Company History

Sawyer Paddle & Oars was founded in 1967 by Ralph Sawyer in Rogue River, Oregon. A prodigious marathon canoe competitor, Sawyer founded the company on the premise that the best way to make paddles is to stay within the guidelines of offering a well designed, well priced, high quality paddle that was incredibly durable. Utilizing thin laminates of woods, salvaged from local saw mills in the Rogue Valley, Ralph would add incredible strength with layered fiberglass and resin reinforcement.   Sawyers early paddle designs quickly became recognized for their good designs and tough, light weight, functional beauty.

 

The developing local white water rafting industry prompted the growth of a line of laminated Douglas Fir oars to meet the particularly rough demands of the sport. Sawyer quality oars quickly gained popularity for their light weight and ability to withstand the tough conditions unique to white water use. Ralph was well known to test his oars by jumping on them suspended between two milk crates to determine whether they were up to the task.

 

Twenty years from its founding, 1987 brought Sawyer Paddles & Oars a new helmsman; Bruce Bergstrom. An experienced rafter and kayaker, Bergstrom added new ideas to the solid legacy left by Ralph Sawyer. Expanding the line and reaching new customers with new models and designs, Bruce soon found the company outgrowing its shops on the banks of the Rogue River. In1991 Sawyer Paddles & Oars moved up the Rogue Valley to its current larger and better equipped facility just off Interstate 5 in Talent, Oregon, at the base of the Siskiyou mountain range.

 

In 1991, Sawyer was also allowed the opportunity to take over production of Smoker Oar and Paddles™. This was done in an effort to keep the Smoker Brand™ and their solid Ash oars available to the growing white water industry. The Smoker Oar and Paddle Brand™ dates back to when some time in the 1930’s the Smoker family switched from being wagon wheel manufacturers to making paddles and oars. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, they were one of the major oar and paddle producers in the world,… then motors came along,… they started making boats. Today they are a Major builder of aluminum and fiberglass boats under several brand names besides the historic Smoker Craft Boats Brand™.  Thankfully the solid ash Smoker Oar legacy continues, and the decades of production knowledge plus the very specialized oar and paddle making machinery required to make them has not been lost in the merger of Sawyer and Smoker.

 

Sawyer now manufactures a full line of composite and wood/composite Hybrid oars, these being arguably “lighter and stronger” than their wood predecessors.  These new lightweight fiberglass and graphite composites quickly gained market share as they are more easily transportable (UPS able) and have a perceived weight and durability advantage over traditional wood oars.  Sawyer’s original Hybrid Oar™ quickly became a sought after combination of wood and composites, and with Sawyer’s optional Counter Balancing system was arguably the lightest rowing most durable white water oar available. The latest MX series of oar shafts (Multi-aXial reinforced composites of Fiberglass and Graphite), along with an expanding choice of Blades, carry on the tradition of Sawyer supporting  professional and private boaters world wide. Sawyer/Smoker oars and accompanying factory support have shown themselves to be simply the best available, as proven by the trust of thousands of satisfied and renewing customers, recreational and commercial, world wide.

 

Sawyer Paddles have continue to evolve from their original roots of the legendary Sawyer Special and Sawyer Cruiser (still available). Sawyer now makes and maintains a full line of paddles for Canoeing and Kayaking, Flat Water and White Water, Modern and Traditional, Outrigger and Dragon Boat. Sawyer is continuing to set new standards of performance and beauty with our Western Red Cedar Paddles, Dynel™ Tough Edges™, Pro Tips™, Ergonomically Adjusted Bent Shafts and grip as well as ultra light (14 oz)  paddle hybrids, all with the beauty and performance advantages only Sawyer wood can offer.

 

We hope you enjoy looking through this site, but please feel free to call us with any questions, concerns or to just say Thanks.  We are working hard to give you our best, as we intend to keep standing behind our products for the next few generations. It’s been a great 40 + years so if you are a returning customer, …….Thanks………..If you are new to us ….How can we help you?

 

Hope to see you out there on the water soon.

 

Bruce