids feathering the blades on lateral waves, I found the shape to be excellent for fine feather on big waves. On one occasion I managed to jam an oar and pop it out of the oarlock. That is when I learned that SquareTop oars float very high and do not sink like hollow oars can. We easily retrieved the lost oar a short distance downstream floating high in an eddy. We have not rowed anything else since that day. The Shoal Cut Square Top Artisan Series oars are now standard equipment on all Streamtech Boats packages.

Coming Up Next

We’ll talk to Guides, Outfitters, and Specialty shop owners about their oar and blade preferences, what and where they work and row, and their experience with Sawyer products. Eddy Out!

 

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Upcoming Events 2019

Sawyer Paddles and Oars - PNW November 13, 2018

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January 25th – Dolores River Boating Advocates 6th Annual Permit Party

Join our Southern US Territory Manager Aaron Stone in Dolores, Colorado on Friday, January 25th from 6-10 PM. Click here for tickets and more information to support responsible recreational use and balanced flow management while protecting the watershed for the health of the natural environment and livelihood of future generations. Silent auction for a set of Polecat Oars with Dynalite Blades!

March 2 – Blackfoot River Outfitters

Join us in Missoula, Montana for the 8th Annual Fly Fishing Gear Swap & Skwalapalooza event at BRO in Missoula, on Saturday, March 2nd. Watch the BRO website and Facebook pages for more details. We’ll have special pricing on new paddles and oars, and oar locks.

March 15 & 16 – TU Western Regional

Sawyer has supported Trout Unlimited‘s cold water conservation work with our special label Polecat oars, and will be expanding the ability to show your support with new products, launching in 2019. Join us in Olympia, WA at the Western Regional meeting to see what’s new and learn about TU’s work in Washington.

April 4 – 7th – Great Alaska Sportsman Show

We’re headed to Alaska for this big show, taking place in early April. Email derek@paddlesandoars.com for pre-orders.

April 5-7, Raftopia with DRE, Colorado

April 13, Utah WW Gear in SLC, UT

April 19 & 20 – Gold Hill, Oregon

It’s our annual Spring Consignment and New Product sale! We’ll have a great selection of new and used boats, boards, IK’s, canoes and river gear with store-wide discounts on a number of awesome products. 20% off all Paddles and Oars 20% off all Dry Boxes 15% off all Boats and Boards 15% off all Life Vest and Dry Bags Discounted Consignment Products. See you at Sawyer Station in Gold Hill. Kid friendly, 10 am to 6 pm each day.

April 25-28th – Orvis Guide Rendezvous

We’re back to Missoula in late April for the ever-popular 33rd Annual Orvis event that draws guides and outfitters from across the country to Missoula. There’s a fly fishing film event, community day at Caras Park, and more. See the Orvis website to register and bring your professional water sports guide licenses to sign up for the Sawyer Pro Program. Make sure to order ahead and we’ll deliver your new oars to Missoula for a big savings!

April 26-28, Colorado TU Rendezvous

May 4, Eddyline Boat Swap, Moab UT

May 17-19, DRE Rendezvous, Buena Vista, CO

May 18 – Caddis Festival Craig, Montana

What can we say, Montana is a great place to be and the Missouri River is hallowed fly fishing water in the Western US. The Caddis Festival is a community-wide event that features artists, kids events, BBQ cook off, and more. Look for Big Red parked in front of Cross Currents Fly Shop on Main Street – can’t miss it! Guides and Outfitters, save your early season tips and pick up a new set of Squaretops!

May 30-June 2, Yampa River Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO

June 13-16, FIBARK River Festival, Salida CO

June 20-22, Gunnison River Festival

July 13, Town of Frisco Triathlon, Frisco CO

July 13-14th – Outside Experience, Chicago Illinois

We’re excited to attend one of the premier events in 2019, the Outside Experience Show in Chicago the weekend of July 13-14. Along with way, we’re stopping at water sports hot spots like Bismarck, ND & Madison, Wisconsin for product Demo Day’s with local shops. Watch for the Big Red Road Trip in your town!

August – Paddlesports Retailer, OKC

In August 2018, we joined the world’s best brands and retail shop owners & buyers in OKC, Oklahoma for the PSR event. With on-water demo opportunities at Riversport OKC and the man-made whitewater course (amazing, to say the least!) including live music we’re not alone in wanting August 2019 to hurry up and get here.

September 28th- Casting For Recovery

We’re on the road to Hamilton, MT to support the Casting for Recovery program that enriches the lives of women in all stages of breast cancer through outdoor retreats that transform their healing and create communities of support. There’s a set of Artisan Series Brown Trout SquareTop Shoal Cut oars up for auction to help fundraise for retreats. See you there!

 

 

 

 

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East Bound and Down – Smoker Bandit Oars

Sawyer Paddles and Oars - PNW September 6, 2018

Bandit ImageSmoker Oars have been 100% Made in USA since 1921.  Over the years, Smoker Oars has made the toughest oars on the planet from solid Northern White Ash.  Smoker Oars were part of the US Marine Corp and Navy Seal secret missions leading to the success of World War II.  Smoker Oars were the first oars down the Grand Canyon.  Here at Smoker Oars, we’re proud to launch the lightest weight yet incredibly durable Smoker Bandit series for modern day combat fishing in high performance drift boats.

