Are Your Oars Too Short?

“Are your oars too short? I’ve asked this question more than I can remember during my career as a whitewater rowing instructor. One of the first things I do when assessing a student raft setup is to measure their oars. I then use a formula that was introduced to me by my boss, Zach Collier, owner of Northwest Rafting Company, and creator of the “Gear Garage” YouTube show.

The formula is 1.63 x the distance between the oar locks, divided by 12. This will give you a measurement in feet and tenths of a foot, a good starting point to begin with when choosing the proper length of oars for your raft. Often times, I would say at least 1 out of 3, the oars measure too short when compared to the length recommended by the formula.

I have noticed my rowing students often struggle to grasp the concept of using pull strokes to defensively row when their oars are shorter than ideal. An effective pull stroke requires the blade to be placed below the surface of the water in order to “grab” enough water. With oars that are too short, much less water is captured by the oar blade during the pull stroke, essentially making the stroke ineffective and frustrating to the student.

Having the proper length of oars allows rowers to use good body mechanics and form when pulling or pushing, elbows down, hands closer together, using the waist as a hinge joint, and achieving greater power with each stroke. This translates to putting your raft in the current that you desire, and the angle to the current that allows you to crush the rapid and be the envy of your whitewater crew.

Pro-tip# 29: Round up the number you get when using the above formula for proper oar length. For example, 8.7 would translate to 9’ oars.