Tell me about your favorite paddle

[Jonas Sjöblom]

Hello! In a few weeks I'm starting my final project at a woodworking course. My plan is to make 10 canoe paddles in ash (already got the wood). Most likely by one design, maybe two. The goal with the project is to learn how to work efficiently and hopefully make some money at the same time.

But I haven't decided on the design yet, so I'd like to hear about your favorite and why you like it.
Things like material, blade type, shaft length, grip, balance, weight, finish, age and the paddle's history. Everything is of interest And of course what you use it for. If you got pictures that would be awesome too!

 

[Canotrouge]

No Title

I made a paddle for my self last summer, It starts out to be a paddle for sell, but turned out there was a tight knot in the shaft, so turned out I couldn't sell it anymore, but decided to keep it and test it. The style is my own, but inspired from a Tête de Boule first nation. The paddle is Sitka Spruce, my wood of choice, it is light, yet stiff. I reinforce the tip of my paddle with a cross piece of White Ash that is epoxied in, in the form of a bridle joint.

The blade length is 32" x 6" at the widest that is the bottom of the blade. The shaft is about 18", 1 1/4" x 1 1/8" oval in X section. The grip is about 12" long and 3" wide. I love the grip, it makes for a very diversify grip position. So total length, 64". I'm 6'2" with a wing span of 79". this paddle is used for every thing other than shallow whitewater runs. So As long as there is water I use it. Even on class II III whitewater.

The finish is not what I usually use, I did put epoxy on the entire paddle over some milk paint, and the epoxy didn't soaked in as much as I wanted. Usual finish schedule is a few coats of boiled linseed oil, followed by multiple coats of good quality spar vanish, at least on the blade, some time the shaft just get the oil treatment, and in that case, I finish with tung oil.

So far the knot in the shaft as not crated any problem and that paddle as been put to some test. It was my main paddle for my moose hunt.

So the reasons I like it are. The blade size seams like a good shape for soloing a large loaded canoe. It seams to work good in shallow water since the blade carry its width at the bottom of the blade. I like that grip style for its versatility, comfort and look.
The weight is one of my favourite aspect, I used all kind of paddles, made of all kind of wood, from cherry to walnut, Ash, and a combination of all of these wood, but Sitka is my favourite wood with yellow cedar.

Cheers

 

[cflcanoe]

My favorite paddle is going to get me a lot of heat here in the land of the animal tail paddle. Think beaver or otter. But to my way of thinking and paddling there is not much better than a Bending Branches bent shaft with an epoxy tip that goes pretty far up the sides.

Epoxy tips protect the wood when the paddle must be used in shallow water with a sandy bottom. Long narrow blades will never get enough "bite" in these low water conditions. Oval shaft for comfort. Bent as I came in to canoeing the Jensen way. Hit and switch. Hard to hit and switch with a long blade or shaft. To my way of thinking this is the most efficient use of my muscle power. Energy cyrsis? Dang right and its in my muscles. Yes I took a few white water lessons and hung out with the Lotus canoe (freestyle) gang down here in Florida. Can draw, pry, J stroke, faerie and do a few other strokes. Hit and switch just gets me away from the civilization with its sport boat kayaks (crowds) the fastest/with least effort. To were we wish to slow down and just be in the wild. Just got to love bent shafts used with a pocket cruiser. A match surly made in heaven.

Any way light weight, durable, comfortable and efficient is what I look for in a paddle. Utility not art work. Pear grip shaped and fitted for flat water. T grip for white.

 

[Canotrouge]

If we are talking sit and switch( I guess that's how we call it in canada) The paddle by excellence is a Levasseur paddle, 7oz, super efficient super tough(way tougher than anything else on the market) that get you from point A to point B in no time... But really not my choice anymore....

As for tip, the paddle in my post above, have seen 4 days of shallow sandy/gravelly bottom, and it look like new.

 

[Philtrum]

My favorite paddle is going to get me a lot of heat here in the land of the animal tail paddle. Think beaver or otter. But to my way of thinking and paddling there is not much better than a Bending Branches bent shaft with an epoxy tip that goes pretty far up the sides.

I get that. There are those who say a double bend is even better, and for all I know they may be right. For flatwater use, I like my Bell/Mitchell 10* bent. It has a wooden shaft and a dished graphite blade. Weight is abut 18 oz., and it's blade-light so I hardly even notice I'm using it. People crow about their all-carbon, lighter-than-air paddles, but I can't see departing from wood.

For moving water and general maneuvering I like my Grey Owl freestyle paddle. I also have a Sanborn paddle that I really like, given that I put in many hours correcting its problems.

 

[Guest]

I am a kneeling solo paddler. Even though I have had expensive,custom built straight paddles,my favorite is a Bending Branches Espresso Plus. (I don't like the fu fu name)I use it almost exclusively except for rock bashing. I like it well enough to buy a second in a longer length for a higher riding canoe.
Turtle

 

[stripperguy]

I have many 15[SUP]o[/SUP] bent shafts, all homemade. Most are 48" in length, with 8" x 20" blades. Blades are stripped (of course) with 3/16" cedar sanded eventually to 1/8" thick, shafts are SYP. Blades and lower shafts are laminated with 4 oz cloth, epoxy resin. Tips vary, some are commercial grade G10 ( 1/8" fiberglass board) or phenolic. The phenolic tips look better, but there is no functional difference between them. Some of these paddles are now more than 30 years old, all are holding well up to severe use.
I have some old Al Camps, later rebranded as Mad Rivers, that delaminated in 5 years time, but mine are aging nicely.
Oh, almost forgot...all of my homemade paddles weigh about 13 oz. They snatch nicely and have no wobble, and just enough flex in the shaft to avoid tendonitis in my elbows.
When I get home, I dig around for some photos, too difficult to attach photos from here at work.

