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The Elusive Carbon Beavertail

Dagger

Dagger

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I kneel when I canoe, and I have used wooden, straight shaft paddles...so far. I gave my wife a carbon bent shaft paddle for Christmas. She sits while canoeing, and a few (not canoeing related) shoulder injuries ago, it became difficult for her to swing a wooden paddle all day. On a recent outing she let me try her new paddle, and I have to say I liked it more than I wanted to. A lot more if I am honest. I still used it kneeling, and I didn't find the 10° blade angle weird for my J-stroke. I am considering buying one for me now. I only have about 10 paddles, so it is time to add a little diversity anyways :).

The one thing I would change if I could, would be the blade shape. I much prefer the beavertail design over the carbon paddle typical Sugar Island style. I don't care if the SI style is more efficient. I don't race and I don't sit and switch. I'd also prefer it to be straight shaft. Ok that's two things I would change.
I know Wenoanh sells the Black Light Straight, but it is not a beavertail.

Does anyone here know who sells or makes a carbon beavertail, or custom carbon canoe paddles?
 
You can't change the shape at ZRE but you can get a variety of widths (as well as straight shaft). Maybe fewer square inches of blade surface would give you a better feel?

Alan
 
You can also just order shafts and grips from ZRE and make your own carbon over foam blade. You might as well make two while you're at it and send me one.

Also, I think Werner just came out with a couple straight shaft paddles you might like, but they probably aren't as light a zav.
 
I am also interested in a light weight synthetic straight shaft paddle with a traditional blade shape in a 72 inch length. My shorter wood paddles are fine wieght wise but my 72" wood are either too heavy and tire my hands after about 45 minutes or they aren't strong enough for the forces of paddling standing. I am currently using an SUP paddle with a scoop type blade that is very light and great for power strokes but not good for something like the Indian stroke.
 
yknpdlr said:
Contact Gene and John Newman at Grasse River Boatworks from near the Canadian border in northern NY State.
http://www.grbnewmandesigns.com/paddles-and-accessories

I have a whole range of carbon bent shaft paddles from them that I use for racing, I am sure they can custom make a paddle to your specs, bent or straight.
Click to expand...

I just sent them an e-mail, asking if they could make a paddle for me (and/or others) and what the appr. price might be.
I'll report back as soon as I hear from them.

I checked out their canoes as well. Pretty reasonable considering the quality and material. They can build a 18.5' tandem at 35 pounds. Price is better or at least comparable with Swift or some of the other top end boats.

Thanks for sharing their contact YKNPDLR!
 
What do you use for wood paddles? I make sitka spruce paddle and some of them are just around 16-17 oz and that is with hard wood reinforced tip!
I know some carbon bent shaft are less than half that, I have a few of them, but I don't care for them any more. Most rec carbon are around 14 oz. so really not a big difference.... Anyway, just something to think about!
 
I really like the first paddlen I bought a number of years ago. Back then I paid $75 or so for a BB beaver tail. I found paddles that weigh less, like my Sunburst, but I never found one that I liked as much feeling and body mechanics wise. I believe that BB beavertail weihs 22oz.
My wife's paddle weighs 12oz I believe. You have some photos of your paddles you made? What is your favorite shape.

A few months ago I bought this paddle. http://www.barkcanoe.com/accessories.htm
It is made of Ash and weighs 35oz or so. If I ever need to kill a bear, or beat in some fence posts, that'swhat I'll use. It is massive and swings like a wet 2x4. However, I love the traditioanl shape and it is great for a slow to modest Canadian stroke. It is akwardly satisfying to paddle it at the speed it wants to be paddled.
 
No Title

So here are a few I made, from left to right, Birch 66" long, 26x6 1/4" blade, Big paddle, weight 35oz, my favorite blade shape... Second, sitka spruce 68" 25oz.
third paddle is also sitka spruce, and I don't make that style anymore. Fourth is a small sitka spruce with white ash reinforced tip, and weight in at 13oz that blade is the same style as the birch paddle, the style I prefer, this one is 25"x5.5" nice little paddle for a small adult.
Sitka spruce is light and stiff, but not super tough, so if you tent to abuse your paddle, don't expect them to last for ever, but if you care for your stuff, and paddle mainly deep water rivers or lake, then they could last you many years!!
 

