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I need to buy a paddle on the interweb

I say buy a light carbon bent shaft and carry your straight bruiser as a spare for moving water. Or maybe a wood shaft with carbon blade would give the needed shaft strength for pries but eliminate a lot of the weight, especially in the blade which seems to make the biggest difference.

I've got an old Black Bart I'd sell you cheap. I got it used with an old C1 racing canoe and it's too long and heavy for me. Looks to be pretty heavy duty and in good shape. 53" I believe. Probably 12oz. I think they're something like a 14* bend rather than the more standard 12*

“Too heavy…probably 12 oz”

I have to agree that our wood paddles feel awfully heavy when I switch from a carbon stick.

If you don’t have a carbon bent Take Alan up on that Black Bart. I had a foundling Black Bart years ago that sounds identical. It was too long for my uses and when I lent it to a friend he loved it so much I never asked for it back. It was a wonderfully light and responsive bent shaft and if I had it now I would think about cutting it down from 53” to 47 or 48 for the decked canoes and reinstalling the grip.

If a 12oz carbon piece of paddle history doesn’t interest you Alan can bring it out to the Chiricahuas some day and I’ll trade him bunk and breakfast for it.
 
Just had a look at the Echo Paddles. Very nice looking, but a little out of my price range. I've looked at quite a few independent paddle makers, they usually don't list weights for their paddles, and often concentrate on animal tails. The more I look, it seems to me that paddle selection for certain types is quite limited. There are a bizillion animal tale paddles out there in a wide variety of qualities, but the sugar island style is dominated by the space age composites.
Perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree.
 
You should just make one your self, with all the characteristics you are looking for!! Do it with well selected vertical grain spruce wood for the shaft, you could do 6 lamination, and incorporate these carbon lamination strips in-between lamination lamination 2 and 3 and again in between 4 and 5. if you use epoxy to glue everything together, you would have a shaft that would be light and strong!! Just an idea!!
 
Ha ha, well I am going to take Alan up on his deal, and maybe I'll re-think building my own straight shaft, although I'm going to busy as a two peckered rooster starting this Monday. Thanks for the input everybody!
 
There are a bizillion animal tale paddles out there in a wide variety of qualities, but the sugar island style is dominated by the space age composites.
Perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree.

There are a lot of branches on that tree between big manufacturers and small shops. I’d think someone must be making what you are looking for.

If part of your criteria is durability, strength for pries and general abuse and price point I’m not sure space age composite sticks are the answer. At least with a wood paddle I can sand it down, touch it up and even reshape it to some degree.

I’m back to the strength/durability & weight question. What are the best wood(s), laminated wood or one piece, shaft shape for strength and durability, blade-to-shaft transition, etc. Especially if spending the time and effort to DIY a custom paddle

You won’t regret the Black Bart.
 
Do not get a Sanborn paddle unless you want to do some serious rework.
Good luck.
Not sure what you mean by "serious rework", but I sure do love my Sanborn Minnesota paddle that I've had for about a year now, still in pristine condition and it's seen many rivers, lakes, ponds etc. OP, if you like handcrafted beautiful, extremely lightweight paddles check Sanborn. I have a vast collection of sawyer, old town and many other wooden paddles and I like the Sanborn best. Extremely nice guys too.
 
I had my hands on a Sanborn last weekend. Felt good, and I think the price was acceptable for the quality . Mid West Mountaineering had them, and a rep from Sanborn too.

Jim
 
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Not sure what you mean by "serious rework", but I sure do love my Sanborn Minnesota paddle that I've had for about a year now, still in pristine condition and it's seen many rivers, lakes, ponds etc. OP, if you like handcrafted beautiful, extremely lightweight paddles check Sanborn. I have a vast collection of sawyer, old town and many other wooden paddles and I like the Sanborn best. Extremely nice guys too.

I liked the Sanborn guys, too, and I'm determined not to badmouth them. But since you asked, I'll show you. I was able to fix everything but the bends in the blade.
 

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I never seen a Sanborn paddle in real life, but I have seen a lot of pictures and some videos, and I would't call them well finished paddles. In one of Philtrum picture above, the blade look thicker on one side than the other.... And all the other things he pointed out is just not good craftsmanship.
 
