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Anyone ACTUALLY received Scadden power stroke oars?

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20K views 132 replies 40 participants last post by  chromefinder 
#1 ·
I know this is a pro Scadden forum and will probably have to be my only post, but I have been waiting for almost 3, count them, 3 months for 2 sets of power stroke oars. One set was to be for using it frameless and the other for using with the frame. I still have not received either set. I was wondering if anyone who has ordered them since February 1, 2013 has actually received them. I know he has substituted the lite speed oars for the power strokes on some occasions, even though that is not what the customer wanted.
 
#2 ·
Scadden has supporters and non-supporters here. Have you called them? Sawyer makes the power stroke oars. Maybe Scadden and Sawyer have some supply and demand issue. I had two sets of the power strokes with my three person scadden boat. Very powerful and responsive.

I hope you'll find more reason that this topic to stick around and enjoy the forum.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, member Gregg Lundgren was awaiting Power Strokes for his Assault XX in this thread of his: http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/scadden-assault-xx-in-progress.87495/

I don't know if he's received them yet but perhaps what he'd posted about the problem might be informative.

Edit: And I'll add to Ed's recommendation to not be just a one-time poster here. Lots of great folks on this forum with lots of info (not to mention all the really weird humor!) ;)
 
#5 ·
So, maybe I am right on schedule? Actually the whole mess is more than I can take. I can't go into detail right now, but when this shakes out look for the whole sordid mess to be posted somewhere. This was to be my wife and I's first foray into this sport. I have always been into hunting and fishing/boating with "regular" boats, so I have that to fall back on. I'm in the middle of spring bear hunting season and will through my energy into that to take my mind off this absolutely horrendous experience. I just do not have the heart to try and participate in pontoon boating,fly fishing or purchasing another brand of boat. My wife and I had been looking forward to this purchase for many years.
 
#7 ·
Don't let a silly set of oars get you down and out. Need oars to use? Borrow mine. Fish your asses off, have a blast and then when you get to settle up with Mr. Scadden you can work out those details on your terms.
 
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#6 ·
Don't let Dave Scadden ruin fly fishing for you. His boats are great, the customers service...not so much. But I know one thing that always delivers. FLY FISHING!!! Give me a shout if you want to hit the water, maybe I can change your mind.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
 
#10 ·
I had read on numerous other boards about this one being pro Scadden. Since the extensive list of problems with my order starting growing even longer, I thought I would check out the forums on the subject. The purpose of this thread is that I am trying to figure out if people are even receiving these power stroke oars at all, let alone in a timely manner. For the record, I still can't go into detail right now on my specific issues with Dave Scadden. Let's just say for now that the issues are not "customer service" related. They are much more serious than that. Two of his three mission statements have been so blatantly violated that it will take a while to sort it all out. I was a successful self-employed small businessman for many years until I had to quit working because of my bad back. I was Chief Operations Manager and V.P. of a trucking company by 23 and have run various companies since then. All of them were successful. I know a little about running a company. Almost all of the things that I see people calling "customer service" issues are not from a legal and ethical stand point. They are called numerous other things in the legal community that I will not state here and now. It is not just the oars and such, there are very serious safety issues as well. These other issues will come to light and be posted when the dust settles.
 
#11 ·
You must be talking about a Whitewater board I know about that got some bad info about us from Riverrunner77. Wish they would've contacted us FIRST before taking his word for it and attacking the forum.
 
#12 ·
I ordered my complete frame in October 2012. Parts trickled in and the frame was completed in January 2013. BUT!!!!! My Power stroke oars never came. I called, wrote emails, and even had a face to face with Mr. Scadden at the Puyallup WA fishing expo. It was after the face to face meeting did I recieve oars... BUT!!!! THEY ARE NOT THE POWER STROKE OARS I ORDERED!!!! I ENDED UP RECIEVING A SET OF CATARACT MINI-MAGS.. Because I was just so tired of dealing with Mr. Scadden I just stopped enquiring about the power stroke oars. Hoping this would end my dealings with him, BUT a week later I broke my oar lock on the frameless portion of my boat. This issue was handled really fast by Mr. Derek who works for Mr. Scadden. I will say this again cause I know you are reading this... I LOVE MY BOAT!!! BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THIS COMPANY STILL NEEDS A LOT OF WORK!!!! Oh yeah one last thing... NOW I NEED A VALVE WRENCH!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

PS IN MY SITUATION, I have all email traffic to show Mr. Scadden promised and promised to provide items and then try to pull out of the original deal!!!!! For you who shall not be named but I know is reading this!!!!!!!!
 
