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"There is magic in the feel of a paddle

and the movement of a canoe,

a magic compounded of distance,

adventure, solitude, and peace."

-Sigurd Olson

With a custom made paddle, there are many options to choose from. In fact, the choices may be overwhelming. Time, experience, and customer choices have helped limit these choices to manageable proportions. This process has determined our selection of Standard Paddles. In addition to our line of standard paddles, we also offer a selection of Specialty, Historic, Custom, and Presentation paddles.

Which paddle is right for you? Only you can rightfully say. We do our best to provide enough accurate information for you to make an informed decision

The Beavertail is also available in a large size, 7" x 32" . To see how it compares to a standard size Ottertail, click here.

Cherry is the standard and preferred wood that we use for our paddles. It is strong, lightweight, supple, and has a tight grain structure. It is also very beautiful with a rich ochre colour which deepens over time. Birch also makes a very nice paddle, and is preferable when a single piece paddle is desired, due to its dimensional stability. Other woods, such as Walnut, Ash or Maple are also available. Maple is sometime available in exotic grain patterns such as Bird's Eye, or Curly also know as "Flame".

It is often debated whether a single piece or laminated paddle is preferable. Single piece paddles are the choice of die-hard traditionalists, and when it is important to minimize production time. Their drawbacks include requiring large pieces of high grade lumber stock resulting in more waste, and a higher susceptibility to warping, twisting, and splitting. Laminated paddles are very stable and are unlikely to warp or twist. Laminating allows for a more efficient use of valuable wood resources, and for control of the wood grain in the paddle. We use a high performance Polyurethane glue in our paddle making.

Red River paddles are laminated with a single piece shaft, with the grain oriented so that it is perpendicular to the blade, this provides maximum strength for any given dimension and to minimize the weak-spots that are the result of grain "runout". The shaft pieces are cut from oversize stock and allowed to acclimate in the shop. This allows for any internal wood tension to be released. Any warping and twisting that the wood is likely to go through, happens at this time. Only once the shaft piece is stabilized, is this all important piece of wood milled straight. Thereafter, it will remain straight. Standard shaft dimensions are 1" wide and 1 1/8" thick. Larger dimensions are available on special order.

The blades pieces for the paddles are cut from a single piece of thick wood in "Bookmatch" fashion, so that the grain patterns are mirror images of each other. The pieces for the blades, shaft, and grip are arranged so that there is good colour uniformity between them. The result is not only strikingly beautiful, but strong, durable, and dimensionally stable as well.

To stand up to the normal wear and tear, the tip of the paddle is reinforced with both a fiberglass spline and an epoxy tip. These are patterned after the old copper tip protectors. We normally pigment this tip black, but any colour may be specified.

All paddles are first given a sealer coat of epoxy on the blade, and then a sealer coat of Spar Varnish over the entire paddle. After fine sanding, the blade receives a further four coats of varnish. Finish for the blade is available in either satin or high gloss. The shaft and grip receive 2 coats of Tung oil for a smooth, comfortable, blister reducing finish. As a finishing touch, every paddle is individually numbered and dated within the logo.