20 Best Wood Canoe Paddles (2022 Updated)

I purchased one of these oars for my husbands birthday. I only bought one to make sure it’s what he wanted. Well we were pleasantly surprised of the quality for the low price. I ordered a second one for Christmas! He loved the oar! It was so easy to order online and pick up at our local Walmart.

The delivery was fast! Thank you Walmart for making this a good experience!!.

Beautiful piece, everything the description said it would be, well worth the price. The only thing I did not like about the purchase was finding the small print on the sticker that says “Manufactured In China” But overall, I think it will be my new favorite, and I’d buy it again if the need arises.

Purchased two of the paddles not for sport but for potential use by preschool granddaughters for costume. My order was for in store pick up. Order arrived on time and the pick up process was quick and easy.

I was impressed with the quality of the paddles although I ultimately returned them.

Used this paddle as a base for a pyrography project for the Wounded warrior in action Foundation. I needed to sand off the finish in order to burn it with any toxic fumes. Worked great and will use again for other projects.

I bought the 2-1/2′ paddles for wall decoration. After I sand the finish off, I clean them up and painted five with the Scandinavian country flags. Turned out great and all for a little over $30. 00.

They are in need of a good sanding as there are some rough patches and edges and corners to be knocked down. All in all very satisfied. Also, great for bedroom or entryway as a coat rack once pegs are added.

I won’t be able to review the paddle except that it looks better in hand than it does in the pictures. I won’t be able to try it out for a few days. This is instead a stellar review for the folks at Fishing Online.

As a first time customer I had no idea what to expect. It was shipped the same afternoon as I pulled the trigger. I had a tracking number the following morning. I was delivered i three days in perfect shape.

I will definitely do business with them in the future. Heartfelt thanks guys!!!.

This paddle is so light, I thought the box was empty when it arrived! Upon opening the box I was treated to an incredibly crafted basswood alder paddle. It’s literally a work of art. Absolutely love this paddle.

I just ordered a paddle bag for the first time ever to keep this beautiful paddle in great condition when storing and traveling. My new favorite paddle. (230 cm edition).

This paddle is a work of functional art. Looks and feels amazing, the adjustable ferrule works extremely well. The wood of the blade is flawless, and looks just like the marketing photos. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was due to the high cost of shipping and the slow service that was used.

At the price I paid for shipping, it should have been express or air. Shipping took 3 weeks. Considering another purchase but the shipping cost and speed is deterring me.

This is a beautiful and light paddle. I have had two all wood bending branches paddles for 20 plus years (and they are as good as the day I bought them, never had them break despite some bad reviews i saw , which made me lean toward this new make of paddle) I bought a new shorter paddle for a new sit on top ocean kayak.

While paddler is beautiful and light, I still prefer the feel of the all wood paddles which have a bit of a curve in the wood for your hands. Wish Id stuck with tried and true. I never use gloves unless its really cold with the all wood paddles.

With this new paddle I was wishing I had my gloves after an hour. If youre used to hard plastic in your hands , i’m sure it wont bother you, but id recommend saving a few bucks and go for the all wood bending branches paddle.

I have been looking for a long kayak paddle to use with my old town sportsman 106 MK. The bending branches angler navigator 280cm is just the right paddle, plus it is very light weight and super gorgeous! Fishing Online was GREAT to deal with and responded to my questions lightning fast.

I highly recommend them and highly recommend the paddle, you won’t be disappointed in either!!.

I got these to use as “rock paddles” (akin to “rock skis” for alpine enthusiasts) to spare my Bending Branches Java STs and they are well suited to that role. These can be used to lever yourself through shallow water, fend off obstacles, etc.

without fear of breakage. Aside from being sturdy and cheap, there’s not much here to recommend. The inset plastic (or fiberglass ?) in the tip has a gap across the top and whole sections of the shaft are missing whatever finish they used, both of which will allow water penetration over time.

The blades are thick, limiting the efficacy of underwater recovery and skulling strokes. Still, given the price I’m delighted with my purchase.