#13 ·
Why would anyone order the "Power Stroke" oars from Scadden instead of just getting them from Sawyer, who makes them for him? Scadden gives them a new name and charges $450 for the $260 Sawyer SST oars with the old flower power graphics. I personally like the new camo pattern better and Sawyer will drill the hole and put reinforcing wrap on the shafts if you want. In my book, a macho-sounding name, ugly graphics and sloowww delivery are not worth the extra $190 Scadden charges for them - but to each his own. BTW, if you get them from Sawyer, you also have the option of getting longer oars; I find that Scadden's oars are always way too short for my tastes.

http://www.paddlesandoars.com/Oars/SAWYER-CAMO-SST-OAR/
 
#14 ·
I did not pay extra for them. They were supposed to come with the model I ordered. The people that I have talked to that did pay for them, only paid basically what they would have cost from Sawyer. In case you have not noticed, there are a lot of items he states an astronomical price for. Then when you talk to him, he lowers it to a normal price. This is all part of the pattern he uses.
 
#18 ·
I sure do like the look of a few Scadden boats, but there is NO WAY I would every give that man a dime of my money at this point. I'm all for giving someone the benefit of the doubt, and second chances and all that... Everyone makes mistakes after all, but this isn't some dude on Craigslist. I can purchase his boats through the Cabelas catalog for crying out loud!

For the life of me I don't understand Scadden. Hard to imagine someone so unable to get their shit together. Reading the average Scadden thread around the interwebs isn't terribly different than reading the NewTyer1 thread on this forum.
 
#19 ·
I sure do like the look of a few Scadden boats, but there is NO WAY I would every give that man a dime of my money at this point. I'm all for giving someone the benefit of the doubt, and second chances and all that... Everyone makes mistakes after all, but this isn't some dude on Craigslist. I can purchase his boats through the Cabelas catalog for crying out loud!

For the life of me I don't understand Scadden. Hard to imagine someone so unable to get their shit together. Reading the average Scadden thread around the interwebs isn't terribly different than reading the NewTyer1 thread on this forum.
I really wonder how this mess works ordering from Cabelas with the 4-6 months wait and all of the missing parts and wrong parts. Unfortunately I ordered from the man himself.
 
#24 ·
I just purchased the Assault a month or two ago. But based on the what I heard here, I just got the basic boat. I'll order the upgraded oars from either sawyer or similar and take
the middle man and the uncertainty out of the equation. I did order the optional anchor mount which was back ordered. Which reminds me to give a call to see when I can expect it.
I thought about the Cabela's angle but they don't stock it at the store, just drop ship from NFO and they don't sell anything but the base model so it wouldn't help with the oars. As far a BDD indicating carbon oar as std on other craft, I doubt any comparable boat at his show prices would have them. So over all I'm happy with the purchase but I didn't have high expectations for the service going in.
 
#26 ·
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I ordered a pair of Camo SST's from my local Kayak shop. I thought about it the day after and called Sawyer directly they explained their dynel wrap they use for pinning style oar locks. I gave them my name and the name of the shop I ordered from. They arrived at my Kayak shop with the dynel wrap and I paid the upcharge for the wrap just as they said. I did purchase a this portable drill press with a notched V-block to center and secure the oar shaft. I took a lot more time than normal to make absolutely sure where I drilled and that it was perfectly centered. Don't just grab a hand drill and think you'll have it centered. Probably the next pair I'll order directly from Sawyer from their website
 
#39 ·
View attachment 27600 View attachment 27601 I ordered a pair of Camo SST's from my local Kayak shop. I thought about it the day after and called Sawyer directly they explained their dynel wrap they use for pinning style oar locks. I gave them my name and the name of the shop I ordered from. They arrived at my Kayak shop with the dynel wrap and I paid the upcharge for the wrap just as they said. I did purchase a this portable drill press with a notched V-block to center and secure the oar shaft. I took a lot more time than normal to make absolutely sure where I drilled and that it was perfectly centered. Don't just grab a hand drill and think you'll have it centered. Probably the next pair I'll order directly from Sawyer from their website
Nice looking oars on your WM. Smart choice to invest in the press tool to get it right. Any reason you have your seat back clips in the fabric deck drain hole instead of running them to the glued on D rings?
 
