I’m in South Florida and am in need of 7 1/2 oars to go with my canoe oar rig from CLC. Can anyone recommend a good source? Has anyone ever tried aluminum oars (which are much cheaper)? CLC of course sells wooden oars, including Shaw and Tenneys. Their oars I know are great. But I’m looking for something cheaper. I don’t have any experience with the “utility oars” that CLC also sells. In fact, I’m not sure what a “utility oar” is.
I have the Woodland utility oars from CLC. I bought them just to have onboard when sailing, but I plan to make a set of 10’ oars for dedicated rowing. I was surprised with the quality of the Woodland oars. I wasn’t expecting much, but they are quite nicely done and light weight. The varnish work is good, the handles are unvarnished as they should be. The wood is clear with nice grain. I haven’t rowed with them yet, but all they need to do is move the boat around. At 7’ 10" they will be easier to stow and deploy.