How difficult can be choosing a pair of oars? In the year 2019, surprisingly so. We have new materials, not just aluminum alloys but also different plastics. We have new designs, computed on bleeding edge supercomputers. We have thousands of years of collective experience, which manages to come up with a few designs before even the 20th century. Consider all that, and you will understand why it could be a difficult task.

Worry not, though. A difficult task it may be, but if you’re armed with all the knowledge about choosing an oar, doing so will be no problem.

There are several key features you need to take into account when buying your perfect oars. Or a paddle, for that matter. It’s the weight, the length, the shape of the blade, what the oar is made of and so on. That makes pinpointing the ideal pair of oars difficult, but I can tell you what the worst oars will look like right away. They will be long, they will be heavy, and the blades are going to be thick. That’s a terrible combo. If it’s an oar rather than a paddle, throw in a thick shaft as well, because an oar like that will probably not fit through a boat inlet.

That’s no to say a pair of perfect oars in the opposite of that. First, if your oars are too short, that can be just as bad as oversized oars. Plus, you have to mind your own height, your preferred stroke mode, and even your individual taste.

Some factors are universal, though, so let’s just address them in the first place.

Materials

You have an extensive assortment available to you. You have wood, plywood, aluminum and titanium alloys (not always practical and not readily available because of that, titanium oars may be more expensive than your inflatable boat), carbon fiber and other materials that did not emerge until the late 20th century.

Considering all that, let’s just start with the most popular and ancient material.

Wood

There are several vital pros any wooden oar is going to have. One, wooden oars have an outstanding flex. It’s just something that comes naturally to them, it doesn’t have to be designed. Because of that, you can feel your own strokes, and that allows for move efficient rowing. And then there is the matter of aesthetics, of course.  Wooden oars look cool, there’s no denying that.

However, wood is probably the most massive oar material of all its modern competitors. You may not feel it when you grab that wooden oar, but your arm is going to feel it later. The longer you work it, the worse it’s going to be.

Carbon Fiber 

This option just screams “synthetic.” However, it’s not like its a bad thing. You’re not going to wear the oar, so it doesn’t matter if it’s synthetic or not. It’s not even a real disadvantage.

As for the advantages, they are very much real. First, carbon fiber oars are not much weaker than wood, and they are definitely among the lightest in the industry. You can paddle for a very long time, and that’s a plus, absolutely.

Aluminum

Is the price a concern? That’s what aluminum oars are for. They are dirt cheap. You’d think that metal oars are not the cheapest, but I guess, it speaks volumes about the quality of carbon fiber.

Aluminum is a very light metal, but only as metals go. It’s still heavier than water, but an aluminum oar doesn’t have to be thick to be reliable, and the shaft is usually hollow, so aluminum oars are not going to be very heavy. Not very light, but they are going to feel like a pair of lead weights.

The weight is not a big concern, but aluminum conducts heat very well. Gabbing a metal oar when you’re rowing in freezing water is not fun. To compensate for this drawback, you may have to wear gloves or just get a pair of oars with some insulation upgrades.

Shafts

The shaft is one of the most essential parts of an oar. There’s two of them, and the blade can do only so much of no one is holding the shaft.

There are three parameters an oar shaft can feature that are really important. It’s the thickness of the oars, the number of pieces they are made of and their length.

Thickness

It’s easy to pick, but it’s not something we should overlook. If an oar has more girth that could fit through the inlets on your boat, you’re not using that oar no matter how good it is otherwise.

Length

The length is more complicated. You need to calculate it to size your oars right. Divide the distance between the oarlocks by two, multiply the result by three and add three more inches. If it’s a two-seat boat or more, you need to do the same for each seat.

Design

One-piece shaft works the best. Unfortunately, while they are the most convenient to use and the strongest, they are less than comfortable to store and transport. Oars measure quite a lot in length, and fitting them in the trunk can be a challenge, to say the least. That’s probably why two-piece oars gained more traction than the objectively better one-piece oars.

Three-piece oars and more are quite weak and should be avoided unless they are particularly stiff or have other advantages that nullify that considerable drawback.

Detachable

It’s basically a two-shaft design. It’s pretty straightforward. You can use the short shaft with the blade by itself if you wish, but you wouldn’t be able to use it with an oarlock. The design is meant for storage and transportation, even if it’s dual-purpose.

Telescopic

Exactly what it says. You can get your oar shorter or longer, depending on your needs. It’s invaluable if you have more than one boat or you may have to share the oars with a partner. They can adjust the oar to their desired length without any trouble.

The telescopic design is better in every way except one: the price. Also, some telescopic boats may be weak and prone to breaking, which is why it is crucial to choose only the best boat oars.

Blades

The shape of the blade is not critical, but it’s essential for high performance. There’s no universally good blade shape. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any choice. Everyone would just be using the same thing. Clearly, that is not the case.

What kind of oar blade you choose depends on where you plan to use that oar.

Width

Broad

If you want to get your boat on the move fast and you really want to keep that pace, there’s nothing better than a pair of broad oars. With them, you can propel the boat forward quite quickly.

Narrow

Narrow blades are not capable of helping to accelerate the boat. You’re going to be moving slow. However, you will still have the strength to row for a long time, and you’re going to cover more distance than you would with a broad blade oar at the end of the day.

Shape

If you don’t want to rock the boat as you row and you want to boost your boat some, you may need spoon-shaped oars. They are more steady than flat blade oars and more efficient, but not every boat can get that boost.

The rule of thumb is a flat blade does not perform any better than a spoon blade, but a spoon-shaped blade made perform better if your boat is a good fit for it.