 

[red langford]

Nothing exciting here, 61" Grey Owl Cherry Otter Tail paddle. I carry a second traditional square ended paddle as well when I get in to shallow or rocky waters and I have tried bent shafts but seem to enjoy my economical Grey Owl paddle.

 

[snapper]

I guess my "favorite" paddle is the one I grab when going out. I really enjoy using my long otter type paddle I made in a workshop led by Caleb Davis years ago but I also use my old Al Camp bent shaft quite a bit as well. Add to that my old Camp straight shafted paddle and the new We-No-Nah carbon fiber blade (10 degree bent shaft for touring) I picked up last summer when I purchased a used Placid Boat Works "Shadow" and you have my current arsenal of paddles. A bunch more are stored in the barn but they come out only as loaners at this point but I really do use the 4 paddles I've mentioned quite a bit throughout a given season.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.

snapper

 

[Robin]

I like my 57" ash beavertail, used to use a 63" but found the 57 more comfortable as I age. I like the grip shown in the picture, it fits my palm nicely and is smooth as silk from use.
This one came from an closed down kids camp inventory, I just had to sand the numbers off. $25.
I never could get used to much of anything else, bent shaft, non wood, different grips, the flashy pictures in Canoe Magazine got me to buy a few but they never where favorites. I like to look at old first nation type paddles, but wouldn't be able to get used to them out on the trail, those flat handles are not for me(but I don't mean to put them down, just not for me).

 

[BWCA66]

My favorite paddle is one with a 7-8 degree or half bend. Gives you a combination of the extra power from a bent shaft but allows more of the control of a straight shaft. Also, needs to be wood for me.

 

[Philtrum]

I am a kneeling solo paddler. Even though I have had expensive,custom built straight paddles,my favorite is a Bending Branches Espresso Plus. (I don't like the fu fu name)I use it almost exclusively except for rock bashing. I like it well enough to buy a second in a longer length for a higher riding canoe.
Turtle

Ditto on that. I bought a Black Widow (the Espresso's original name) when they first came out. The shaft's grain was angled and it split diagonally. Bought another one and I love it, especially after reshaping the grip. At 18-19 ounces it's an all-day paddle.

 

[Guest]

Forgot to mention that I also modify the grip. I have reshaped all my paddle grips to a pear shape to ease palm rolling which I do a lot with an in water recovery.
The Expresso Plus is light and pretty and most of all feels good in the water. I bought one of them as a scratched blem and the other on a closeout-remarkably reasonable.
Turtle

 

[Jsaults]

I will agree with philtrum on the Bell/Mitchell bent. Super quiet on entry and exit, stable in the water, and cool to look at. And like Turtle I always modify the grips anywhere from a little to a lot.
BTW, I sit exclusively.
Jim

 

[Jonas Sjöblom]

Thanks this is a lot of nice input. I see alot of you are using bent shafts. I will however make straight paddles.
What is it that you modify on the grip?

 

[Philtrum]

I modify grips for three purposes: (a) to provide more curvature for my thumb and (b) the palm of my hand, and (c) to provide a flat area for the flat of my hand when J-stroking.

 

[Alan Gage]

I know it's not what you're looking for but since you asked:


20150219_001 by Alan Gage, on Flickr

I sure do like my carbons, both bent and straight. Can't pick a favorite. Depends what boat I'm in and what I'm doing. I find the standard palm grip quite comfortable. Thought I'd like having the T grip on the longer straight but I don't much care for it. One of these days I'll reshape it or else see if I can remove the grip and make a new one.

The straights (top) are 54" and 56". The bents (bottom) range from 46" to 53". The 46" is left over from when I still had kayaks so doesn't really have much use anymore. The 49" is what I use most of the time in my solos. The longest bent is an old Black Bart made by Bruce Barton back in the 80's that came with an old J boat I picked up. I haven't used the double blade in years and was going to sell it but my dad's grandson is starting to like canoeing and really likes the double so I guess I'll have to keep it.

Alan

 

[stripperguy]

Here are few views of my home made bent shafts
Apparently, I'm either using my paddle, or taking the photos of everyone else, I had to struggle to find photos of the my paddles.
If you look closely, you can see the phenolic tips. All of the paddles have held up real well, and cost about $30 each to build!

 

[charlie wilson]

The best ever straight blade paddles were Craig Quimby's and Pat Moore's, both NLS. Their successor is Cricket paddles, similar, very good, sticks at about half the price. Check out their web site. At a price point, I like Gray Owl's Fleetwood. All have lots of wood pieces glued together with sloped shoulders, rounded tips, perfectly faired camber and larger grips.

 

[Jonas Sjöblom]

So, it seems most of you like laminated paddles. Is there a reason you prefer that? The pros I see is that a laminated is easier to balance and you get strength where it's needed. But I belive you lose a bit of the flex.