Feather Brand’s reputation was poorly represented by this inferior canoe paddle. The photograph looked much better than the paddle that I recieved in my order. The handle was not rounded, finish was poorly applied, twin stripes in the blade were off color, and this paddle should have never been released from the plant to be sold.

I returned this item after inspection.

Quality is good. There was a chip in one of the two oars we purchased though. We had to use it as it was because we were at the boat launch already when we noticed. The and are reinforced with an inserted material that protects the oars when they are used to push off of a dock, rock or shallow bed – a feature I appreciate very much.

I ordered 3 of these canoe paddles and received 1 that had a very large knot on the blade. I sent it back and Walmart sent a replacement with an open glue line and a pommel, that was not carved out, with a rough and jagged surface.

I sent the second defective replacement paddle back and Walmart sent a differently carved paddle. I kept it because I was tired of dealing with Walmart. Today I saw that Walmart charged me for one of the defective paddles, that they received back 27 days ago, according to the tracking information.

After a long time on hold Walmart says they will credit my account back in 5 days. My advice is don’t buy anything from Walmart you can’t inspect first. Walmart. com appears to lack quality control and a decent receiving department.

Keith.

The product you see advertised is not the product you will receive. I ordered the 2 paddles and got a paddle that is totally different from the ones pictured in the ad. The detail description says that the paddles are 50″ x 8″ x 8″.

What you get is a different designed paddle that has a blade with dimensions of 48″ x 15″ x 5-3/4″. The handle on the paddles received, looks more like a “T”, than the handle that is pictured. I was wanting a paddle that was 8″ wide.

not what I got. 5-3/4″ wide. This paddle that I received, is the same paddle that you see at your local “get everything” store, for less than $10 each and it’s the same brand. I will keep these paddles as I was wanting them for a canoeing trip for the coming weekend, and I will modify them myself to make them a better paddle.

I don’t know that much about wooden paddles, but hear goes. The paddle seems to be fairly well made, but with a few minor deficiencies. The finish seems to be one coat of a polyurethane. Not enough. I am going to add a coat of polycrylic when I finish this review.

The blade is 5. 5 inches wide. I would like to see it being wider by half inch or one inch to get a better bite in the water. But, as I said, I don’t know that much about paddles. The blade is about 5/8 inch thick in the center and about 3/8 thick at the edges.

The blade gets a little thicker higher up toward the shaft. The paddle looks to be well sturdy enough to stick in the mud, sand, or rocks to push off.

This is the first canoe paddle I’ve purchased. I got the 5′ (60″ / 152. 4 cm) version which actually measures 58″ in total length. The blade width is 5-3/4″ in actuality (not 6″ as advertised). Take some time in the store to make your selection as there is a fair bit of variance from paddle to paddle.

I noticed that some are noticeably thicker (and heavier) while others were slightly mis-shapen. The finish on all of them is pretty rough with dried varnish drips and bubbles on pretty much every one.

Some sanding and re-varnishing would help. I selected mine based on thickness first and then aesthetics. I like blades that have contrasting wood colours in them. Otherwise, these seem to be decently constructed.

The blades are stiff with no flex which may or may not be what you want. Overall, it’s still a good value especially when on sale. I figure I’ll cut my teeth on this paddle and learn what I want and don’t want for my next.

I’m not sure how anyone can give this less than 4 stars unless it broke when you used it. These are regularly 50% off. So that’s less than 15 bucks for a paddle. Everyone that says it is unusable is exaggerating.

The flattened shaft can be a bit uncomfortable and that is really the only thing you should worry about. It might be narrow, the finish might not be the best, it might be shorter than advertised. but you can’t get a paddle at this price anywhere.

Throw them in your boat for an emergency, bring one as a spare on a trip. I’ve actually paddled 50km in a single day with this paddle. I can paddle just as fast as I usually would, but the shaft not being perfectly round can be a bit of a pain at times.

If you need a paddle and you want to take some time before you pick up a more expensive one, grab one of these. Especially on sale.

Bought an old canoe that came with two paddles which are two short for me. Lucky to find this one at CT — they have a good range of sizes. The varnish is thin, and the sanding at the end of the blade is a bit rough.

