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Red River Paddles are based upon time-proven traditional designs. These designs have evolved, and continued to be used for one simple reason: they work very well. Being neither too big nor too small, neither too long nor too short, neither too wide nor too narrow, a good traditional straight shaft paddle blade is sized to provide all day paddling efficiency.

How do you choose the right blade for you? The differences in blade design are originate more on a cultural basis than a performance basis. Fundamentally, each of the above blades will perform equally well, with some slight "personality" differences.

Therefore, your choice should be primarily based upon your taste.

The Beavertail and Malecite blades originated along the East Coast of North America, centered in the areas of Maine and New Brunswick. The Voyageur blade has its origins in the Cree and Algonquin areas. The Ottertail seems to be a more modern development, almost a hybrid of the rounded Beavertail and the straight-sided Voyageur. The Ottertail has become the standard straight shaft paddle blade in Ontario.

With slight variations, traditional blades are about 6" wide and 27" long, tip to throat. The throat being the zone where the blade becomes the shaft. These are the dimensions of the most popular Red River paddles. The Malecite is similar to a Beavertail, but is longer at the tip. Regardless of the dimensions, it is the surface area that determines the size of the paddle.

The first determinant in sizing the blade is the width. Your body size and strength should the main determinants of the blade width that you choose. Unless you are Superman or Supergirl, we mere mortals will find that 7" is the practical width limit for a touring blade. Blades wider than this have a tendency to "flutter" as power is applied. This is the result of water piling up on the blade face and not having a clear flow off. If the paddler is not strong enough to overcome this, the water slips off of the blade face unevenly, a little more on one side, then the other. Additionally, while doing any underwater work with the blade, such as rotating the paddle along its axis during a sculling stroke, the wide blade will resist rotation to the limit of your strength. For these reasons, a 6" width has developed as the optimal width for traditional touring blades.

While many contemporary paddlers like to use the "Sit and Switch" style of paddling, using Bentshaft paddles, a very high stroke rate, and short blades which don't bang into the canoe while switching, the dynamics of the traditional touring stroke allow for a longer blade length. The stroke rate is a little slower, the entry of the paddle into the water is a drop from the side, and correction strokes are used to keep the canoe on course. A longer blade, about 27", allows for a greater reach and leverage effect while using sweeps or "J" correction. The longer blade reaches deeper into the water during the power phase of the stroke, and as a result either the mechanics of deeper water or simply the leverage of the longer blade, the water behaves more solidly resulting in greater thrust in moving the canoe forward.

It is important during the stroke, that the blade be fully immersed in the water. If it isn't then air is sucked into the water behind the blade. This is called "Ventilation", and results in a loss of efficiency of the stroke. A blade with a tapering shoulders, such as a Beavertail, is very accommodating and virtually assures the elimination of ventilation.

The Freestyle blade is a modern development that has been concurrent with the development of modern Freestyle paddling in the the United States. Typically, this kind of paddle is used in small, lightweight, solo canoes which are easy to move through the water. Many of the paddle placements are static rather than dynamic. As a result, the blade needs to be wider to "catch" more water. This is in contrast to a touring stroke, or the use of a traditional blade in Style paddling, where the paddle placements are dynamic rather than static. A static placement is one where the paddle is held in place and the movement of the water past the blade acts upon it. A dynamic placement is one where the blade is moved through the water increasing the speed of the movement of the water acting upon the blade. An Axle would be a example of a static placement, whereas a draw would be an example of a dynamic placement.


Standard Beavertail	Medium Beavertail	Voyageur	Ottertail	Malecite	Freestyle