The Smoker Bandit and Smoker Bandit Shoal continue the legacy of the highest quality, rugged and now lightweight professional grade oars for our global network of professional fishing guides.  Our professional anglers row over 1,000 strokers per river mile sweeping the river for the perfect catch.  The proprietary blend of carbon twill reinforced with tough fiberglass make for the perfect flex and feel on every stroke.

The Smoker Bandit blades are handcrafted with the toughest materials known to whitewater.

Lengths are available from 8″ up to 10’ at 6″ increments.

For the longest life and best performance, we recommend packaging these beauties with the legendary Cobra Oar Locks.  The Cobra Oar locks give the highest range of motion while protecting the shaft in extreme conditions.

For more information or to order your own set, contact Team Sawyer below via email, or call (541) 535-3606

zac@paddlesandoars.com

aaron@paddlesandoars.com

derek@paddlesandoars.com

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Opening the Gates

Sawyer Paddles and Oars - PNW July 6, 2018

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23 stitches. That’s how many were needed to patch-up one of our oarsman/solo boat trip members before we even left the launch, and coincidentally the same years of marriage my wife and I were celebrating. He slipped getting out of his truck and onto the trailer his left shin went, kicking in our WFA plan. We evacuated him to Craig’s ER with the help of the NPS Ranger. These are the reasons why you train, prepare, and punt when needed. So we punted.

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Well past 10 am, our launch finally went at 4:30 pm after a terrible night of mosquitos. Yes, a full-body net would have been a great idea. The sand and cart system (take some WD40 for the rollers) was better than hauling rafts and gear, but not the easiest. Great experiences like these take some hardships, however. First night at Wade & Curtis turned out to be a prescient decision. A wonderful evening and opportunity to regroup and talk about the next day – a big travel and rapid day down to Rippling Brook II.

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We read and ran everything but scouted Hell’s Half Mile, and at 2000 +/- cfs the river pretty much pushed me right and away from Lucifer but close enough to earn it’s rating. We camped at RBII knowing that we had some play time and a beautiful spot to SUP, enjoy a casual morning, and push towards Limestone. Not the camp I chose but that’s how it ended up. At 10:45, a commercial trip pulled into the RBII and announced “This is our site tonight” and immediately began off-loading and setting up tables. One of the guides moved towards our groover spot when I asked them to wait as we had until noon. It was not what we expected and the commercial trip clients were just as surprised. The Outfitter has already responded to my request to provide feedback. The right thing to do would have been to pull in downstream, leave your unpacking until we left, and graciously share this beautiful canyon.

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Limestone was a decent camp, but it gave us a long day to Island Park in the direct sun but fun read and run rapids all along the way. A Red Fox burgled a bag of peanuts left out at night, and we spotted the beginning of the Dollar Ridge fire directly to the west. We used the refuse containers at Rainbow Park and met some day users there. Thank you to the NPS for providing and taking care of our public lands. The Takeout at Split Mountain came with great SUP opportunities.

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Great wildlife viewing along with an overall great trip – Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep, a Moose above Rainbow Park, raptors, beaver, and of course mosquitos but the launch at Gates was the worst. FYI no fires or fire pans allowed, complete ban. Propane fuel only.

If you have the opportunity, this is a river trip and experience you want in your bucket list.

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Artist Profiles – Gregg Schlanger, Sawyer Artisan Series Oars

Sawyer Paddles and Oars - PNW June 6, 2018

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Sawyer is proud to partner with artists and Save Our Wild Salmon conservation efforts to protect and restore wild salmon, steelhead and the healthy river systems they depend on. “Save Our Wild Salmon is honored to partner with Sawyer on this project to raise awareness and funds to support our advocacy efforts,” says Joseph Bogaard, executive director of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition. “Healthy fisheries, healthy rivers and responsible companies like Sawyer Paddles and Oars remind us all about how environment and economy can, and must, go hand-in-hand.”

Hear from Gregg Schlanger about his design and inspiration and learn more at his website – http://greggschlanger.com

“Lonesome Larry, Sockeye Dreams”

My artwork for the Sawyer Square Top Artisan Series Oars addresses the disappearance of the Columbia River Basin Sockeye Salmon. Specifically, it focuses on the Redfish Lake Sockeye Salmon. At one time, up to sixteen million salmon swam the Columbia River Basin annually. The Snake River Sockeye, are in danger of becoming extinct. The Redfish Lake Sockeye Salmon was listed as an endangered species in 1991. Of the thousands that once swam the Salmon River run, only one sockeye salmon returned to Redfish Lake in 1992. He was given the name, Lonesome Larry. The transparent black and white sockeye on the shaft represent the spirits of the salmon that once returned home. This oar is a memorial for Larry.

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