Bending Branches’ Explorer Plus Canoe Paddle
3-minute read + 2-minute video
The Explorer Plus wood canoe paddle is one of Bending Branches’ most popular paddles due to its reliability and ease of use in any flatwater paddling environment.
Whether your destination is your family cabin or a multi-day wilderness canoe trip, the Explorer Plus is an ideal paddle. It enables a powerful stroke and can take plenty of wear-and-tear.
How We Construct the Explorer Plus
Like all our canoe paddles, the Explorer Plus is hand-crafted at our Osceola, Wisconsin headquarters.
Its blade is constructed of basswood and roasted basswood. We use this very light and durable wood in two different shades to add visual interest to its design. The entire blade is edged with our super-tough Rockgard® protection that withstands heavy use. We then wrap the blade with four ounces of fiberglass, adding even more durability.
The straight shaft is made of 18 pieces of wood laminated together—our strongest wood shaft design. The Freestyle Palm Grip makes it easy to use either hand and use the paddle in either direction, while still providing plenty of control that’s comfortable on your hands.
Take a look at the video below:
Where to Use our Explorer Plus Canoe Paddle
The Explorer Plus is equally at home on a local lake for an hour or two, or in the Boundary Waters for a week of canoeing and portaging.
Like all our paddles, the Explorer Plus is known for its longevity. Some of our customers have used the same paddle for over 20 years of active canoeing.
Customer Testimonials
Here’s what a couple of our customers have to say about Explorer Plus:
Stephen from Louisiana said, “I’ve been wanting another Explorer Plus for a while, after my last one went missing. Worth every penny—one of my few wise investments made.”
Alex from Minnesota said, “My paddling partner uses a Java 11 and I could not keep up with the power of her strokes using my old beat up hand-me-down. I used the [Branches] chat to get some opinions on what paddle might help even us out…
“The Explorer Plus was recommended, and I have to say after a few trips I'm absolutely flabbergasted at the difference a good paddle makes. The control is so much better than my old paddle and the power it delivers seems impossible with how little strain it puts on my arms and shoulders.
“This paddle completely changed our canoeing experience in the best way possible. Thank you so much for the excellent communication and amazing products!”
How to Size and Where to Buy
There are a couple different ways to be sure you get a paddle that’s the right size for you:
- If you’re in a retail store with options in front of you, sit on a chair and place the paddle’s grip between your legs. For a straight shaft paddle like Explorer Plus, the shoulder of the blade (where it connects to the shaft) should be at your forehead.
- If you’re sizing from home, measure the distance from the chair you’re sitting on to your nose. That’s your torso size. Use the chart on this page to determine your paddle’s length based on your torso size.
To support a local shop that sells Bending Branches canoe paddles near you, use the Dealer Locator tool.
Or buy Explorer Plus directly from our website. Once you place your order, our team will get busy crafting your paddle and get it out to you as soon as we can.
Do you have paddle questions our friendly Customer Service Team can help you with today? Contact them: 715-755-3405 • [email protected]
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