[Panther]

The stock oars I received for the Predator are just 5 feet. I am contemplating an oar upgrade to a longer oar. Sure would appreciate any advice anyone has on size, type, and or brand. If I went the composite route is NFO the only source of pre drilled composite oars?

The oar length formula is: 1/2 the distance between the oarlocks x3 + 6 inches.

I don't know whether or not another company offers pre-drilled composite oars.

 

[Panther]

Skitterbug's advice is good about not putting too much pressure on the rack and pinion oar system and glued-on oarlock pad. But if you use longer oars that are light in weight, you may be ok. My Renegade came with the same oars the Predator has. I upgraded to the light weight composite oars that Scadden offers. They are about 6'6". I only use them for fishing stillwater, and they work great for me. The cupped blades and longer length let me move more quickly if I have a lot of water to cover. Regarding oars with pre-drilled holes, I checked out the website for Watermaster. It is bigskyinflatables.com. They sell heavy duty Caviness oars for $65. They only weigh 3 lbs. You could weigh your Predator oars and compare the weights. I'm not sure how long the Caviness oars are, but you could call the Watermaster company and ask them.