Canadian Paddle maker

[yellowcanoe]

For you traditionalists who spurn glue and carbon

http://www.ocontopaddles.com/page/page/1666754.htm


Ray Kettlewell made beautiful ottertails.

 

[sweeper]

Thanks YC I'm looking at buying a couple paddles for next year. I'll keep these guys in mind.

 

[Bob B.]

I am lucky enough to have one of Ray's paddles. I also know Harlan and Hogan have one as well. They are truly well made and beautiful paddles.

Farmer (from this site) made a copy of my Ray Special out of Cedar ... Boy howdy - does he do a great Job!! If you are friends with Farmer, you might want to do a little horse trading with him ... he is pretty good!

Bob.

 

[yknpdlr]

Ray's got a great web site and looks like some wonderful paddles.
I'll throw in a shameless promo for another similar paddle maker south of the border. If you are closer to the central Adirondacks, check out Caleb Davis with his Tremolo Paddles shop in Long Lake. Caleb is a long time flatwater instructor and paddle maker. He runs paddle making workshops each summer at the Adirondack Museum and other places around the northeast US. I use a Tremolo ottertail and also a narrower willow leaf blade design. Both are high performance recreational paddles.

http://tremolopaddles.wcha.org/tremelopaddles/Welcome.html

 

[Mihun09]

Another small paddle maker is Douglas Ingram in Lorette, Manitoba. He has a blog from which you can read about all that is going on in his shop if you wish.

http://www.redrivercanoe.ca/p/paddles.html

 

[yellowcanoe]

Paddles seem to multiply in the shed every year. I have two Kettlewells ( one was given by a canoe store in CT in exchange for helping at a fall sale..they had a pile of them from the days when Kettlewell supplied Algonquin Outfitters) a Turtle, two Dog Paddles, two Tremolos ( one I made at Calebs paddle making workshop) a Hilton (most beautiful of them all but he died) a Red River, a Fox Works, an older paddle from a maker I forget name beginning with B and also a Quimby. I much prefer small volume paddle makers over mass produced ones. Also a Gil Gilpatrick one.