The Maine Guide Paddle

[lowangle al]

First off, what is it? Over thirty years ago I was introduced to paddling a canoe standing up with a six foot paddle. The guy who introduced me to it had been a Maine guide, so I had assumed a Maine Guide paddle was a six foot long beaver tail, like what he used. Fast forward about 20 or 25 years and I became familiar with the "Northwoods Paddle" with its elongated grip and thought, maybe this is a Maine Guide paddle.

A few years ago at the WCHA Assembly I picked up a six foot beavertail with a pear shaped grip and an Old Town label on it. It was the exact opposite of the paddle I was looking for. I was looking for a six footer with a long narrow blade and thin shaft that was lighter than my six foot ash beavertails. This paddle had an oversized blade and a fat shaft but seemed light for its size so I took a chance on it. It turned out that I loved it. The first thing I noticed was how much water (boat) it pulled. My thought was, "wow, this thing will get me across the lake with less strokes.

Getting back to what the Maine Guide paddle is. I remembered seeing a vintage paddle a few years before, it had the same oversized blade as the one I recently purchased, but was only 60 inches. It was an Old Town paddle and I think may have been labeled a "guide" but I'm not sure. I would have bought it if I realized its significance, but I didn't and I already had too many 60 inchers. Now looking back and wondering what makes a Maine Guide paddle, it's not the length or the type of grip, but the size of the blade. This makes sense, because in the tradition of the Maine guides they would take out clients that did not help with the paddling. They would need a bigger paddle, including the blade. to compensate for that. Coincidently the paddle paired perfectly with my 20' EM White, which was also popular with the Maine guides.

The blade on my guide paddle is 8.5 inches wide and about thirty inches long. It's probably only an inch wider and longer than my other beavertails, but it is significantly bigger and noticeably does more when it comes to moving a boat. Besides that feeling of moving the boat better than anything else, I've also done things with it that I had never done with another paddle. Once when fishing I had to use my paddle with one hand to keep my boat on course. It was a windy day and when I picked up the paddle to change course, instead of reaching and putting the blade in the water I just held it up and caught enough wind to do what was needed. I was pretty impressed with this and did a little experimenting. I wanted to see if in a tail wind I could catch some wind and pick up speed with it. It did, and not only that, I could control the direction of my drift. If I held the paddle out on one side of the boat it would turn towards the other side. Unfortunately I haven't been using the paddle lately as it sustained some damage and I like it too much to chance damaging it more. It also has the downside of requiring more effort to use the an ordinary beavertail. Although it is a beavertail it is a different paddle when it comes to it's capabilities and I thought it worth mentioning.


It is the paddle furthest to the right

 

[MyKneesHurt]

Huh. I've made a Maine Guide Paddle and didn't even know it.
I once had a long internet argument about what exactly a "longbow arrow" was; my contention was that any arrow you shot out of a longbow was a longbow arrow, and the other guy's point was it had to be an exceptionally heavy, stiff arrow. One of the few internet fights I've won.

 

[Chip]

I had a Maine guide paddle, never used it, and gave it away. It was huge, at least six ft, heavy and had a big blade. There was a p-net user with the handle pilotwingz. He lived in my area, but I never met him. He gave me some canvas bags and when he posted he was looking for a guide paddle I gave him the one I had and he reported being pleased with it.

Pilotwingz had some good paddling stories and I always wanted to meet him but for some reason he avoided it. He had a woman in his life, Sissy, who dropped off the bags and picked up the paddle, and I never met her either. The drop off and pickup happened when I wasn’t home. I don’t know if the woman was friend, daughter, or wife. I wonder what happened to the guy, and the paddle.

I wasn’t strong enough to use the guide paddle. It was heavy and the size of the blade made it tough to pull through the water. I never tried using it standing. It was given to me before I began regularly canoeing and I didn’t really know what I had.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Guide is just a word that is used to sell stuff, just like Silverado, Tundra, Forester, Outback or Wilderness, depending what what the geniuses at marketing are trying to to sell to the target audience. LL Bean will sell you a a “Guide” shirt, boots or underwear. I would think any registered guide would use a paddle like the rest of us, one that they liked the most, wood, plastic blade with aluminum shaft topped by a plastic T handle, most real guides that I know prefer a Yamaha of a horsepower of their choosing.
Nobody will be using a paddle that is labeled “Will do in a pinch if need be” but, we all will be using the tooth paste that will guarantee it will attract the girl/boy next door, though.
I have what Shaw & Tenney called a Maine Guide paddle twenty five years ago, made of knot free straight grained white spruce, it’s 72 inches long, is light and I think is perfect for slow trolling of flies or spoons for ice out Lake Trout, using the under water recovery stroke.

