Woods

Ash makes a very tough, durable paddle.  It’s our most durable wood we offer. Due to the Emerald Beatles, Ash is starting to become more and more scarce and may become hard to come by in a few years. This is the best wood for the hardcore canoe tripper going on 50+ days of paddling a year. We only offer ash with a varnish finish, this is due to its very open and porous grainline. 

Maple is strong, flexible and results in a clean vibrant paddle. One of the more ideal woods for paddles, it’s light weight like cherry, slightly more durable than cherry but not as aesthetically pleasing as cherry. With the lighter colour wood the wood grain tends to be less prominent.

Cherry is the most popular choice of wood for a canoe paddle.  What makes Cherry so popular is its ability to be both strong, light and aesthetically pleasing.  Cherry paddles tend to have interesting grain pattern and at times small bits of black sap running through it.  Cherry boards cut near the bark also offer up multi tone patterns known as “sap wood”.  Over time the heart wood or red part of the cherry will darken with sunlight to a deep rich colour.

Walnut is a very aesthetically pleasing wood and is typically as light weight as cherry. Durable like cherry, but absolutely stunning color. Walnut is well paired with a Quill or Ray Special! Walnut is extremely costly so expect an up charge in paddle price. We currently only offer walnut in our Quill and Ray Special models.