Rope wrapping serves a number of purposes beyond looking good. While its level of benefit is largely a matter of personal preference, many rowers feel that a rope-wrapped oar rows more effectively.

Why wrap your oar shaft in rope?

For only $35.00, Cataract® Oars will wrap twenty inches of your oar shaft with rugged 3/16″ polypropylene rope. There are several reasons why many whitewater guides, recreational rowers and drift boaters love rope wrap on their oar shafts.

Practical reasons for wrapping your oar shafts.

Rope wrapping serves a number of purposes beyond looking good. While its level of benefit is largely a matter of personal preference, many rowers feel that a rope-wrapped oar rows more effectively.

Note: we always do 20″ rope wraps with 3/16″ black rope, unless otherwise specified. Custom rope wrap lengths and locations can be made and sometimes are required for proper setup due to variability of boat width and oar lock placement; call for pricing.

The rope wrap for the KBO™ is done with 1/8″ diameter black rope and is 14″ in length.

Cataract Oars Rope Wrap

(SGG, SGX, X Wound, StreamLite)

KBO

Silent rowing.

Fishermen and women often prefer a rope-wrapped oar because it moves in the oar lock with less sound. The rope, a softer surface than the composite, creaks gently within the metal oar lock. Contrast with the grating, creaking and grinding of an unwrapped oar, and it’s easy to see why the rope wrap is a hit.

Better oar control.

The more snug fit in the oar shaft offers less opportunity for slippage, while the fibrous nature of the rope offers more traction to the oar lock. All of which translates into an oar that stays put a whole lot more. The oar stays responsive, allowing the rower to easily feather it in the water, without slopping about in the oar lock.

Protecting the oar shaft from wear.

Interacting with a metal oar lock can eventually take its toll on an oar’s surface. As the oar is pressed against the lock from this angle and that, twisted, feathered, turned and grated, micro-abrasions can compound over time, until the abuse manifests as a degraded surface and worn finish. The rope wrap, of course, fixes all of this; the tough polypropylene rope absorbs the pressures of rowing and insulates the composite from direct contact with the oar lock.