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Wood Paddles
- Thread starter dramey
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They are both quality brands. I do not think you would go wrong with either.
Making one is a very rewarding experience. I have been using the same one for 25 years. I have found it in eddies several times. I use it for a cutting board. It is a little heavy but the mahogany, ash and walnut stand up to the rocks. It has a flat blade for rocky rivers.
I am certainly familiar with the brands, but not with the specific paddles. For recreational straight wood paddles (not to be used for racing), I use a couple of different custom made paddles with blades shaved fairly thin and have sharp edges. Whatever you get, if you want to work on advanced strokes, be sure to get one with thin edges that will easily slice through the water. Blunt edges are just awful for fine control strokes, and are usually very heavy.
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The quality of either should be fine. I have a Wenonah Cormorant, which is a pretty basic paddle (I normally use bent-shafts, but wanted a basic straight, and they had them on sale at the time). That appears to be the only wood straight shaft they have. Bending Branches has a much wider selection. Once you start trying different blades, you'll find some designs that you like better than others regarding aesthetics, function, length, as well as materials. I have lots of bent shafts collected over the years of different lengths, design, and construction.
I strongly doubt Wenonah makes the wood paddles they sell, not that that makes much difference. The one straight shaft they have, the Cormorant, is very low end in price and would probably be considered an entry level paddle, which again may not mean anything to certain paddlers. It looks like a good generic rectangular (Sugar Island) shape. It's quite light at 20 oz., which I would like, but it probably wouldn't be the paddle for whitewater unless you are very experienced and have a strong backup paddle.
Bending Branches has a lot more models at higher price points, so it can be hard to say who likes what model better. It is a respected wood brand, as is Mitchell, FoxWorx, Sawyer, Gillespie and many one man shops. Paddle preference is a very personal thing, and most serious paddlers end up with quite a collection. Our 2017 poll indicated that the average paddler here owns 11-20 paddles.
Bending Branches has a lot more models at higher price points, so it can be hard to say who likes what model better. It is a respected wood brand, as is Mitchell, FoxWorx, Sawyer, Gillespie and many one man shops. Paddle preference is a very personal thing, and most serious paddlers end up with quite a collection. Our 2017 poll indicated that the average paddler here owns 11-20 paddles.
My collection of wood paddles, about 20, are all Sanborns but then I'm pretty biased. I have a couple of their prototypes and I think 7 different blade shapes along with some straight, 2 different bends and a couple 1 piece cherry besides all the laminated ones. All depends on which canoe I'm taking and what type of water I'll be paddleing.
I will add wind as another variable and go longer on a windy day.
That is fine. Wenonah does not make paddles. They buy from a manufacturer and rebrand them. Bell did the same with Grey Owl paddles. There are actually very few mass produced paddle manufacturers. Bending Branches Shaw and Tenney, Sanborn, Fox Worx, Mitchell
When you get into custom paddles like Quimby and Dog Paddle the reduced production means higher prices.
When you get into custom paddles like Quimby and Dog Paddle the reduced production means higher prices.
Wenonah says the Quetico is made by Grey Owl, another long-time quality manufacturer of paddles.
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