Poll: How many paddles do you own?

[Glenn MacGrady]

I'm expecting some big numbers in this poll. Be honest.

I can't possibly accurately count my paddles in those cathedrals of entropy known as my garage and basement. For the past several years I've only used my two ZRE carbons, one straight and one bent.

But I know I have at least six double paddles, three beaver tails, four Mitchell whitewater paddles, two Iliad whitewater paddles, at least six bent shafts, and various other wooden, Mohawk and Carlisle paddles -- some of which I've found floating in various rivers over the decades. Of course, I and others have lost several of my paddles on whitewater runs.

I'll put myself in the high 20's, though I may be forgetting some.

 

[yellowcanoe]

O geez Glenn. More than I need. I'm not at home to count
I don't need that paddle Gil
Gil Patrick made for me.
But it is wonderful

I guessed

 

[sweeper]

But working to get to the 11-20 level. I might have to 'forget' to pack paddles on my next trip.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

O geez Glenn. More than I need. I'm not at home to count
I don't need that paddle Gil
Gil Patrick made for me.
But it is wonderful

I guessed

Fess up, YC, you guessed low. No one is yet over 40 and I would've bet big bucks on you and someone else breaking that barrier.

Goodness, I forgot about the custom "Freestyle" paddle I designed and had Brad Gillespie make for me in 2010.

I forgot the Ralph Sawyer lollipop paddle I bought in (the former) Great World in Farmington, CT, and that I took in the airplane cabin back home with me to San Jose, California. That was around 1980. The stews let me put it in the first class coat closet. These days the DHS would probably have put me in the torture closet.

I forgot the homemade beaver tail I bought from a young kid craftsman at a flea market in New Paltz, NY, around 1983. He had ovaled the shaft in the wrong direction but had inlaid a nice loon with black epoxy. It was worth $15, but I've never used it that I recall.

My mind, too, is subject to the irreversible second law of thermodynamics, and at increasing acceleration.

 

[Connecticut Yankee]

Wow, you have some old blades, I too have an OLD Illiad, and an old laminated wood Mitchell WW paddle. I also have 3 ZRE bent shafts (one is my sons, but it's here at the house), a GRB carbon bent, a Barton which was probably the first (at least successful) carbon Bent, an old Al Camp wood bent shaft, and an old Kevlar wraped over foam core bent shaft paddle, that came out just before carbon. 8-10 wood blades I've made, from otter tail to bent shaft. I've got 2 Epic wing paddles, a Werner Kalieste, a carbon WW kayak paddle by Werner, plus a couple of old Dagger WW kayak paddles and an old ICF laminated wood racing kayak paddle from the early 70's, with huge blades by todays standards, cool looking paddle though, haven't used it in 30-40 yrs, ought to dust it off and get it wet sometime.
​I guess the number is more than 20 , I should go back and up my poll numbers.

 

[Zac]

I currently own as many paddles as canoes. Two came with my first canoe. They were in tough shape so I cut the tip off and refinished them including way too much fiberglass over the tips (3 layers of 6oz)... only to break my favorite of the two prying a cheap royalex job out from where it was caught on a submerged root ball. One swamping earlier on that same attempted 5 mile trip my partner lost the paracord-leashed paddle that we had found a couple of miles downriver earlier that day. (3 days after 8" of rain in northern MN, on my home river, but the third run of the day was on a fool-hardy tributary) I found that paddle 3 days later when the water was lower and we were looking for where we had stashed that royalex canoe after giving up with 0 paddles left and hiking out. This spring I purchased a good-shape older BB Special (before they were called BB Specials) and a fair-shape BB Loon off of craigslist for $55 so I'm back up to 4. The same guy had a half dozen old, heavy straight shafts that I should have bought and refinished, and one old, unusable fiberglass-bladed Sawyer that I would have hung on the wall except that he wanted too much. I would love a carbon fiber bent shaft if they weren't so expensive, but I think I will make my next few.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Geez Glenn I'm in South Dakota with three paddles one canoe and no water.
My paddle shack and great room display is 2000 miles away. You could be right I haven't seen home for over 2 months

 

[lowangle al]

I have about 30, and they're all too long. Most of them anyway. No bent shafts, no doubles. I am the paddle (and canoe) supplier for seven people, me the wife and grand kids so that's not too bad.

