Wooden Canoe Paddles: Brawn + Beauty
6-minute read [Updated June 2024]
While modern canoe paddles are made from many quality materials, wood remains a favorite due to its strength and lightness. And one aspect of wood can’t be matched by man-made materials: its beauty.
We think wooden canoe paddles should be built to last—but also designed to look amazing. That’s why we put as much care into the aesthetic design of our wooden paddles as we do into the functional design.
We hear from customers all the time who use their Bending Branches paddle as wall art during the off-season!
How We Craft Our Wooden Canoe Paddles
We use lightweight and locally sourced basswood, roasted basswood, maple and red alder for our wood paddles. Each is handcrafted from start to finish, from our Twig Kids Paddle to our high-end performance paddles.
Each paddle is built-to-order. That means as soon as you place your order, a real person in our Osceola, Wisconsin factory will start to prepare your paddle. This saves on storage space and cuts down on waste.
All our wooden canoe paddles have Rockgard® tip protection and are doused in an industry-best marine varnish. Our touring paddles are wrapped with fiberglass for extra protection. They hold up year after year of active use—brawny AND beautiful!
FUN FACT #1: We found a local farmer who uses our waste sawdust as bedding for his livestock.
FUN FACT #2: To use some of our excess first-quality wood scraps instead of tossing them in the trash, we developed a sustainable wood paddle that uses these scraps in the blade—the Catalyst (more on that below).
Recreational Day Trip Paddles
Are you a recreational canoeist who spends your paddling time on day trips at the cabin or campground? Maybe on a slow-moving local river? Take a look at our line of entry-level and intermediate recreational paddles. These are priced from $109.95 to $149.95 (2024 prices):
The Loon and Traveler wooden paddles are perfect for beginners and casual canoeists. They feature solid basswood shafts, comfortable grips and blades made from basswood and maple, or basswood and red alder. They’re both tipped with our patented Rockgard® protection for durability.
The Beavertail is designed with the classic long and narrow blade shape of the traditional canoe paddle. It features a solid basswood shaft with a red alder and basswood blade, tipped with Rockgard®. The freestyle palm grip is comfortable and versatile. It’s the perfect choice for paddling on flat, deep water.
The BB Special and Arrow paddles are a step up from the others in our Day Trip line. They feature laminate shafts that are slightly more durable than shafts made from one piece of wood. The blades are made from red alder, basswood and maple and tipped with Rockgard®. They’re essentially identical except the BB Special has a bent shaft (it’s our most economical bent shaft model) and the Arrow has a straight shaft.
Sustainable Wooden Canoe Paddle
The Catalyst is our extra-sustainable recreational wood canoe paddle we build from scrap wood left over from our other paddles. Every Catalyst has a slightly unique blade pattern because each depends on the scraps we use. Available in a straight shaft and bent shaft version, these are tough as well, with full Rockgard® coverage and a fiberglass wrap. 2024 price is $184.95.
Longer Touring Excursion Paddles
If your canoeing adventures take you on longer trips in places like the Boundary Waters or the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, you’ll want to see our line of touring excursion paddles. These are designed for ruggedness, lightweight and efficiency. They also have the most striking patterns and contrast in the blade designs.
Our excursion paddles have 2-4 ounces of fiberglass wrap around the blades and most have 18-laminate shafts. These are priced from $169.95-$269.95 (2024 prices):
The Expedition Plus is our toughest canoe paddle. We apply our Rockgard® protection around the entire blade edge and 6 inches up the shaft. It’s designed to be a heavy-tripping paddle and can handle up to Class III whitewater. Its blade is crafted of red alder, basswood and roasted basswood. The Power T-Grip ensures precision steering.
The Sunburst 11 and Sunburst ST are gorgeously crafted of red alder, basswood and roasted basswood in a sunburst pattern, then edged completely with Rockgard®. The shafts are made from aerospace-grade T-700 carbon, making them our lightest wooden canoe paddles at just 17 ounces. Sunburst 11 has a bent shaft and Sunburst ST has a straight shaft. Both have a comfortable and effective grip that’s a blend of our Palm and T-Grips.
The Viper features a unique double-bent shaft for supreme comfort when paddling on long trips. The blade is a beautiful blend of basswood and roasted basswood, fully edged with Rockgard®. It’s our most durable bent shaft canoe paddle—and the most comfortable.
The Java 11 and Java ST round out our excursion wooden paddle collection with their eye-popping pinstripe blade of basswood and roasted basswood. The solid basswood shaft helps make them our lightest all-wood canoe paddles and the Freestyle Palm Grip makes them highly versatile on the water. The Java 11 has a bent shaft while the Java ST has a straight shaft.
The Explorer Plus and Cruiser Plus 11 are our most affordable touring canoe paddles.—but that doesn’t mean they’re wimpy! The straight-shaft Explorer and bent-shaft Cruiser feature hefty blades of basswood and roasted basswood, fully edged with Rockgard® and wrapped with 4 ounces of fiberglass. Their Freestyle Palm Grip is both super comfy and versatile.
Wooden Canoe Paddle for Kids
Do you have kids who love to paddle, too? We’ve got a paddle just for them! Take a look at the Twig, specifically designed for the young ones. It’s tough enough to last through your whole family and be handed down to the grandkids. Our 2024 price is $89.95.
The kid’s T-Grip makes it easy for small hands to hang on to and maneuver. And the basswood/roasted basswood blade is tipped with Rockgard® just like the grown-ups’ paddles.
Solo Canoeist Wooden Paddle
If you prefer to go solo with a double-bladed paddle, the Impression Solo is the wooden canoe paddle for you. It has a solid basswood shaft with a snap-button ferrule that offers a 0º or 60º feathering option. The blades are a beautiful red alder and basswood combination, edged at the tip with Rockgard®. Our 2024 price is $284.95.
Many solo canoeists prefer a double-bladed paddle in rough conditions like wind and waves. It’s easier than constant corrective strokes and switching from side to side. The Impression isn’t just a kayak paddle sold to canoeists—it’s designed as a solo canoe paddle.
FUN FACT: Canoeists who switch from a fiberglass or plastic double-bladed paddle to a wooden one especially notice the buoyancy of the blades. They almost pop out of the water on their own, making paddling a joy.
* * * * *
We’ve done our best to prove that wooden canoe paddles can be brawny as well as beautiful. No matter your skill level or canoeing goals, we have a paddle to match it. And when you’re off the water, it’ll serve as a lovely piece of art on a wall of your home or cabin!
Do you have questions about picking out a wooden canoe paddle? Give our Wisconsin-based Customer Service reps a call at: 715-755-3405 or by email at [email protected]
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