Shorter oars help in these situations...
JD, I have a 16-foot wide-bottom drift boat. I have 9-foot wooden oars and am considering purchasing new ones. What do you think about 10-foot oars on a boat that size…will they give me more power or will they be too long?
Thanks, Lee
Hey Lee, I used to run 10 footers on my 20-foot Willie drift boat, which had a 72-inch bottom and they almost felt too long on that beast of a boat, so I’d stick with the shorter ones on your 16 footer. Yea, you probably get a little more torque when rowing with the longer sticks, but you’re also going to kinda feel like a robin with eagle’s wings…I donno…maybe I’m just not coordinated enough but I always felt awkward with the long ones. And they were definitely a pain in tight spots!
If you’re looking for better performance, sometimes all you need to do is switch out your old oar blades. HERE’S HOW
Thanks guys
Dave,
Sorry about the late response, I just saw this email to JD. I drift all the rivers between the Russian and Smith with the South Fork Eel being the river I fish the most. I like to use Stream Time maps, they show holes/riffles, put-ins/take-outs and occasionally they rate rapids, plus there’s phone numbers of places for lodging and tackle. One of the best ways that I have found for finding this info is to actually drive the area and investigate the river and talk to people. I do highly suggest that you follow another drift boat that knows the river your going to drift. Good luck.
SouthFork Pete
I’m new to running a drift boat this year although i have been out on them with guides and friends and have been river fishing for allot of years. I bought a 15×56 alumaweld and have been practicing in our local river (napa) its flat and tidally influenced though and I am looking to start stepping up to more current and obstacles. I want to be safe and get comfortable before next winters coastal river salmon and steelhead season. I am wondering if there’s a book or something out there that shows put in take outs and river ratings for our local rivers maybe sac up to rouge. thanks for your time
Hey Dave, probably the best book is CA River Maps by Amato Books. It’s got lots of good put-in & take-out info.