Small-Boat Gear

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XPL OARS As owners of sail-and-oar boats know all too well, it’s often difficult or impossible to conveniently stow proper-length oars aboard. Do you leave them sticking over the transom where they can snag sheets and docklines, angled down under foot in the cockpit, or in some other equally awkward location?

The best solution, of course, is a two-piece oar that can be broken down and reassembled as needed. At Duckworks we’ve sold loads of our two-piece carbon-fiber ferrules that can be used to convert standard wooden-shaft oars into two pieces—a decent solution—but about a year ago we asked the question: what would the perfect oars look like? Well, we’re on the verge of releasing our answer to that question.

Our new XPL Oars feature 2-piece carbon-fiber shafts—incredibly strong, and featherweight. Even a few unnecessary ounces begin to add up on a long row, so we skipped the heavier fiberglass option, and stuck with full carbon fiber. We also chose carbon construction because we’ve suffered with fiberglass and other composite shafts flexing and losing energy with each spongy stroke.