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The whitewater oars and rafting paddles below from Carlisle and Sawyer are mainly for river use and fly fishing. For flatwater use, there are less expensive oars, often available through fly fishing stores. For kayak paddles, please click on "Inflatable Kayaks" to your left and from there you will find the i.k. paddles. This section was updated March, 2009
Oars
We are presently carrying Sawyer oar shafts and mostly Sawyer blades, with a few 8" blades from Carlisle.
Several years back Carlisle was bought out by a company called Johnson Outdoors. They also purchased Extrasport (lifejackets), Ocean Kayak Co, Necky, and were already affiliated with Old Town Canoe. This purchase was bad news in some respects for users of Carlisle's river gear. Oar pricing increased a lot, and so did the numbers on mid-grade raft/canoe paddles. The total number of models and color options in both paddles and oars also decreased dramatically, though that is not the biggest problem.
One of the first things Johnson did was to mess with the plastic composite used on Carlisle's oar blades,
as well as the Carlisle Guide paddle blades. Some genius there decided he could formulate a better blade material than what the old owners of Carlisle used successfully for decades. This caused headaches for every dealer and distributor of Carlisle whitewater equipment. The plastic Mr. Genius came up with snapped like a potato chip if it even got near a rock. Why someone would mess with a product that worked fine as-is remains a mystery. Carlisle supposedly un-did genius's work a while back, but we still hear about breakage every year.
As time goes on we have found worthy and better substitutes for most Carlisle products, mainly through Caviness, Sawyer, and in the case of kayak paddles, a company called Clear Blue Hawaii. As we write this update Stu at Cannon Paddles is also experimenting with oar shafts, and assumedly blades as well.
When we first brought the Sawyer fiberglass shafts back into stock they were more pricey than
the aluminum Carlisle equivalents, but now Carlisle has almost caught up - and with them you are getting a far weaker shaft.
Sawyers's Polecat shafts have a beefy reinforced end where the blade hole is drilled, and these are just as strong as Sawyer's more expensive composite shafts, albeit a tad heavier.
It is important to note that you can mix Carlisle blades with Sawyer shafts, but the overall length of a Sawyer blade is 2.5" longer than a Carlisle blade - and the length of their shafts is 2-1/2" less than Carlisle's equivalent. This means that if you mix a Sawyer brand shaft for the 9' length with a Carlisle blade, the oar will actually end up being only 8'9-1/2" long, not a full nine feet. If you put a sawyer blade in a Carlisle shaft, you will have an extra 2-1/2".
One other important detail regarding Sawyer shafts: Since the blade end on the shaft is reinforced with a second, thicker outer layer (the striped portion on the left in the picture just below), and the handle end has a round protruding retainer screw head, the standard version Oar Sleeves below will not slip over them unless you take out the screw. Even then it is difficult. You can use a table saw to cut a thin slit lengthwise down the sleeve, or pay $2 extra per sleeve
to order pre-slit ones from us. We occasionally have time to cut them but usually we just buy them cut from Sawyer, and they do charge more than Recretec, our main supplier of sleeves.  Cutting the slit in an oar sleeve with either a chop saw or a table saw is dicey work that involves holding the sleeve with your hand, or creating a mickey-mouse jig for the chop saw. Both methods are dangerous so it is not something we really like to do.
Sawyer's plastic oar blades are about the same price as Carlisle, but the catch is that they don't make the eight inch wide versions some rowers prefer, which is why we've continued carrying eight inchers in the Carlisle brand. The Sawyer 6-3/4" Duramax is an aluminum cored, glass filled blade made from a hard version of polyprophylene.
If you want two-piece Sawyer shafts we will only be stocking them in the 9-1/2' and 10' sizes. We can order other sizes but Sawyer's lead time is always long.
Sawyer Duramax blades come in black only, and the 8" Carlisle blades come in yellow or black. Blues have been discontinued. We are also now stocking Sawyer's composite Dynalite blades, for those who want to keep their oar weight to a minimum. Sawyer shafts are yellow (they make black, and the white shown in the photo directly above as well, but both are very hard to find if you drop them in the river). Prices below are for orders of two or three shafts. Single oar/oar shaft orders are subject to a $10 handling fee.
Carlisle 8" Outfitter Blades: $63 each;
Remaining stock of 6.5" Carlisle Blades: $48 each.
Note: Due to the breakage problems mentioned up above, and to extensive troubles getting Carlisle to cover them under warranty, we will no longer accept any returns on broken Carlisle blades no matter how easily you may feel they broke. We are advising not to buy this brand at all; if you do, it is at your risk.
Sawyer Duramax blades: $59 each
Sawyer Dynalite glass blades: $119 each
Note: Sawyer blades use a large nylon headless "screw" that you back into the button hole of the shaft, not a pop-up button like the Carlisles.
