looking for thoughts/opinions of either Cataract or Sawyer MSG oars, I had Sawyer lights on my old db and have used Cataracts on a buddies boat but have never used the MSG's which 2 guide buddies are telling me I should get,

I like my cataracts, and when I get a new boat Ill keep them.

Superfly gave me his 91/2' cataracts to try Yesterday. I've got a set coming!! I've never tried the MSGs.

Fishhead5

I bought a set of mxg's or what ever they are called.

Very nice looking oar and good to row with, but they do a lousey job of floating so I got rid of them and am now using cataracs. Much better now!!!!

fp

Cataracts all the way

I've had three sets of Cat's on three boats. Looked at the Sawyer composites when I bought my latest boat, but I was steered away when I saw the only thing that was really composite was the blade tip and or shaft depending on the model. I don't know about your uses, but I'm lazy. I like to use my oars to pull me off rocks and gravels bars sometimes, instead of getting out and pulling the boat by hand. I'm not sure a wood oar would stand up to the pressures I've put on my cataracts without breaking.

Thanks for the info guys, Anyone know where I can find a Cataract dealer from Seattle-north?

I have Sawyer composite oars with wooden blades, NOT MXG's. I can tell you that you can abuse the living daylights of the oar and push/pull yourself off of rocks just fine. The Ash oar tapers from 1 5/8" at the shaft to about 3/4" at the tip and is strong as an ox. I sat on my oar blade after repairing just to make sure it would take the abuse and a repaired oar blade could withstand 250lbs held tight at the point the oar blade enters the shaft so new ones should hold as well or better. I can tell you that there is a disadvantage to wooden oar blades though. They will require upkeep. Every so often you will need to strip and refinish or you'll wind up with dryrot. I'd got with the composite blades if I was starting fresh.

AkKings, it's worth the trip to go to Sportco in Fife. Go talk to Bill Herzog and he'll honor the show prices. Cheapest I found anywhere.

How much do they run at Sportco? I was lucky enough to break an oar today...

149.00 ea for a 9' I believe at Sportco. I have a pair of the 9.5's and they are awesome! A spare collapsable 3 pc oar is now expensive, cheapest I've found for a coll. spare is 99.00 for a Carlisle oar. I've talked to a buch of guys and they said in the years and years of drifting they did not once have to use their spare oar?
Hummm.
Good lucK!

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