Because I was re-finishing the thwarts on the canoe and the paddles that came with it, I decided to do this paddle too. It was very easy to remove the varnish from the handle and finish it with Tung oil.

And I sanded the end of the blade and added a few coats of spar varnish cut with mineral oil to the entire blade. Ended up with a nicely finished paddle that’s a pleasure to use. Good quality just as is though; very well-made.

We have plastic blade, aluminum shaft paddles for our canoe. If the kids are out with the boat, that’s what they use. If someone needs to borrow a paddle, that’s what they get. But when my wife and I are paddling, it’s these nice wood paddles that come out, and they just make everything better and more fun.

Like drinking your coffee from a cup with a saucer under it, the wood paddles make us feel like we’re doing things right. Beavertail paddles are a classic shape that can be held close to the gunnel without interfering with it.

They were traditionally made from ash, which is very strong, and very heavy. You could trust those paddles to bring you home no matter what the river threw your way. Today we just use plastic paddles in that circumstance.

The wood paddles of today are mostly for show, and for use in predictable paddling conditions. The trade off is that they are very light. But the epoxy tip does a lot to improve their strength where it matters.

One other note: In cool weather, wood paddles are warm to hold, and that’s something that creeps up on you over hours of paddling. Buy this paddle for the vanity of it. And apologize to no one.

I have a shoulder injury and was struggling to paddle for a full day with an aluminum paddle. This paddle is astoundingly light and made a HUGE difference in my ability to paddle. My husband and I traded paddles halfway through the day and we both noticed a huge difference within about 15 minutes of paddling on a lower quality paddle.

He liked it so much, we are going to buy another one for him before going to Boundary Waters. Also love the pear grip – I noticed a lot less fatigue in my hands and forearms over paddling on a T-grip paddle.

Absolutely worth every penny if you are an expedition paddler.

After years of making due with a whitewater paddle for everything, I decided to try a beavertail for flatwater applications. I’m glad I did! The bending branches paddle is beautiful, comfortable and comparatively affordable.

I just returned from a four day solo trip canoeing through 22 lakes with portages between, and I marveled at how smoothly the paddle traveled through the water and how efficient my J stroke was. I wish I got this paddle years ago! As usual, LLBean service was superb.

Most places were out of stock, but LL Bean had it in my size and delivered it promptly. By the way, I purchased the beavertail paddle 2 inches longer than my whitewater paddle, and it was perfect. Match shaft length rather than overall length, beavertail blades are longer.

Got a pair of these a little over a year ago and have abused them almost daily in conditions and temps ranging from 40c to -10c. Beat them off rocks in the river, try to set personal speed records in lakes.

Sit on them regularly too. Pretty satisfied although they started splitting recently. No surprise with the life they’ve had. Haven’t owned other oars since i was a little kid so hard to say but a rare 5 stars from me on these.

These things are clunky, crude, clubs. They also do NOT have a wedge in the tip of the blade, as Fleet Farm claims!!! As per the Caviness website, the BW-SU oar (more $$$) has a wedge in the blade. Don’t buy these unless you A) want to use them for a club, or; B) have no other option.

The blades are needlessly thick, but not particularly strong (see: lack of wedge in blade). They need to be run through a wood planer. The blades are also quite small. If I’m going to be waving these heavy clubs around, I want to make time- not practical with these oars.

I cannot overstate my disappointment upon seeing these in person!.

We purchase these paddles for our camp. They get used daily in the summer weeks. We let them dry out each day before putting them away. It seems the bottom is not sealed well, which allows water to seep in and begin the process of wood rot:( Also, the side panels are glued, and cutting back on the sealing coat allows the glue to weaken and side panels detach.

I purchased 25 this year and already have had to throw away 5 within 2 weeks of purchase:(.

While this is a nicely made paddle I was disappointed upon receiving it because 1) the tag on it said it was for deep lake paddling; had I seen this in the description of the item on line I would have kept looking for a river paddle.

