Crazy expensive paddles.

[Idiot Savant]

I think there is a lot to be said for buying cheap, rugged canoes and paddles, or buying the expensive, light ones second hand.
I wish I could do that more often. I often buy something really nice, and then hardly use it for fear of it getting banged up.
When I clicked on a link to XY Company paddles, I didn't expect to find what I did.
Sounds like something from a Roadrunner cartoon.
Instead, I found beautiful, interesting, crazy expensive paddles.

XY Company Products

XY Company Products

www.xycompany.ca

I'm kind of sorry I clicked on the link, because, now, I want one.
I really couldn't see buying one, unless I lived in Minnesota, which I don't.
But, the seed has been planted.

 

[ppine]

The best paddle solution is to make one for the job at hand. I like rivers, so I made a slightly beefy paddle out of mahogany and walnut with a white ash stringer down the middle. A friend glued up the blank. I shaped it with hand tools. It has stood up to rocky river for 25 years. It has been retrieved in eddies many times. I have some super duper fancy paddles that I bought at the Sawyer factory in OR. They sit in the den to admired but not paddled with.

 

[gumpus]

Well those XY paddles are certainly beautiful and interesting and expensive. Personally I would never order one because there are too many different ways to be potentially disappointed since wood paddles tend to have a lot of variation in weight and how clean/smooth they feel in the water plus the XY designs are unusual. But I'd enjoy test paddling one. I do find it a little suspicious that XY varnishes the grip since most high end manufacturers leave it unfinished or oiled...varnishing the grip makes it seem like a display paddle.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Not horridly expensive but I would want to handle them and examine them for balance and fit. I have spent more on Quimby and Dogpaddle paddles but I have seen them in person and they were custom made for me.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I currently have three wood paddles on order. A Fishell (with oiled shaft and grip), and two Bending Branches.
So, a modified otter tail, a whitewater and an ergonomic bent shaft. Covers a lot of bases. I consider $200 about my upper limit for a canoe paddle. That may change.
I've never had a wood paddle with anything other than a varnished grip. I'm interested to see how I like the oiled. If it's like a Danish oil finish, I'll like it. I finished a chair with Danish Oil and think it looks and feels fantastic.
I like my ZRE paddles, but nothing looks and feels like wood.

 

[yknpdlr]

Expensive, yes, but if I could try one and I liked how it performed with a large selection of strokes I like to do, then I could see spending the cash on one. How much do you spend on a high quality canoe with dreamy performance? A sizable fraction of that expense should not be thought of as too much to spend on a similarly well made paddle that will pair its performance with that of the canoe. I have spent a lot on several carbon fiber bent racing paddles, well worth it for what they do for me. I have also spent a lot on several custom made straight shaft wood otter tail paddles, not for racing, that my canoe tells me they do what it wants them to do.

 

[Gamma1214]

"beautiful"- yes. "interesting"- certainly. "crazy expensive"- I'd say so... "makes me want one"- not even a little bit. Even if I had entirely too much money, I don't think I'd be spending that much on a paddle but I'm not much for style.

$300 in the fuel tank can get me to some pretty nice spots.

 

[stevet]

Paid prices like that MANY years ago for my Quimby paddles. Never seen/used a better paddle so was satisfied to do it at the time. Still never used one I liked better for flatwater maneuvers.

 

[scoutergriz]

"beautiful"- yes. "interesting"- certainly. "crazy expensive"- I'd say so... "makes me want one"- not even a little bit. Even if I had entirely too much money, I don't think I'd be spending that much on a paddle but I'm not much for style.

$300 in the fuel tank can get me to some pretty nice spots.

I agree wholeheartedly, I see little difference in performance between a decent, mid range paddle and one of these! you can buy a decent Blackwater carbon fiber double bent for about $100 less, if you want wood, there's always the Sprite by Grey Owl for about $120, that's enough savings to allow a couple more trips.
I suspect most of these are bought for wallhangers...

 

[Idiot Savant]

I agree wholeheartedly, I see little difference in performance between a decent, mid range paddle and one of these! you can buy a decent Blackwater carbon fiber double bent for about $100 less, if you want wood, there's always the Sprite by Grey Owl for about $120, that's enough savings to allow a couple more trips.
I suspect most of these are bought for wallhangers...

Well, that was my point about there being a lot to be said for cheap, rugged canoes and paddles.
If I spent that much for a paddle, it probably would end up being a wallhanger.
These aren't just pretty, they look like they'd function very well, for some types of paddling. Personally, unless I'm paddling sit-and-switch, I prefer a straight shaft and even a flat blade. So, even if these were cheap, I might not use them a lot.
There isn't anything wrong with wall hangers, if you have the money. I'm probably rich enough that a $350 paddle wouldn't prevent me from paying for gas, but I'm poor enough that paying that much for something I didn't use would bug the heck out of me.

 

[kona]

I’ve been fortunate to come into a few exceptionally nice paddles that fit my body and boats and preferences for balance and in-water feel.

It is hard to go back to something less now. I’m still looking for one or two more and the bar is high and I expect the price to be proportional.

Wood is a gamble until you can lay hands but the payout can be incredible. The odds are much better with a handful of top builders, and it is hard to imagine them being fairly compensated for their investment of time, materials, and experience. Those folks don’t live forever.

Money comes, money goes. Life is short. One only has so many miles to paddle. We might as well enjoy the ride.