SST Oars for Outcast Stealth Pro

[ricards]

Has anybody had any experience in modifying a 5.5' or 6' Sawyer SST oar for use with an Outcast Stealth Pro? A hole has to be drilled into the shaft to accommodate the Outcast oar lock system, and it is my understanding that it voids the warranty on the oar. I am not impressed with upgrade offered by Outcast. Any other options out there?

[Cutthroat]

The site for Watermaster kickboats is bigskyinflatables. They sell 5.5' SST oars with pre-drilled holes. They are expensive and I don't know if Sawyer drills the holes or if Big Sky Inflatable drills them. But apparently it's doable.

[ricards]

The site for Watermaster kickboats is bigskyinflatables. They sell 5.5' SST oars with pre-drilled holes. They are expensive and I don't know if Sawyer drills the holes or if Big Sky Inflatable drills them. But apparently it's doable.

Thanks for the info. Sawyer does not drill the holes. I will contact Water Master.

[JayDubP]

Couple of warranty issues: Sawyer warranty will be void if you drill. WM is great about standing behind their products, so they will be there if you break an oar... BUT I wonder if Outcast warranty might not cover any damage a non-approved oar might cause. The pin system most frameless use is not meant for heavy rowing and a real hard pull on the SST blade might torque the pin out of where it fits into the glue-on oar lock, or worse it might damage the boat itself.... not probable, but possible.

I have had several U boats and presently have a WM Kodiak with the Caviness blades. I do not use it on lakes and not much slack water on rivers where I have to row hard. I use the oars primarily to position the WM on whitewater.

Another consideration: check NRS- (nrs.com) you could assemble a simple 2 bar frame with bolt-on raised metal oarlocks-- then you could use the SST undrilled and row as hard as you want. (or just make a metal frame) Sawyer sells the SST undrilled for $189 a pair, WM sells a drilled pair for $360-- gives you some $$ room for a frame. Also check Scadden on what frames they use for their frameless U boats... they may have something used.

[ricards]

Thanks. I sent you a PM.

I believe the price from Sawyer for the two-piece, 5.5' SST oar is $380 for two oars, and $360 from Water Master for the pair. According to Water Master, the diameter on their oar lock pin is just under 3/8", which appears to be the same as that of the oar lock pin on the Stealth Pro (10 mm). I believe the rack and pin oar lock system on the Water Master and Outcast Stealth Pro are very similar, if not identical. If so, it would make sense to order a pair from Water Master, and not have to go through the hassle of drilling the oar shaft. I need to do some more research.

[Bob Laskodi]

I have a Tote 'n Float that has a similar (if not identical) oar lock mount arrangement to the Outcast. I have popped the oar lock mount off once (it was repaired professionally by Dave Inks), and it's looking pretty close to popping off for a second time. All I have used is the standard (ie crappy!) oars with smallish blades. I would NOT recommend upgrading to bigger blade oars (in moving water) as the stress is going to be too much for that oarlock system. And something to consider, failure of that mount is probably gonna happen right when you start pulling hard right before the #$%^ hits the fan in dangerous water. If you're only doing stillwater an oar lock failure isn't usually life threatening and you'll probably be OK.

[ricards]

I have a Tote 'n Float that has a similar (if not identical) oar lock mount arrangement to the Outcast. I have popped the oar lock mount off once (it was repaired professionally by Dave Inks), and it's looking pretty close to popping off for a second time. All I have used is the standard (ie crappy!) oars with smallish blades. I would NOT recommend upgrading to bigger blade oars (in moving water) as the stress is going to be too much for that oarlock system. And something to consider, failure of that mount is probably gonna happen right when you start pulling hard right before the #$%^ hits the fan in dangerous water. If you're only doing stillwater an oar lock failure isn't usually life threatening and you'll probably be OK.

Thanks for the advice, Bob. The SST oars will be used primarily for plowing through frog water on long drifts. Doesn't hurt to have two sets of oars, so pending additional measurements and discussions with WM, I will probably buy the WM SST oars for that purpose. They break down into two sections, so I can strap them inside my boat and have them handy for those long, slow stretches of water.