Aviron Clement paddles

[Woodpuppy]

Can y’all shed some light on these paddles? I have 3 - 60, 58, and the third is much shorter and I don’t remember the length. It’s at my in-laws’ home.

They’re pretty light, but very thick shafts. Are these white water or just recreational?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Clements were historical Canadian paddles, once used by Everyman and Superman.

Bill Mason's Paddle: A Legend for Sale | Men's Journal

The highest bidder in today’s eBay showdown will walk away with a whitewater paddle used by canoeing legend Bill Mason, widely recognized as the grandfather of modern canoeing.

www.mensjournal.com

. . . canoeing legend Bill Mason, widely recognized as the grandfather of modern canoeing. During the 70’s and 80’s the Canadian canoeing icon produced a series of instructional books and videos (Path of the Paddle, Song of the Paddle) that have since become bibles of the sport.

. . . . Mason used a rotating cast of Clements . . . .

 

[memaquay]

I have one, the shaft is oversized because it is softwood. It was the standard tripping paddle for many of us "way back when". My mentor was so attached to his that he had multiple layers of fiberglass on the blade, the thing was a battle axe by the end.

 

[Woodpuppy]

These need some tip work. Either soaking in oil or sanding to wood and recoating with varnish.

 

[Gerald]

We used to buy them new and coat the bottom 2 inches with fiberglass so that they would last longer. Quite lightweight for the times. I still have one or two in the shed. Had them for almost 60 years.

 

[Woodpuppy]

One of the three has an excessively worn tip; it’s delaminating. It may be a candidate for some more aggressive rework, like taking the width down some as well as fixing the tip.

 

[Mike McCrea]

I didn’t mind the shaft diameter, but the square blades on Clement’s tee grip WW paddles were too much for my comfort.

https://www.canoetripping.net/threads/clement-paddle-shape.82167/#post-82175

 

[pblanc]

I have one gathering dust somewhere. They are OK. A reasonably decent wood paddle, nothing great.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Are these white water or just recreational?

To get back to this original OP question, my guess is that it was probably intended for whitewater, given that it is laminated for strength, has a reinforced tip, and seems wider than Mason's soft wood flat water Clement.

 

[Woodpuppy]

If they’re not particularly well loved or collectible, I shouldn’t feel bad about slimming the blade up and carving on the grip some, and scraping the varnish off the grip and shaft.