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I liked the Sanborn guys, too, and I'm determined not to badmouth them. But since you asked, I'll show you. I was able to fix everything but the bends in the blade.

Wow, are you really that picky about a paddle? I've never looked that hard at mine nor do I know what they weigh. Fascinating.
 
Phil, that is strange indeed since my Sanborn looks perfect, though most of the things you stated are somewhat minuscule, you gotta remember its handcrafted and won't be 100 percent precise like a mass produced paddle. I bet if you contacted them about the bends though they would help you out and most likely fix it for free.
 
Wow, are you really that picky about a paddle? I've never looked that hard at mine nor do I know what they weigh. Fascinating.

I picked it up on the way to a BWCA trip and got to know its personality quite well. The grip was the worst of its idiosyncracies.

I want to be clear, I'm not dissing Sanborn. They take great pride in the fact that they do handwork, not machinework like the mass-produced shops do. My point is that if anyone wants to buy a Sanborn paddle, be sure you can see it first. The same holds true for Sawyer, as I've indicated before.

As for weighing paddles, I do that for portaging purposes. I secure paddles in the bow, and it helps to know the weight of the things I attach to the boat. Bow-heavy portaging is no fun at all.
 
Phil, that is strange indeed since my Sanborn looks perfect, though most of the things you stated are somewhat minuscule, you gotta remember its handcrafted and won't be 100 percent precise like a mass produced paddle. I bet if you contacted them about the bends though they would help you out and most likely fix it for free.

I did contact them. They were willing to give me a refund, but since I'd already used it I felt I'd already accepted it and couldn't return it. I praise Sanborn's business practices but caution potential buyers to be careful.
 
I picked it up on the way to a BWCA trip and got to know its personality quite well. The grip was the worst of its idiosyncracies.

I want to be clear, I'm not dissing Sanborn. They take great pride in the fact that they do handwork, not machinework like the mass-produced shops do. My point is that if anyone wants to buy a Sanborn paddle, be sure you can see it first. The same holds true for Sawyer, as I've indicated before.

As for weighing paddles, I do that for portaging purposes. I secure paddles in the bow, and it helps to know the weight of the things I attach to the boat. Bow-heavy portaging is no fun at all.

We tend to jamb the paddles in beside the bow seat drops, possibly have a padded folding seat in the back and maybe a hidden water bottle in the seat pocket. I never know what the balance of the boat will be until I pick it up to portage. No science at all here, just pick it up and go regardless of balance.
 
My point is that if anyone wants to buy a Sanborn paddle, be sure you can see it first. The same holds true for Sawyer, as I've indicated before.

I tend to put paddles in the same purchase realm as PFDs and shoes and clothing. I want to see it, feel it, try it on, check the stitching, zippers and pockets. I’ve bought shoes and clothes on-line, stuff in the size, shape and materials that *should* fit and work for me and been disappointed.

The same goes for paddles, wood paddles especially. I have a couple of carbon paddles that are my go-to blades that are still being manufactured. Those I might trust to manufacturer’s composite consistency to order on-line, but there are some variables in “identical” wood paddles that I want to inspect first hand; especially the grain in a solid wood stick.

And for any paddle, I’d like to dry land stroke it, check the balance and flex (if any), see how does the grip actually feels in hand.

That latter part especially. I have slightly re-shaped the grips on several of our wood paddles, or sanded off a varnished grip and oiled it. heck, I’ve reshaped the blades on a few.

I admire those of you with the tools and skill to DIY a paddle and end up with something that comes close to those from manufacturers or small shop makers. I built a couple of solid Cherry blades in the old Nashwaak style and while they are beautiful, I don’t like balance or flex and they are heavy as heck; I almost never use them.

I also have a couple of paddles that woodworking friends with superior skills made. They are better than my attempts, but still not as thoughtful as our manufactured paddles, and they too largely stay on the racks.

Thinking about it I don’t ever recall paddling with a DIY blade that I really liked. I’ve seen on that I really liked, but that was a one-in-a-million grain anomaly.