 

[Robin]

I purchased an old Bobs and it came with this six foot paddle. I’m pretty sure it’s cedar, 30” , about 8” at the widest point. I prefer a narrower shaft and traditional handle. I damaged it at home and spliced a piece of pine into it.



I use it in my square stern now, it’s great for all the uses Al mentioned, especially standing, perfect for my needs. I doubt it’s a “guide” model, just a homemade.



I still prefer my heavy 57” ash beavertail.

 

[alsg]

It's true that paddle manufacturers can call something a Maine Guide paddle to help sell it. But there's really no doubt that an unusual style of paddle and paddling developed up there. Those paddles have very wide blade, are typically longer than other paddles, and a long flat handle. The long flat handle makes it a variable length paddle because it allows you to choke up on the paddle and maintain a grip. This facilitates the North Woods stroke and paddling in variable depth rivers as discussed by Alexandra Conover here

 

[Boatman53]

I’ll need take another pic of my paddles to share.
Jim

 

[Pseudonym]

This paddle features the previously discussed grip. Photo was taken in the Chesuncook Boomhouse, which has all sorts of amazing artifacts and history about the logging industry in the North Maine Woods.



Interesting notch at the top of the grip, which is different than most:

 

[ppine]

Just the thing for lakes.

 

[lowangle al]

Guide is just a word that is used to sell stuff, just like Silverado, Tundra, Forester, Outback or Wilderness, depending what what the geniuses at marketing are trying to to sell to the target audience. LL Bean will sell you a a “Guide” shirt, boots or underwear. I would think any registered guide would use a paddle like the rest of us, one that they liked the most, wood, plastic blade with aluminum shaft topped by a plastic T handle, most real guides that I know prefer a Yamaha of a horsepower of their choosing.
Nobody will be using a paddle that is labeled “Will do in a pinch if need be” but, we all will be using the tooth paste that will guarantee it will attract the girl/boy next door, though.
I have what Shaw & Tenney called a Maine Guide paddle twenty five years ago, made of knot free straight grained white spruce, it’s 72 inches long, is light and I think is perfect for slow trolling of flies or spoons for ice out Lake Trout, using the under water recovery stroke.

I guess that back in the late 1880's Mr. White not only built fine canoes but was also a marketing genius, same for the good folks at Old Town who also had a "guide" model. My guess is that these boats were actually used by men that guided people into the woods, and many of them used these large oversized beavertails.

Shaw and Tenney Guide paddles have an 8.5 inch wide blade with a Northwoods grip. Is this what you have?

It's true that paddle manufacturers can call something a Maine Guide paddle to help sell it. But there's really no doubt that an unusual style of paddle and paddling developed up there. Those paddles have very wide blade, are typically longer than other paddles, and a long flat handle. The long flat handle makes it a variable length paddle because it allows you to choke up on the paddle and maintain a grip. This facilitates the North Woods stroke and paddling in variable depth rivers as discussed by Alexandra Conover here

I think the distinguishing characteristic of the Maine Guide Paddle is the long 30" by 8.5" blade. The Old Town that I have has a pear shaped grip. The thick shaft (maybe 2 inches) makes it comfortable to grab anywhere along its length to change the length. The wide blade also has a positive affect on how it slices through the water making it great for the Northwoods stroke.

Just the thing for lakes.

While it certainly works on lakes, I think it shines and has the most value in moving water. Because of the blade size you not only get maximum power when needed, but you also get the most solid brace you've ever felt.

Nice repair on that paddle Robin. That is about the same place a piece of the edge popped off mine, maybe not as thick though. I'm undecided if I should try to fix it or use it like it is. I've already varnished over it which was probably a mistake if I want to fix it.

 

[Pseudonym]

Shaw and Tenney Guide paddles have an 8.5 inch wide blade with a Northwoods grip. Is this what you have?

On the specific subject of the Shaw & Tenney Guide:

A buddy of mine has a S&T Guide in Ash and, it’s sooo much paddle. It’s quite nice but I don’t think I could use it for any extended period. A little unfairly, we sat around the campfire joking about how “Even Paul Bunyan couldn’t paddle this thing.”

In that model, I’d lean towards a lighter and more flexible species

I don't know how long that particular paddle is, but I do know he likes to stand, so likely longer than most.

Knowing that @Robin vouches for a heavy ash beavertail has me reconsidering my previous take.

 

[Benson Gray]

I think the distinguishing characteristic of the Maine Guide Paddle is the long 30" by 8.5" blade. The Old Town that I have has a pear shaped grip.

White and Old Town each offered paddles with both style grips in a broad variety of blade widths, lengths, and woods. The 1911 White and 1978 Old Town catalog pages below confirm this.

