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- Feb 28, 2025
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This won't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen my posts around here, but this is going to be a bit long winded. If you don't like paddles, canoeing or pictures of canoe paddles; then what're you doing here???
Background:
Just yesterday after 3 years of on again off again searching I bought myself a Dri-Ki woodworking canoe paddle. This search started in earnest by complete chance after encountering a Ray Porter paddle with an information tag hanging on it in an antique store. I had just gotten my feet under me in terms of canoeing and was really coming into appreciating the finer details when it came to boats and paddles. I saw this paddle and picked it up and immediately was struck by the fine-ness of the thing. Unlike any paddle I had ever laid my hands on before. It was solid ash yet proportionately felt feather light. It balanced perfectly in hand, was broad thin and symmetrical with just a little bit of give when flexed against the carpeted floor. The tag read, "Paddle made by Raymond Porter 1922-2019 born in Grindstone Maine, 'Shin Pond Flying Service' lived in Patten Maine, 'Porter's Woodworking Business' pack baskets, canoe paddles, etc."
A few google searches showed the great history of the man and his works. Although I could not afford the paddle at the time I knew I had to have one eventually. (It was in fact this encounter with Mr Porter's fine work which inspired me to want to make canoe paddles on my own, still a long term goal of mine.) A few google searches later and I heard that Porter's Woodworking had gone out of business sometime during the 2000s, I had heard or read somewhere that there may have been a fire in Millinocket in 2005 but could be wrong. Not all hope was lost however, as a former worker from Porter's started his own shop under the name Dri-Ki and was making paddles in this elusive style.
Fast forward to today and after spending the last 3 months on and off attempting to make contact with Dri-Ki to get my hands on a guide paddle specifically I stumbled into Old Town Trading Post and saw a full rack of beavertails by none other than that elusive shop. I asked the kind clerk if they had any guide paddles and was told that they in fact had a stock of them earlier in the season but had since sold out. I left a sticky note with contact info and an order request for a guide paddle in hopes that they may be able to make contact with Dri-Ki, but bought the 60" beavertail to slake my desire for a fine Maine made paddle in the style of Raymond Porter.
Approximate specs:
I was too excited to get precise measures, but the paddle is 60" long.
While the blade is around 25" long
And its about 7" wide, keeping that width a healthy amount up the length of the blade before gracefully tapering into the shoulder/throat area.
The paddle is lighter than my own handmade ash paddle but still heavier than a bending branches beavertail in basswood.
It balances close to the throat and is more or less perfectly symmetrical as a canoe paddle needs to be. The shaft is thin and the grip is smaller than some modern paddles. This suits me quite well. The profile of the shaft is rounded and smooth, but not circular, the sides of the shaft are fairly straight with rounded over front and back profiles. Maybe it makes manufacturing a bit simpler, but it also provides a fairly positive grip despite the thinness of the area. The blade thins down to around 3/16" at the upper edges and is thicker, around 5/16" at the end of the paddle. The overall profile of the blade is fairly flat but is actually convex with a high center that gently tapers to the edges.
First Impressions:
I couldn't stop touching this thing. It's a work of art. Good wood grain and orientation, consistent smooth finish, overall just feels great in hand. I loaded it and my own ash paddle into the Penobscot and set out on the Union River. From the first stroke I knew this paddle was everything I could've ever hoped for. It is smooth and fast during in water recovery. It is quiet, rigid and moves a crazy amount of water. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't in fact have a whole lot of flexion during use on this outing as the initial appearance did have me worried it might feel flimsy while paddling. It takes very little input to provide directional corrections while underway. The huge blade just shovels water behind you. The knifing j (sometimes called the Canadian stroke) felt very natural with this paddle. Everything about it was 'just right.'
While I was out amongst the stumps on the Union, I saw a troublesome looking weather system moving in. Before I knew it the weather went from gentle ~5mph breeze to heavy downpour and 25mph gusts. Sheets of rain coming down, wind ripping the stillwater up into whitecaps like I'd never seen on this stretch of river. It was unbelievable. Yet with this absolute unit of a paddle I was still making headway. Not much mind you but enough to leave an impression of its performance in my mind. With the experience in mind I decided this paddle earned a name, as such I'm calling it 'Weathervane" as it kept me pointed into the wind no matter how badly it ripped and twisted at my boat.
An ominous view for sure, and it didn't disappoint.
As quickly as the weather set in it passed and the sky opened up as the sun began to set. From dreary grays and muddy browns to dazzling tones of sapphire and aquamarine the water was shimmering, transformed completely by a brief atmospheric tantrum. I took my time on the way back to the put in and was spoiled by the sight of many birds and a few deer who had come out in the twilight hours of the day.
I'm hoping to get a call about the guide paddle eventually but I am absolutely smitten with this thing as it stands. You can order the beavertails through their eBay store if you want one and don't happen to live in Maine. I'd recommend it to anyone who can appreciate a fine wooden paddle. I can't say for sure as I haven't made contact with Rick from Dri-Ki personally but during his interview with Downeast Magazine back in 2016 I got the impression that these won't be around forever. If you do get one it is a true product of passion, woodworking and canoeing tradition and is worth far more than what he's selling them for.