I am lucky to have an outfitter an hour away that stocks hundreds of paddles from a variety of manufactures. If I didn’t I’d try to find some respected outfitter along the route of my travels and stop in for a road rest.

Well, ok, I do that anyway, just to see what the store and staff and selection (and prices) are like. There are some interesting paddlesport shops, some worthy of a repeat visit, although I have noticed that outfitters adjacent to popular paddling spots tend to be on the pricey side.
 
Not needing another paddle, it always gives me great pleasure to take a road trip break and fondle paddles at Blue Mountain Outfitters
 
I'm not sure what anyone means by a mass produced wooden paddle. All the "name" paddle makers in the US I've bought from and visited over the past 35 years have essentially been one man shops, perhaps with some part time helpers. The highest end wooden paddle makers are one man shops.

They lay up their paddles with their hands, using saws, glue, jigs, planes and sanding machines. They manipulate the paddles by hand when using these machines. No two paddles will be exactly the same, but they should be very close. Sometimes, though, there are clunkers.

I certainly agree that it's ideal to inspect wooden paddles before buying. However, that's not really possible for most folks, given the dearth of canoe stores. We all have to buy via Pony Express sometimes. I've had mostly good experiences buying that way.

I had a paddle custom made for me by Brad Gillespie. I gave him the dimensions and a paper pattern for the blade. We discussed the type of edge and tip material. I was very fussy about my specs for the grip, and he sent me a mock-up of the grip at no charge. I asked for some changes to the grip, which he made. His choice of woods was extremely aesthetic. The entire paddle cost less than some retail prices for other paddles. After using it for a season, I decided the blade was a little too wide, but that was the fault of my specifications.

Then I felt up the Marilyn Monroe of paddles . . . AKA carbon . . . and I decided to divorce wood for good. (Well, I still play around with them occasionally on the side.)

Tangentially, I've heard the best customized paddles can be self-made with nothing more than a German axe and a Mora bushcraft knife.
 
Tangentially, I've heard the best customized paddles can be self-made with nothing more than a German axe and a Mora bushcraft knife.

Good one! Maybe I'll wait till my first trip and build one in the bush.
 
Not needing another paddle, it always gives me great pleasure to take a road trip break and fondle paddles at Blue Mountain Outfitters

I was there a couple of days ago. As usual with a giant, accumulated over the past few months, list of stuff I needed to restock the shop.

G/flex. Screw buying those wee 4 ounce bottle several times a year, I got a 16oz set.

West 403 microfibers. Open cleat & closed cleat and carry handles for a coming decked boat rebuild. 2 inch ad 3/8 inch Minicel for ditto. Deck hooks, pad eyes, grommet straps and other oddball bits and pieces. Pretty much everydamn thing on my list.

I do try not to wander too close to the paddle racks; the selection is just too tempting to fondle. Even if I don’t need or want a new paddle, wow, there’s an hour gone by just oogling, feeling and touching.

I had planned a mid-day, mid-week visit to BMO and even so they were busy. That was good to see business-wise.

I know where most everything is and helped a few customers while I lingered; a guy dong an RX repair, and a fellow who had driven from the mid-west to buy one of the last RX Esquif WW canoes. Lucky dog.

I’ve not seen BMO’s like in terms of selection or expertise in visiting a couple of dozen paddle shops around the country. Plus BMO is housed in a historic train station on the west side of the Susquehanna from Harrisburg, near the intersection of I-81 and I-83.

http://www.bluemountainoutfitters.net/

It is a freaking gear festooned wonderland worthy of a detour, and I rarely get away without spending a couple hours list-filling and in general peruse of the outfitting shelves.

Outfitting stuff is where BMO really shines. No other outfitter I have seen has their depth and breadth of outfitting parts and pieces. And for non DIY’ers their repair and custom outfitting shop is as good as you’ll find. To wit, I think they were the only US shop trained and equipped to do Twin-tex work.

If nothing else have a spin of the small parts and pieces bit at the end of the counter. Bet you didn’t know you needed a couple of those. Maybe bet you didn’t know there was such a wee outfitting device.

Given a choice between the cursing the Jersey Turnpike and planning a route away from the east coast megalopolis along the Piedmont, BMO becomes a short and very sweet detour.
 
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