Sawyer Paddles and Oars

Sawyer Paddles and Oars Sawyer offers a full line of paddles and oars with unsurpassed function, performance and beauty. We If you can dream it, we can build it.

Sawyer's Roots

After a legendary canoe racing career, which includes being a 10 time AuSable River Canoe Marathon Champion (and recently being inducted into the Canoe Racing Hall of Fame), Ralph Sawyer began building paddles and oars. In 1967, he established Sawyer Paddles and Oars in the small town of Rogue River, Oregon, where he quickly fell in love with whitewater rafting and began producing whitewater oars. Sawyer oars were soon found in the hands of river outfitters all over North America with a reputation for quality, performance, value and beauty. Ralph drove the use of Douglas fir, for its high strength to weight ration and flex in combination with Ponderosa Pine and Sawyer’s signature Walnut racing stripes. His use of these woods in combination with fiberglass popularized the concept of composite paddles. Ralph is now retired and enjoys exploring the Puget Sound and Alaskan waterways from his home, an ocean faring catamaran, with his wife Bobby. Innovations

Bruce Bergstrom took the helm in 1987 and propelled the company’s innovation and reputation of durability. Most noted was the introduction of the Sawyer SquareTop Oar matched with another of his innovations, the Cobra Oar Lock. This combination is a favorite among drift boat fisherman and whitewater rafters, which may row a thousand strokes per mile positioning for the perfect cast or negotiating heavy whitewater. The two innovations paired together make for the highest performing whitewater oar and oarlock system in the world. Bruce also acquired chief rival Smoker Oars & Paddles in 1992. The acquisition set up Sawyer to be the premier paddle & oar maker in the USA, complete with a durable line of composite oars balanced by a line of legendary solid ash wood oars for extreme conditions. Bruce was recently awarded a lifetime achievement award by the American Outdoors Association for his contributions to our industry. Bruce with his innovations, SquareTop Oars, Cobra Oar Locks and Smoker Oars

Bruce Bergstrom displaying SquareTop Oars, Cobra Oar Locks and Smoker Oars. Our Future

This future includes continuing to innovate and evolve our product line so you can experience a clear connection to water. We have a great team of craftspeople and get great satisfaction in manufacturing the best paddles and oars in house. If you are inspired to create a product that you do not see in our line, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for choosing Sawyer!

09/10/2026

When you’re pushing the limits in serious whitewater, your gear isn’t something you want to think twice about.

You need equipment you know, trust, and can rely on when the water gets big and there’s very little room for error.

Sawyer has been building paddles and oars for nearly 60 years for a reason. We’ve earned the trust of generations of people who spend their lives on the water.

When it matters most, trust what’s in your hands.

09/09/2026

The Snake River is more than just an incredible place to paddle.

Running through Grand Teton National Park, it’s a river that has shaped the outdoor community around it and given generations of paddlers, anglers, guides, and river lovers a place to do what they love.

Protecting rivers like the Snake means protecting access, habitat, and the experiences that bring so many of us to the water in the first place.

This clip is from Episode 4 of our Sawyer On Water Podcast. Stream it anywhere you listen to music or podcasts. We’re also looking for guests for our 2026 episodes. Shoot us a DM if you’re interested in being featured.

Some days it’s about the miles. Some days it’s about the rapids. And some days it’s just about finding an excuse to get ...
09/07/2026

Some days it’s about the miles. Some days it’s about the rapids. And some days it’s just about finding an excuse to get on the water.

A paddle in your hands, good people around you, and nowhere else you need to be.

That’s what keeps us coming back.

09/03/2026

Golden hour hits different when you're on the water. ✨

The river turns to glass, the sky starts showing off, and suddenly everyone in the boat goes quiet at the same time. No one plans it. It just happens. Even the guy who talked the entire trip finally runs out of words.

The fish stop mattering, the takeout can wait, and for about twenty minutes the river is pure magic. Then someone remembers the mosquitoes exist and the spell is broken. But man, those twenty minutes.

09/02/2026

Before Sawyer was a name on your oar, it was just a guy who couldn't stop chasing faster water.

Ralph Sawyer didn't just build paddles. He raced them, all the way into the Canoe Racing Hall of Fame. Every blade he shaped came from actual miles on the water, refining designs because he needed them to be better, lighter, faster. That obsession became a company, and that company became a legacy that's still handcrafted in Oregon today.

In this episode, we dig into Ralph's story: the racing, the workshop, and why he started building in the first place.

This clip is from Episode 19 of our Sawyer On Water Podcast. Stream it anywhere you listen to music or podcasts. We're also looking for guests for our 2026 episodes. Shoot us a DM if you're interested in being featured.

09/01/2026

Ask any Oregonian about the Umpqua and watch their whole face change.

This river raised half of us. First swims, first casts, first time getting properly humbled by a rapid. It's the place we take out-of-towners when we want to show off, and the place we go alone when we need to reset. Emerald water, big timber, and that feeling of being exactly where you're supposed to be.

Other states have rivers. We have the Umpqua. Not bragging, just stating facts.

08/26/2026

Pro tip: when you're entering a Class IV rapid, your brain should be on your line, your strokes, and staying in the boat. 🛶

What it should NOT be doing is answering questions like "what's your most embarrassing river moment?"

So naturally, that's exactly what we made our guest do. Rapid-fire questions, in actual rapids. Is it responsible? Debatable. Is it entertaining? Absolutely. Nothing reveals the truth quite like someone trying to recall their favorite river snack while bracing through a wave train.

This clip is from Episode 18 of our Sawyer On Water Podcast. Stream it anywhere you listen to music or podcasts. We're also looking for guests for our 2026 episodes. Shoot us a DM if you're interested in being featured.

Fun fact: your Sawyer was built by a real person in Oregon, not a robot, not overseas, just a craftsman who probably wen...
08/25/2026

Fun fact: your Sawyer was built by a real person in Oregon, not a robot, not overseas, just a craftsman who probably went paddling last weekend. 🛶

We've been handmaking paddles and oars in the USA since 1967. Nearly six decades of shaping wood, testing designs on real rivers, and obsessing over details most people would never notice (but your hands will).

59 years in and we still can't help ourselves. Handmade or nothing. 🇺🇸

08/20/2026

Take the memories, leave the fishery better than you found it. 🎣

Sustainable fishing isn't about catching less, it's about making sure there's always more. Handling fish with care, respecting limits and closures, protecting spawning habitat, and knowing when a river needs a break are what keep these waters alive for the next generation of anglers. The folks who love fishing most are usually the ones fighting hardest to protect it.

Healthy rivers, healthy fish, more days on the water. That's the goal.

This clip is from Episode 17 of our Sawyer On Water Podcast. Stream it anywhere you listen to music or podcasts. We're also looking for guests for our 2026 episodes. Shoot us a DM if you're interested in being featured.

Address

404 2nd Avenue
Gold Hill, OR
97525

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(541) 535-3606

Website

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