Sawyer Polecat Fiberglass Shafts, yellow only:
7': $72 each
7-1/2': $75 each
8': $79 each
8-1/2': $81 each
9': $83 each
9-1/2': $95 each
9-1/2' Two Piece shaft: $116 each
10': $97
10' Two Piece Shaft: $119 each
Longer Sizes: Call to request.
For two-piece breakdown shafts in the 7' through 9' sizes, add $30
per oar.
Please note that all shafts for oars over 9' are subject to a 30lb.
minimum UPS charge. This is UPS's policy, not ours.
Oar Accessories
 Oarsleeves: $13 each
Oar Rights: $16 each
Note: Oar Rights are now available in either the standard version shown, or a new Convertible BladeRight where the tongue that extends through the middle of the horns can be flipped up in case you want the ability to feather your oars & blades in easier water. The price is the same either way.
 Silicon Bronze Oarlocks: $19 each, $37 per pair
Note: the Oarlocks we currently carry will not let the shafts pass through the horns. This is to help retain the oar without the use of extra keeper straps or bungies. To slip the oar out of them you need to slide the shaft down to either the blade or handle end.
Mini Bronze Oarlocks for Outcast: $17 each (specify 1/2" or
5/8" shaft); this is a non-stock item so allow 3 extra days.
Raft Paddles
Please note: due to high packaging costs there is a $50 minimum order
on raft paddles, or a $5 surcharge for lesser dollar amounts. This
is to cover the cost of the large, expensive cardboard boxes we usually use for shipping. Also be aware that due to UPS's "oversize" upcharges, one five foot paddle costs the same to ship as half a dozen, and it is really not economical to order just one or two or three.
While we do have
access to many different brands of fancy fibreglass canoe paddles, we
don't sell hardshell boats, and most rafters (and tandem inflatable kayakers
who want short single blade paddles) lose paddles somewhat often so the
less pricey Carlisles, Bravos, and Caviness models are a good choice. We carry several types, though not everything listed below will always be in stock:
Carlisle and Caviness Econo Paddles ($19) are light and durable with their near-unbreakable
polyethylene blade. They also float well. We stock five-footer's with red blades & handles and we also have four foot
lengths (black blades & handles only, as shown in the picture) some of the time. The four's are very appropriate for two-person
IK's and can be shipped at normal UPS rates instead of the 30 pound minimum oversize rate. Econo's have polished anodized aluminum shafts
with a covered grip area to help keep your hands from getting black.
The Caviness Standard Paddles (photo at left) come in 5' ($27) or 5'6" ($28) lengths. Shafts on the Standards are fully covered in plastic so they weigh a tad more than the Econo's above. We usually carry these in a black shaft - yellow blade in the 5' size as shown, and a black blade - yellow shaft in the 5'6". Occasionally we'll have other colors, and we are happy to order other color combinations IF you want 12 or more. The Caviness raft/canoe paddles have a thicker, stronger blade than either the Carlisle Econo or Carlisle's standard grade, which we are no longer carrying.
New Item !
We now have a Two-Piece 5' Spare raft paddle from Caviness, that is identical to the single piece unit above. It comes apart at the blade, so the longer piece is the entire shaft, which measures a very stowable 38.5". These 5' Spares run $40 each.
The Bravo Pro ($33) is a new product and it's one of the best deals in a heavy duty raft paddle.
The Pro is not available in a full 5'6" guide paddle length,  but what we are stocking is 5'3", which can still work as a guide paddle if you aren't sitting too high off the water at the back of your raft. This is the longest size Bravo makes. These Italian made models are very strong in the blade, and the shafts are close to the Carlisle Guide paddle in resistance to bending. They are also almost as heavy too, so they don't float as well as the paddles above in foamy water. They have yellow blades, a wide T-handle, and black, "high grip" shafts coated with a hard rubber compound. Considering they aren't much more than the standard Carlisle canoe paddle above, and are far cheaper & less prone to breakage than the Carlisle Guide model (see below), the Bravo Pro represents a terrific value.
Carlisle's Guide Paddles were supposedly geing discontinued a couple years back, but they changed their minds. The thing is, it might have been better if they had done away with this product. They used the same blade as the "HD" Oars, which since 2003 have been breaking at the nearest hint of a rock. If you insist on the Guide model, NRS does carry some for the time being, but again, better treat it gentle if you buy one. We don't carry these any longer and we won't special order them from NRS because it is a no-win situation for us. The Bravo Pro above is not a substitute in terms of it's blade size (which is the same as the Carlisle and Caviness standard paddles), but it definitely has a stronger, more reliable blade than the Carlisle Guide stick.
We also have a few German-made Scheck paddles left in 58" lengths
($33 each, blade shown above with talc sprinkled on for contrast). These
are a very nice paddle with oval grips and hollow ABS blades. These are
not "bombproof" or indestructable like the Bravos, but they are half
the weight and if you're not a paddle abuser you will find the Scheck
feels much like a glass paddle. Closeout - no returns on Schecks.
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