I purchased a pair of cataract oars for my drift boat. I have rowed with balanced oars before and was wondering how you go about balancing oars. Do you weight the handle with lead until the oar is balanced at the oar lock, or do you want to have it so it is a little heavier in the paddle end?--mike

[This message has been edited by KORE (edited 11-11-1999).]

KORE,

I,ve never owned cataracts but I can tell you what I did on my 9' sawyer lights. I simply slid the rubber ring that contacts the oarlock toward the blade 2-3". It made a noticeable difference and cost nothing. You have to be careful however not to slide the ring too far toward the blade because as you do this, your hands are closer and closer together as you row as a result so it comes down to what is comfortable.

If the ring on your cataracts is not adjustable (Unable to slide it over your rope wrap) you will probably need some kind of a weight system at the handle.

Good luck.

I have a pair of 9'6" cataracs. Im not sure how you would go about balancing them. Personally I think you shouldnt need to balance them. Im kinda small in stature, I dont have a problem with fatigue after a long day on the water. I found that if I get my oar handles as close together as possible while rowing, it is a lot easier.
One thing I dont like about mt cataracs is the blade. The blade is so wide that sometimes while in really fast water it is hard to pull the blade out of the water. If you run a lot of white water you may consider buying a pair of Sawyer wood replacement blades. The are a lot slimmer.
Good luck and enjoy your new boat.

I've had Ash (wood oars), Sawyer counterbalanced, and Catarac oars. The Sawyer oars were factory balanced with weights in the upper handle. Like the previous reply I see no reason to counterweight them, since the cataracts are so light. As for the blade design, they now make different blades, chck their website for pics.

If I were you i'd set the oars in the locks at a comfortable hand space and go (bring whatever tools you need to adjust the oar rights, or rings). Also check out Bob's article on how to modify the oar rights, in my opinion it is a great modification.

Where is the article on how to modify oar rights?
Thanks