#31 ·
If you believe it, Jim Wheeler said that the problem is actually with the new owners at Sawyer. He switched to Cataract oars because he could not get a reliable supply from Sawyer currently.
I don't know what is going on. I have talked to Sawyer in the past. They did not give any indication that the troubles are on their end. Six of one, half dozen of the other who is telling the truth.
 
#32 ·
I was told by one of the employees at NFO, that Sawyer could not keep up with demand in general. NFO had received only a partial shipment against their backorder. (rationing?)

  • Dave designs good boats.
  • Dave sells a lot of boats.
  • Dave tells customers what they want to hear. ("Comes with everything you see here. Delivery in 3 weeks. What? No, we are not having any inventory issues.")
  • Dave cuts deals. (Every person for themselves on this, often to the surprise of the guys packaging the orders. Also makes it hard for everyone to compare notes.)
  • You don't always get what you negotiated for. (Inventory shortages, juggling, confusion?)
  • After the sale, I believe they try to do the right thing, but seem to lack a system. Unsolicited outbound communication to customers seems almost non-existent.
Personally, I try to under-promise and over-deliver in my dealings with others. Doesn't mean everyone else plays by the same rules. Although to their credit, Dave did tell me to keep the interim aluminum oars, no charge. I went into my Assault XX purchase 'enlightened' by the discussion on this forum. So, I was prepared for errors and delays. I already had a Water Master at the ready, so my frustrations were kept to a minimum.

The bottom line is... I really like the Assault XX with the Power Stroke oars. But, it is hard to understand why so many people have to be engaged in such a difficult journey.
 
#36 ·
I'm betting that if I ever receive oars, that is what will be sent instead of the Sawyers.

Thanks Gregg for the review! I think that is spot on, unfortunately I was not as enlightened going into this. If my situation ever gets resolved I'll be able to add some useful information to it.
Although I do not think the trouble is on Sawyer's side. I would suggest to people that they consider the source(NFO) and take it with a grain of salt.
 
#34 ·
I love my assaultxx. It's awesome every time I take it out.

I wish I could jump into the company for a couple months as a consultant, improve the hell out of the operations, and make a slice of the revenue that he'd get as a result. There seems to be sooooo muuuuuuch low hanging fruit in terms of opportunities for positive change.

Unfortunately at this point, I think he'd need a total rebrand.
 
#42 ·
I have been waiting for my power strokes since February. I've heard the story so many times, " we expect a shipment next week to cover our backorders". Everyday I drive past the front of my house hoping against hope that maybe a box is sitting on the porch. But alas, nothing is ever there. I called today to ask what the excuse du jour was, and Dave gave me the same song and dance. Frustrated, I told him I would like a refund, and that I would find my oars elsewhere. He offered to ship me a set of what he called his "2014" oars. He told me to use them, and if I didn't love them, he would still make good on the power strokes when they arrive, and take back the "2014" oars. He couldn't offer me a picture or much of a description of the new oars, but he did tell me they have cataract shafts and super floating blades. We all know that an oar blade in the water that catches a rock is instantly problematic when you have pinned oar shafts, so I like the concept of floaters, hopefully they actually do float. I agreed to try them out. I have not heard anything bad about the mini mags, and anything would be better than the chintzy aluminum oars that came with my Assualt XX. Is there anyone out there who has compared the mini mags to the popwer stroke directly on the XX?
 
#43 ·
Don't let Dave Scadden ruin fly fishing for you. His boats are great, the customers service...not so much. But I know one thing that always delivers. FLY FISHING!!! Give me a shout if you want to hit the water, maybe I can change your mind.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
You are talking SAWYER. Did you get your boat? Dave tries to fill his end of the orders as quick as he can. He could wait to send the whole order when he gets the parts, but personally, I want the boat now and I can use the oars that come with it.
Sawyer is back ordered everywhere isn't it?
 
