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Aire 156D oar length?

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4K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  MT4Runner 
#1 ·
With a growing family, my 13 fter just doesn't have the capacity. I'm going with the 156D. I was wondering what oar length folks use? Thanks.
 
#4 ·
I run 10's on my 156R but i have a friend that runs 9.5' on his.

I am curious as to why you are going with the 156D for your growing family.. The inside capacity is not that big for a larger boat. I have heard on several occasions people mention that they can fit more gear in their 14' raft than a 156D. I'm always seeing 156D's for sale on craiglist and hardly ever see 156R's. I think that is for due to lack of inside capacity.
 
#5 ·
Thanks all! I was looking at the 143D to begin with. 14 ft is the swiss army knife around Western Montana. I'm now considering a 156D because it is slightly larger. I also like the diminishing tube design. Mostly, I'm a cheap SOB and can use most of my current frame and accessories. I mostly float/fish the Blackfoot, Clarkfork, Bitterroot, Flathead, Lochsa, and the Salmon on occasion. Please send me those CL listing you see. I'm always on the look-out for a good deal. Thanks again!
 
#6 ·
I agree with codycleve

Why the D-series? It doesn't seem like a Swiss Army knife to me. Great for paddle raft, not as much a gear boat (or do you only do day trips)?


If you are looking for a fishing boat, it is somewhat like a bigger Super Puma.

143D I'd even consider 9' oars over 9.5'
 
#7 ·
I have definitely considered the 156R. It looks like the great gear boat. With a new baby, a majority of the floating I will be doing for the foreseeable future will be day-floats/fishing and paddle rafting. Hopefully, we can get an overnight trip in here and there. I've got a set of 9' and 9.5'. I'll have to borrow a set of 10' before I pull the trigger.
 
#10 ·
If you're not likely to do multidays, the 156R will be big. You're welcome to check out mine, mine's rolled for the summer and about to go in storage, but I can wait if you want to see the size.


You can run 9.5' oars on a 156R



I would tend to agree that a 14' boat is a pretty good do-all length for NW MT. It will feel small on the Lochsa on a big day.

Glacier raft has a few deals, and some coming up next month:
https://glacierraftco.com/glacier-outdoor-store/boats-sale/
(My 156R is a former Glacier boat)
 
#12 ·
Hey one tick you can use, if you think you’ll be running a mix of big water, and some smaller tight stuff, is get a set of spares, one foot shorter then what you plan to run on the bigger rivers.
Then put a set of Carlisle extensions on them, they’ll fit Cataract oars, as well. Then you can always pull the extensions off, and run with your spares, if your someplace tight-ish , like the upper section on the MFS, or Mule shoe Canyon on the Rogue...
 
#16 ·
I would argue that next to boat design and weight distribution, that oar length and balance have the next greatest impact on performance.

Select oar length based on the whole system and make your frame width fit your oars rather than the other way around.

Too often oars are an afterthought, but they are the one piece of gear we are actively using all the time on the water

Well balanced oars can have 5/7 of their length outboard the oarlocks, which is way different from the 2/3 needed to swing a log.
 
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