 

[Canotrouge]

I didn't count but I did include the wife and the daughter's paddle in my lot... Since I made most of them!

 

[Guest]

No Title

Didn't go count them, but am sure I'm in the over 40 category
I think my wife has 3 double blades, and 1 straight shaft canoe paddle. They are NOT included in my count.
I actively seek, and buy paddles on a fairly regular basis. When I buy a canoe; I always ask the canoe seller, "Do you have any paddles for sale"?
Some hard to find beauties were purchased very cheaply. Two of my favorite finds are pictured, along with a few of my woodies.

 

[flyingbison]

Only 6 for me, including a small one for my kid. I gave away 2 more when I sold a canoe last summer.

Someday, if I ever have enough free time, I'd like to start making paddles. Who knows how many I would end up with then!

 

[snapper]

Typically I use only two or three of my paddles but still have many more from my days of guiding so I included them in my number. I also didn't include my kayak paddles so my number consists only of canoe paddles.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

 

[Odyssey]

I'm still learning how to use the 2 that I've got. I was a careful shopper and chose exactly what I wanted. And part of being a careful shopper means wearing blinders every time I walk past a paddle display. lol The Scottish in me protects against wild purchases of any attractive sticks, but if the paddle vendors should ever lower their prices I'll be in deep cac.

 

[clemency]

Six. One nice Bending Branches paddle each for MLW and I, two cheap paddles for people who need loaners and don't know what they're doing, and two double bladed paddles (one for me and one cheap loaner). Then there's 10 or so at the family camp that get left out in the yard, in the boats, or even (sometimes) in the water by renters and family -- I probably bought most of them since no one else seems capable of doing so.

 

[Guest]

38.

If you had asked a year ago I could have broken the 40 barrier, but I’ve given a couple of boats we don’t paddle anymore to friends and in-laws, and along with the boats went hull appropriate paddles we didn’t use.

How many of those paddles have we actually used in the past few years? Probably a dozen, and if you take my paddle selection out of the picture, probably 6 or 7. My wife and sons take their same preferred primary and spare on nearly every trip; I’m the one who varies my paddle selection from time to time.

38 minus 12 = 26. Most of those little used paddles are either too long or too heavy. Some are old unkillable Mohawks, some are attractive but heavy DIY paddle building efforts, some are antique Clements or Kobars I got when buying used boats, others are castoffs I resurrected from someone’s scrap head or dumpster destination. One is the last of my father’s old wood sticks, both way too long and way too heavy.

I have started the slow process of winnowing down the paddle racks, but there are a couple little used sticks with significant sentimental value; despite being too long/heavy I’ll take one out ever year or so just transmit memories. But, carbon spoiled, only as a spare paddle.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Didn't go count them, but am sure I'm in the over 40 category
I think my wife has 3 double blades, and 1 straight shaft canoe paddle. They are NOT included in my count.
I actively seek, and buy paddles on a fairly regular basis. When I buy a canoe; I always ask the canoe seller, "Do you have any paddles for sale"?
Some hard to find beauties were purchased very cheaply. Two of my favorite finds are pictured, along with a few of my woodies.

I'm sure yours are kept in very nice shape like your many fine boats. Did you vote in the poll, as there's no entry yet in the over 40 category?

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I only recently unloaded any and all paddles that I never use and never will use. You know - those paddles that came with boats, but were probably a lot of the reason the seller didn't like paddling that much. That dropped me from about 26 to 14. I'm currently fixin' to add a composite whitewater blade though, so I maybe should claim 15? Oh - should I include my half-dozen poles?