#44 ·
You are talking SAWYER. Did you get your boat? Dave tries to fill his end of the orders as quick as he can. He could wait to send the whole order when he gets the parts, but personally, I want the boat now and I can use the oars that come with it.
Sawyer is back ordered everywhere isn't it?
My case is still on going and has not gotten any better. The two sets of power strokes still are not here. Dave refuses to address and fix the safety issues. Other than that I can not go into detail at this time. I have talked to Sawyer. You can buy really nice Sawyer oars straight from them. The power strokes are months and months out, but according to NFO,and it does not matter who you talk to, the same canned answer is "I just received confirmation today that they are on the way".
 
#45 ·
I have a pair of the Saywer oars from NFO that I put rope wrap on to use with my frame. I don't use them and would be willing to sell them after I take the rope wrap off. They have been used probably 5 times. Willing to sell the set for $225.00 if someone is interested. Will not ship though
 
#46 ·
If you believe it, Jim Wheeler said that the problem is actually with the new owners at Sawyer. He switched to Cataract oars because he could not get a reliable supply from Sawyer currently.
In reality you have a bunch of issues here which may make it more difficult to figure out what is really going on. I think the customer service of Scadden is not in question here. It is suspect and has been with every company he has been in contact with for some reason. Financially, well, you can surmise what you will but he has a "cash" account at a certain oar manufacturer I have been told. So, before you can order oars you need to have the cash to buy them. No account with dating. As for Sawyer, Rob is correct. The company was sold and everything changed and some/all of us are getting used to or have made our decision oon how to deal with the changes in our own ways. My thoughts are you are either a retail company or a wholesale company. Sawyer is trying to be both. Usually a a double edge sword and, most of the time the company falls on it. I don;t think competing with your dealers is a really good way to build support for your business in a time where chenges are running rampant. When the ownership changed the pricing, quantities and customer service changed too. Again, you have to figure out who you want to be as a business. I found it to be a big slap in the face to have to order a number of oars that was larger than the number of oars I ordered the entire previous year in order to get any oars. The SST, as noted before was designed by Spring Creek Prams over a years period of time. The price on it has continually gone up and is now a bit out there. So, I guess I would look at this as mostly financial (Scadden) but Iam sure there is aome production (Sawyer) in there too. They (Sawyer) make a good product they just need to figure out who they are which is the toughest thing to do sometimes in business. Jim
 
#48 ·
In reality you have a bunch of issues here which may make it more difficult to figure out what is really going on. I think the customer service of Scadden is not in question here. It is suspect and has been with every company he has been in contact with for some reason. Financially, well, you can surmise what you will but he has a "cash" account at a certain oar manufacturer I have been told. So, before you can order oars you need to have the cash to buy them. No account with dating. As for Sawyer, Rob is correct. The company was sold and everything changed and some/all of us are getting used to or have made our decision oon how to deal with the changes in our own ways. My thoughts are you are either a retail company or a wholesale company. Sawyer is trying to be both. Usually a a double edge sword and, most of the time the company falls on it. I don;t think competing with your dealers is a really good way to build support for your business in a time where chenges are running rampant. When the ownership changed the pricing, quantities and customer service changed too. Again, you have to figure out who you want to be as a business. I found it to be a big slap in the face to have to order a number of oars that was larger than the number of oars I ordered the entire previous year in order to get any oars. The SST, as noted before was designed by Spring Creek Prams over a years period of time. The price on it has continually gone up and is now a bit out there. So, I guess I would look at this as mostly financial (Scadden) but Iam sure there is aome production (Sawyer) in there too. They (Sawyer) make a good product they just need to figure out who they are which is the toughest thing to do sometimes in business. Jim
A lot of companies out there are both a wholesaler and a retailer. Just that most sell their products for the MSRP (usually always cheaper to buy from someone who's bought the product from them through a wholesale account). I know there are companies that only do production and sell wholesale. But over the years, some of the more successful companies I've delivered to over the years have been both a wholesaler and a retailer. It's just knowing how much stock to keep on site (which is usually very minimal) and keeping your wholesalers stocked (where the real cash comes in). But can be done successfully since there are customers who want to say they bought directly from source, even if it's more expensive (weird I know). But Sawyer upping your minimum wasn't a smart idea. I can see what they're doing. They want to do monster orders so they can produce in bulk, make their profit margins all at once, and then sail (which usually doesn't work from what I've seen). Mind you this is insight from non fishing/boating businesses. But I can't see it being all that much different with supply and demand on product.
 
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