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You do nice work Canotrouge!
I paddle almost exlusively flat deep water. At rare rivertrips I take an old cheap composit beater paddle for the shallow spots or work around rocks, and a nicer wood paddle for the slower, deeper sections.
 
A few months ago I bought this paddle. http://www.barkcanoe.com/accessories.htm
It is made of Ash and weighs 35oz or so. If I ever need to kill a bear, or beat in some fence posts, that'swhat I'll use. It is massive and swings like a wet 2x4. However, I love the traditioanl shape and it is great for a slow to modest Canadian stroke. It is akwardly satisfying to paddle it at the speed it wants to be paddled.[/QUOTE]

I have two of those ash paddles, both 72 inches and they are part of my self defence arsenal. It is a great tripping paddle for my needs but it is too heavy for when I'm out paddling (standing) for a workout and want to keep a fast cadence. They came unfinished so I decided to remove some wood on one of them to get the weight down.

The paddles I've carved are mostly white spruce, one is western yellow cedar and I don't have a problem with weight with them. I just would like the lightest 72" paddle possible with a traditional blade, preferably not bright blue.
 
Dagger said:
You do nice work Canotrouge!
I paddle almost exlusively flat deep water. At rare rivertrips I take an old cheap composit beater paddle for the shallow spots or work around rocks, and a nicer wood paddle for the slower, deeper sections.
Click to expand...

Thank you. And from what you say, there is no need for a hard wood paddle for most of your paddling! I've used yellow cedar and it is good to! But the lightest, but also the weakest, is Western red cedar... I'm thinking of making a paddle in the style of the birch one in red and yellow cedar, the blade will be really thin, but I would glass it over and have an protection(Dynel type stuff) on the entire perimeter!! I think it would make for a great tripping paddle that could do well in ww as well as flat!!
 
Dagger said:
I just sent them an e-mail, asking if they could make a paddle for me (and/or others) and what the appr. price might be.
I'll report back as soon as I hear from them.

I checked out their canoes as well. Pretty reasonable considering the quality and material. They can build a 18.5' tandem at 35 pounds. Price is better or at least comparable with Swift or some of the other top end boats.

Thanks for sharing their contact YKNPDLR!
Click to expand...
Received a reply from GRB Newman.

I appreciate them putting some though into it, and it is good to know they are quit there. I really like their canoes actually. However I might pass on the custome paddle. A 6° angle is almost straight but not quite, and if the blade weighs 10 -11oz, the entire paddle will weigh around 15 or 16oz once they put a shaft and grip on it. At that total weight I can probably find a more conventional straight paddle.
I'll post photos of the war canoe paddle as soon as they send me some.

Here is their e-mail to me.

"Thanks for the inquiry. The limitation when doing carbon paddles is you need molds to build them out of.
Once you have a design you want you make a plug and build a mold from it, a lot of up front time and cost.
Once you have the molds you can make a lot of the same blades but you can't alter the design. I do have
the molds to build a 6 degree bend and a little longer blade that can be cut to the width that you want. The
blade was designed to be used in the war canoes with a slower stroke rate and they are not trying to lift
the boat as we are in the racing canoes. If you are interested the cost would be $225 let me know the length
and the weight would be 10 to11 ounces"
 
Alan Gage said:
I might be wrong but I think they mean the total weight would be 10-11 ounces.

Alan
Click to expand...
I just weighed my 49 inch GRB carbon racing paddle - 10.5 ounces for the whole thing.

Funny thing - Gene never told me he made a shallow bend paddle just for voyageur racing. He knows I have raced a voyageur for nearly 20 years. But my team tends not to prefer that extra short choppy stroke technique anyway.
 
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