One more reason to bring a spare paddle.

[lowangle al]

I was out for a paddle this morning when I spotted a sheepshead mushroom at the base of a huge oak tree on the shoreline. I got out of the boat to harvest it.



After taking some of it I got back in the boat and pushed off. When I went to grab my paddle it wasn’t there. Looking back there it was leaning against the tree.

luckily I had a spare. This is at least the third time I’ve needed to use my spare in a year. Once I snapped one, the second time I was trolling and had a on. I laid my paddle across the gunnels and it slid off. And now today.
Its amazing how far away and how quickly you can get separated from your paddle. Always carry a spare.

 

[riverstrider]

Getting one's hands on a big Maitake is worth the risk of losing a paddle. My wife and I harvested three a couple nights ago, on a short hike. We roasted them...couldn't stop eating them, like mushroom crack lol!

 

[PaddlingPitt]

I always take a spare. It’s the rule. Have never had to use it. Kathleen and I, way back in 1989, found a paddle on the Klondike River. We still have it today. In 2019 we found a paddle on the Yukon River, just up from Five Finger Rapids. We gave it away to a guide leading a trip down the Yukon River. We already have more paddles than we’ll ever need. I sometimes wondered if the owners of those paddles remembered to bring a spare.

 

[Patrick Corry]

I take two... a beavertail and a skinny blade, both carved from the same piece of Cherry. I switch between the two depending on water depth. I'd hate to lose either one, but I can't imagine going out without two! Even on my local state park lake. I'd be embarrassed to have to ask for help getting back to shore if one broke. Before I did that I would hand paddle- not a reliable option for the backcountry though!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I always take at least two paddles, sometimes three or four on a day trip. None is the spare. All are primary. I simply like to switch off to different blade shapes, different bend angles and different materials (wood, carbon or hybrid) so as to make make my journey, long or short, more interesting.

Paddle variety is one of the spices of canoeing life.

 

[Sdrew22]

Yup. I always have at least three with me. It's nice to change it up.

 

[Clint]

I laid my paddle across the gunnels and it slid off.

I have done this in the middle of the night on a training run. Getting something out of my pack to eat and laid the paddle across the gunnels and off into the water it went. Those ZRE's float away quick! And it was winter time. Luckily I was with a group and they was able to snag the paddle and bring it back to me. Never again. It is amazing how such a simple misjudgment could end up in a not so good situation. Now paddles never get laid across gunnels and there is a spare in the boat.

 

[stevet]

Another example of “better to have and not need….” than vice versa.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I too am a victim often of gunwale slide when I take pictures. I have thought about not carrying a spare but on flatwater having a ping pong paddle tied to an accessible thwart. Hand paddling sucks.

 

[Odyssey]

Spare paddles can be integral as strung supports for tarps as well as ad hoc sails.
We always bring 3 for a tandem trip.

 

[Abenakiregion]

I also carry a spare and, in camp, I make sure they are leaned upright against something. Stepping on one in the dark could ensure the need for the spare.

 

[GRS Riverrider]

I only ever decided to take a single paddle once in my adult life. On that morning, I pushed off a shore with the paddle and the depths below grabbed onto it. With the momentum of the push it slid out of my hands jammed in rocks. Thoughts ran through my head in that moment... Oh no! Figures! The one time I don't have an extra paddle! So, scooping as much water as I could, shoulder deep, I slowly stopped the momentum and crept back. Any wind and I'd've been swimming back for sure. It was probably about 6*C out. Jacket sleeves and pants (due to bringing so much water into the canoe) soaked and cold. That was a dumb decision that day. I won't make that wrong decision again.

I also broke a paddle once. I've had a paddle slide off the gunnels while taking a picture at least twice with plenty of close misses. so, lots of good reason to bring the backup. It's an enforced regulation to have 1 extra onboard where I'm from (sometimes they're out enforcing) as well as a bailer, 50' rope, whistle, and PFD.

 

[scoutergriz]

I always bring a spare, although it's not actually used just for that. My favourite paddle is a cherry ottertail, but I also bring an ash beavertail or sugar island for high wind, heavy chop, or shallow waters

 

[Stillwater's]

Good reminders about the spare; I'd gotten a little casual about that. I've given up on laying the paddle across the gunwales; I always lay it down lengthwise in front of me, with the blade horizontal in the bow and the shaft on the thwart ( this is in my solo). Grip is right in front of me. I glued some foam pad down where the blade rests, and have some spare cord wrapped around the thwart to cradle the shaft. Keeps it from sliding around, and importantly for me, I can set the paddle down silently, and not disturb those times of perfect stillness.

 

[memaquay]

There is always the infamous "loon crap grab". This has happened to me a few times, while trying to use the paddle as a pole, pushing hard to get out of loon crap, and the paddle lodges firm. The canoe keeps going forward while the paddle stands proud in the loon crap, a testament to the frailty of human effort in the face of rancid, stinking Mother Nature.

Loon crap is always a good reminder for the necessity of spares, including shoes, pants and paddles.

 

[TrailBlaser]

When I take my Sawyer Autumn Mist I like to spend some time with a traditional paddle to maintain my strokes so I bring a double-blade and a single blade. The spare is stowed behind me, beside my pack (handle towards me for quick deployment if needed). When there are long carries I take my Hornbeck with only a double-blade.

 

[gumpus]

I always take at least one spare, typically just a second favorite paddle so I can switch if I want a change. If I'm paddling upstream on shallow rocky rivers I bring a spare that can take abuse on rocks. I've had a carbon fiber paddle fly out of my hands a few times and a couple times I've had the paddle jam in sunken tree limbs and get pulled out of my hands. I use short pieces of clear tubing to protect my wood gunwales from my vehicle's rack and they also help keep the paddle from sliding off when you set it down as shown in this pic I took today.