2) The finish/varnish is thin and I expect to refinish it either sooner or later in the life of the paddle. I will use it but it is not what I really wanted; price good. I think a higher-end product, made in Maine, will better suit my intended use which is in rivers that get bony.

Good price. I needed a second back up paddle as I have custom made paddles and was looking for one that would be affordable and a good American made product. This fits the bill nicely. Sweeps my Hidden Pond nicely.

Sales man in Freeport store very helpful in sizing it up as well. While there bought tie down package as well and used my accumulated bean bucks to pay for it all!.

Purchased this paddle for occasional use on our canoes. I wanted a smaller one for shorter visitors to our home and did not want to put lots of money into it. I am pleased with this paddle, it is attractively constructed and finished in clear varnish.

The paddle appears to be totally sealed from the water it will be used in. does not need to be sanded and additional varnish applied. Well pleased with the whole purchase process. prompt delivery, good price and a good enough product.

Great value, very light, have not used it enough yet to comment on durability. The finish on shaft and handle was a little rough; some may prefer the extra grip or use gloves. I spent 90 seconds with 150 grit sand paper to smooth it out.

This thing is light light light, you don’t even notice the weight of the paddle while canoeing, amazing. We had high winds and waves our first day, and this paddle helped with my stamina a ton. It flexes a little during heavy paddling, but I never felt like it was going to break.

I wouldn’t recommend this for white water at all, but lake travel it is golden. I strapped it to the canoe during portages, never even felt the difference. I would wear grippy gloves, the shaft gets a bit slick if it gets wet at all.

This thing is light light light, you don’t even notice the weight of the paddle while canoeing, amazing. We had high winds and waves our first day, and this paddle helped with my stamina a ton. It flexes a little during heavy paddling, but I never felt like it was going to break.

I paddled for years with a variety of wooden paddles because they looked romantic and felt good. I wore a lot of them out. I carried a Werner similar to the one I ordered for a spare. One day I was paddling heavy water and had occasion to resort to my spare Werner.

I discovered it was more effective than my wooden paddle. Also, it was relatively indestructible compared to the wooden paddles I had used, so I consigned my last wooden paddle to use as a spare. When I lost my Werner paddle, I ordered another one.

I bought the same Werner paddle for my girlfriend, along with a good wooden paddle. I told her to use the one she liked the best and carry the other one for a spare. She uses the Werner.

This is the entry point of bent shafts. Great price at REI, too. So when rating it a 5 is a bit weird. There are 3 or 4 carbon ones that are out of this world light and more durable. But at this price it’s a strong 5/5.

My lightest paddle though. Have had it for over 20 years. Other than pulling water super hard, I am very careful with my paddles. Use with my solo canoe with switching stroke. You don’t normally steer with a J-stroke.

Tandem canoeing flat water bow mainly. Few Canadians use bents. And I am leaning towards the old beavers and otters too for tripping. I have a composite whitewater paddle for rough handling that has a blade that if you pull hard enough, you can pull your arm out the socket.

You need at least a few paddles for different types of duty that are your size. And you need some other sizes for guests. This is a good paddle that a guest has to prove themselves before they are offered to use.

Received paddles quickly. Excellent shipping protection. Made it to Alaska without a scratch. Already have hours on the water. Could not be more pleased!

In general I like the Bandit, although the blades do wear. Got the adjustable as I teach canoeing, so wanted something the students could try at different lengths to see what works best for them. This fits that bill.

The T-grip is different from the fixed-length Bandits — to accommodate the locking mechanism, it isn’t centered over the shaft, but offset away from the power face. So it feels a little different when you switch from the one to the other.

I’m not tall enough to try it out at the longest length to see how solid the extended shaft feels — at the lengths I paddle (low to mid 50s) is feels like a solid one-piece.

I got this paddle as a spare when I bring along a friend and partly because I hadn’t used a paddle with such a rounded end to it. The paddle shaft and blade aren’t too bad though the amount of control isn’t quite there compared to my grey owl voyager paddle and the grip is super narrow.

PROS: shaft, cheap, looks good CONS: grip is too narrow, lower control than paddles in the $70 range.