Benson

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

A buddy of mine has a S&T Guide in Ash and, it’s sooo much paddle. It’s quite nice but I don’t think I could use it for any extended period. A little unfairly, we sat around the campfire joking about how “Even Paul Bunyan couldn’t paddle this thing.”

I agree.

At the WCHA Assembly two weeks ago, a pair of "Maine guide" paddles made by Alexandra Conover were auctioned off. I think they went for $400. I inspected these paddles quite closely by eye and hand before the auction.





I shared privately that I thought they were the worst paddles I have ever handled and that I would never paddle with them. That was not a comment about their craftsmanship or beauty or value to a collector. It was a comment about their WEIGHT. In absolute terms, I wouldn't be surprised if each paddle weighed more than 40 ounces. Worse, the paddles were so BLADE HEAVY as to be, to me, absurdly unwieldy.

Except, probably, for one thing. Alexandra Conover paddles with those Bunyans using a specialized stroke that has been called the "Northwoods stroke." I've seen Rollin Thurlow use the stroke, too, and we have a whole thread on that stroke elsewhere. The video of Alexandra posted by @alsg above illustrates why the paddle's absolute and imbalanced weight is not unwieldy when using the "Northwoods"-type stroke. I'll repost that video from the beginning:

You can see that Alexandra balances (and slides) the weight of the paddle on the gunwale, which she uses as a levering point. Other paddlers who use the stroke, such as @Mark Z, have told me they lever off their leg from the sitting position. Since wood floats, there is not much weight on the gunwale or leg. In addition, Alexandra uses an in-water slice return (aka Canadian return, aka Guide stroke return, aka Knifing-J return). Thus, the weight of the heavy blade and paddle is buoyed up by the water throughout most of Alexandra's stroke. She only briefly lifts the paddle out of the water for the next catch.

I can understand the use of such a paddle with the Northwoods paddling technique, but I don't use that stroke as my primary stroke, and when I do, I still would prefer a much lighter and more balanced paddle.

 

[Boatman53]

Well I just had a good laugh at myself. When I saw that pic of your paddles I thought to myself I’ve got one just like that on the far right, a big Old Town with the label. Up thread I said I’d take a new pic ‘cause I couldn’t find my old group pic of my paddles and lo and behold I don’t have that paddle anymore. I must have sold it to you at the assembly those couple years ago. Anyway here are my three users.

The tall one I bought in 1970 from Shaw and Tenney it was marketed as a guides paddle.
The other two came with various canoes I’d bought and sold but the paddles stayed.
From left to right the lengths are 66 1/2”, 68”, and 72” the blades left to right 6 1/2”, 7”, 7”.
Jim

 

[lowangle al]

What I see in Alexandra's stroke that helps with the weight is that she doesn't move her lower hand much. Her upper hand moves back and forth a lot and the lower one acts like the fulcrum, aided by the gunnel and her hip possibly. I'll sometimes paddle that way, especially with a heavy paddle. I prefer a stroke where both of my hands are moving on the same plane, like when throwing dirt with a shovel. Her way would be much more sustainable over the long haul, especially with that paddle.

Don't judge all Maine Guide paddles by the ones in the auction. My OT one is cedar or some other soft wood and is very well balanced. I don't know the weight off hand but I do know I'm pleasantly surprised whenever I pick it up. It almost feels hollow. Anyway, it's just a tool in your quiver, most days I don't even use it. When you do need it though it will deliver more power and acceleration then any other paddle, and this is why the Maine Guides used them.

 

[Benson Gray]

The link below has more about Alexandra Conover's paddles and her ideas about blade tip design which contribute to the lack of balance.

Benson

The Living Legacy of the North Woods Paddle | Maine Boats Homes & Harbors

Photographs By Donnie Mullen

maineboats.com

 

[lowangle al]

That was a good article Benson, thanks for posting. I'm glad her design lives on. I wonder if it's the same guide model listed on their website today with the 8.5 inch blade. I spoke with Sam at S&T a few times and he's a nice guy but I was disappointed in the paddle I ordered from him. I have two S&T paddles that came with my 20' EM White built in the late 90's and assume the paddles were from the same time. They are cherry and are reasonably light with a very fine blade and good flex. I wanted the same type paddle for my wife in 57 inches. When the paddle arrived it was heavy and clunky with a thick blade, beefy overall and stiff. When I spoke with Sam about it he said the carver takes off as much wood as they can without compromising its strength. It's up to the carver, there is no set standard as far as blade thickness. To be fair I have also handled other makers paddles in cherry that also felt heavy and stiff while their ones in a lighter wood felt fine. For me it was a lesson learned. I'll never buy another paddle sight unseen unless I can get a weight on it.