I'm going to shorten some Cataract Oars. Has anyone here actually done this before?

I'm thinking about using a Sawzall with a new small-toothed blade for the cutting the oar and either a drill bit or hole saw to cut the new hole out for the blade to snap into. Eye protection: check.

Sound about right? Should I wrap tape around the spot I'm going to cut the oar at? Or would that even matter?

Thanks.

I might buy em from ya, need a set of long oars for my sled. How long are they?

Sorry Greg,

I'm keeping these ones and cutting them down. They are 9' but are going on the pontoon boat, which currently has crappy 7.5' oars. I'm thinking about somehthing like 8' 2".

I took 6" off of my oars. I used a chop saw and it worked perfect but I can't remember if I used a carbide blade for wood or a fiber type blade like what I use for metal.

Then I drilled a new hole for the thing-a-ma-dohicky that holds the paddle on.

Just wasn't that big of a deal.

Sounds like you are gonna take enough off of your oars to practice a cut before the final cut.

I didn't use any tape and had zero issues.

fp

It should work...


If you are good with a sawsall then should be fine. If it makes a rough cut, then tape it


A vice would be handy.


Let us know how it goes...

For that task it sounds like a chop saw would be your better option. Sawzalls work best for very stable things. Might be difficult to hold the oar and get a good cut. Good luck.

They make a smaller oar shaft size out of the same material. I don't know how big of pontoon you have but they work great on my Dave Scadden Sunrise. A lot ligher and very strong.

I would use a chop saw. You will get a perfect cut. If you have one use a finer tooth finish blade. Check your oarlocks to see if they will fit in them.

RnG, I already have the oars and they fit the oar locks so I don't think I'll do the diameter change thing.

It sounds like I either need to get my hands on a chop saw or at least clamp the shaft down in the vise before doing any cutting. I'll put "dealing with oars" right behind "dealing with trailer lights" on my annoying scale.

I'll try to take some photos of the process and let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks for all the advice.

-Kaiser D.

Kaiser, Chop saw or porta band and you'll be good to go

- Driftfisher

Chop saw with carbide blade, 40 or more teeth.

Sg

Wow, 400 plus for blades, resale is gone. Overkill for pontoon boat. btw it also voids the warranty, although i dont know how long that is.

I actually used a metal chopsaw and it worked perfectly. The guys at Andy and Bax told me to use a "rimless blade" so that's what I did. Peice of cake.

If you're talking about the boat I think you are start at 8 1/2 feet. Much shorter than that and I think you'll regret it. You can always counterbalance them so they aren't so heavy in your hands. You can makeshift the counterbalances also. Don't have to buy new.

As for the lights.... Blame Jack!

Yeah, wntrrn, it is the same boat you are thinking of. At 9', they feel super heavy (even with some makeshift counterbalances on them). I'll take your advice and cut them down to 8.5 and see how it feels. Thanks.

And thanks for the crappy oars, Jack!

Lead Bouncer, are you talking about $400 and warranty for the carbide blade? That seems way too high. You think the oars are overkill? I'm just confused by the post.

sorry. the entire oar and blade will cost 200 or more each. If they are not beat up, you sell can them for more cash than it would take to buy the right oar for the pontoon boat, which is usually 7 feet. Cutting or drilling into the shaft voids the warranty. Even if you shorten them, they will be much heavier than comparable aluminum oars. The balance point wont change that much either because the weight is in the blade. The std blades on Cataract are much larger than pontoon oar blades. Sportco has a pretty good selection of oars to choose from. Depending on the mfg of the pontoon boat, they make extensions for their oars. You can also look for a metal shorts business and buy tubing and extend the oars that came with the pontoon boat.

I hear ya, but I'm going to go with those with more intimate knowledge of the situation. It is a 2-man 12' Skookum pontoon boat that I'd say is closer to a db than a cheesy little lake pontoon boat. I've rowed the boat a fair amount and the 7.5' oars on it are undoubtedly too short. I talked with several other people that have similar boats in the past and most said to go with 8.5' or 9'. The 9's that I bought feel too heavy at the handle, even with some counterbalancing (which I'd like to keep to a minimum). We're going to try to get it down the Bear Creek float on the Duc soon and I've heard I'll want all of the oar strength I can get.

I really don't care about the warranty and if I cut them correctly, it shouldn't matter anyway. If you were right here with some 8.5s and wanted to trade them for my 9's, I'd gladly do it. Otherwise, this seems like the best option.

-Kaiser D.

probably is, considering the additional considerations.

Kaiser, I think we have pretty similar boats...I think mine is a few inches wider...I use 8'6" Cataracts and they work great for me. My older boat was six inches narrower and they were a bit long for that, I had to use counterbalances to make them easier to row with.

Fish on...

Todd