Background:
Just yesterday after 3 years of on again off again searching I bought myself a Dri-Ki woodworking canoe paddle. This search started in earnest by complete chance after encountering a Ray Porter paddle with an information tag hanging on it in an antique store. I had just gotten my feet under me in terms of canoeing and was really coming into appreciating the finer details when it came to boats and paddles. I saw this paddle and picked it up and immediately was struck by the fine-ness of the thing. Unlike any paddle I had ever laid my hands on before. It was solid ash yet proportionately felt feather light. It balanced perfectly in hand, was broad thin and symmetrical with just a little bit of give when flexed against the carpeted floor. The tag read, "Paddle made by Raymond Porter 1922-2019 born in Grindstone Maine, 'Shin Pond Flying Service' lived in Patten Maine, 'Porter's Woodworking Business' pack baskets, canoe paddles, etc."
A few google searches showed the great history of the man and his works. Although I could not afford the paddle at the time I knew I had to have one eventually. (It was in fact this encounter with Mr Porter's fine work which inspired me to want to make canoe paddles on my own, still a long term goal of mine.) A few google searches later and I heard that Porter's Woodworking had gone out of business sometime during the 2000s, I had heard or read somewhere that there may have been a fire in Millinocket in 2005 but could be wrong. Not all hope was lost however, as a former worker from Porter's started his own shop under the name Dri-Ki and was making paddles in this elusive style.
Fast forward to today and after spending the last 3 months on and off attempting to make contact with Dri-Ki to get my hands on a guide paddle specifically I stumbled into Old Town Trading Post and saw a full rack of beavertails by none other than that elusive shop. I asked the kind clerk if they had any guide paddles and was told that they in fact had a stock of them earlier in the season but had since sold out. I left a sticky note with contact info and an order request for a guide paddle in hopes that they may be able to make contact with Dri-Ki, but bought the 60" beavertail to slake my desire for a fine Maine made paddle in the style of Raymond Porter.
Approximate specs:
I was too excited to get precise measures, but the paddle is 60" long.
While the blade is around 25" long
And its about 7" wide, keeping that width a healthy amount up the length of the blade before gracefully tapering into the shoulder/throat area.
The paddle is lighter than my own handmade ash paddle but still heavier than a bending branches beavertail in basswood.
It balances close to the throat and is more or less perfectly symmetrical as a canoe paddle needs to be. The shaft is thin and the grip is smaller than some modern paddles. This suits me quite well. The profile of the shaft is rounded and smooth, but not circular, the sides of the shaft are fairly straight with rounded over front and back profiles. Maybe it makes manufacturing a bit simpler, but it also provides a fairly positive grip despite the thinness of the area. The blade thins down to around 3/16" at the upper edges and is thicker, around 5/16" at the end of the paddle. The overall profile of the blade is fairly flat but is actually convex with a high center that gently tapers to the edges.
First Impressions:
I couldn't stop touching this thing. It's a work of art. Good wood grain and orientation, consistent smooth finish, overall just feels great in hand. I loaded it and my own ash paddle into the Penobscot and set out on the Union River. From the first stroke I knew this paddle was everything I could've ever hoped for. It is smooth and fast during in water recovery. It is quiet, rigid and moves a crazy amount of water. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't in fact have a whole lot of flexion during use on this outing as the initial appearance did have me worried it might feel flimsy while paddling. It takes very little input to provide directional corrections while underway. The huge blade just shovels water behind you. The knifing j (sometimes called the Canadian stroke) felt very natural with this paddle. Everything about it was 'just right.'
While I was out amongst the stumps on the Union, I saw a troublesome looking weather system moving in. Before I knew it the weather went from gentle ~5mph breeze to heavy downpour and 25mph gusts. Sheets of rain coming down, wind ripping the stillwater up into whitecaps like I'd never seen on this stretch of river. It was unbelievable. Yet with this absolute unit of a paddle I was still making headway. Not much mind you but enough to leave an impression of its performance in my mind. With the experience in mind I decided this paddle earned a name, as such I'm calling it 'Weathervane" as it kept me pointed into the wind no matter how badly it ripped and twisted at my boat.
An ominous view for sure, and it didn't disappoint.
As quickly as the weather set in it passed and the sky opened up as the sun began to set. From dreary grays and muddy browns to dazzling tones of sapphire and aquamarine the water was shimmering, transformed completely by a brief atmospheric tantrum. I took my time on the way back to the put in and was spoiled by the sight of many birds and a few deer who had come out in the twilight hours of the day.
I'm hoping to get a call about the guide paddle eventually but I am absolutely smitten with this thing as it stands. You can order the beavertails through their eBay store if you want one and don't happen to live in Maine. I'd recommend it to anyone who can appreciate a fine wooden paddle. I can't say for sure as I haven't made contact with Rick from Dri-Ki personally but during his interview with Downeast Magazine back in 2016 I got the impression that these won't be around forever. If you do get one it is a true product of passion, woodworking and canoeing tradition and is worth far more than what he's selling them for.
