One of the most common questions we get from customers is what kind of wood should I have my paddle or oar made from? We offer up to eight species of hardwoods, as well as spruce for our paddles and oars. There are unique benefits, characteristics and limitations to each wood species.
Before we explore the wood species we offer we need to mention that every paddle or oar starts with one of our craftsmen selecting a single piece of wood from our stock in the wood shed. Our paddles and oars have been traditionally handcrafted using solid wood since the 1800’s. All of our wood must be clear and free from any defects to become a Shaw & Tenney paddle or oar. Whatever wood species you decide on you will feel the distinctive flexibility, shock absorbing characteristics and warmth in your hands of wood that cannot be duplicated by any other material, providing a truly unique rowing or paddling experience.
Ash
Ash is the standard hardwood. For paddling, it is a perfect choice and we recommend this wood to most of the paddlers who call. Ash is indigenous to Maine and is very strong, one of the strongest of the hardwoods we offer. Ash provides long straight grains and is very tough. This makes a paddle with a perfect flex for paddling while also providing elasticity beyond what the paddle should ever encounter in normal use. Bottom line, an ash paddle is going to perform and get you through the trip. Even after you crack the blade on a rock, it happens, the paddle will still get you out of the back country.
The Shaw & Tenney sculling oar is made from native Maine ash. The flexibility of the wood helps to drive the craft. Whitewater rafting oars are also often made from ash as the material can withstand the abuse rocky river bottoms dish out.
Soft Maple
We also offer soft maple as a standard, non-premium, hardwood species for our paddle making. Our soft maple paddles feature a moderate flex and are often slightly lighter than ash. Soft maple is a durable, closed grain hardwood and the strength to weight ratio of the wood make it great in a variety of conditions. All of our paddles can be purchased in soft maple and the paddles look great with both a varnished or oiled finish.
As a general rule we do not make many oars in soft maple, however our Adirondack Guide Boat Oars are available with soft maple as a standard option.
Specialty Hardwoods
For our specialty or premium woods we currently offer cherry, curly maple, walnut and sassafras.
Cherry
Cherry has always been a favorite for its beautiful grain and color. Beyond the known aesthetics, cherry produces a strong and durable paddle great for most any paddling conditions. Cherry is a closed grain hardwood with a distinctive deep red color which darkens with age. Cherry canoe paddles are reasonably light, lighter than their ash or maple counterparts. They feature a very nice flex.
Like every paddle we produce, our cherry paddles are clear and free of knots and imperfections. It's a great choice for a Sunday afternoon paddle on the lake or a beautiful engraved wall hanger for your home.
Cherry is available in our specialty oars and paddles with our Adirondack Guide Boat Oars, Touring Kayak Paddle, and SUP Paddles all available in cherry.
Curly Maple
Our curly maple stock in the wood shed is grown right here in Maine and is a hard maple. Curly maple, also commonly known as tiger or ribbon maple, is one of the more elegant paddle materials we offer featuring a translucence that can only be described as radiant. Seasoned paddlers love the flex and weight of the curly maple paddles (more flexible and lighter than ash). We make many paddle models each year in this wood species.
We only offer curly maple in a varnished finish. The wood is so dense oil will not penetrate and protect it adequately. Plus the varnish truly highlights the figure of the wood.
Black Walnut
Walnut is another wood we really like for traditional canoe paddles. Our walnut SUP paddles are pretty spectacular as well. Our clear walnut boards have a deep chocolate color and the finished paddles are much like cherry in their weight and flex characteristics. Like the bird’s eye maple, walnut paddles are often made for display due to their beautiful grain and color.
Sassafras
Sassafras is a durable paddle material, but the key features are its weight and flex. A sassafras paddle will be nearly as light as a spruce paddle in the same length. Add to that the incredible flex characteristics and you have, in our opinion, an excellent wood choice for a traditional quiet water paddle.
Sassafras also has the unique characteristic that it continually darkens over time. A sassafras paddle that is 20 years old will be as dark as a piece of walnut. If you are looking for a paddle that performs well, is durable and looks like a piece of art, Sassafras is the choice.
Spruce
Spruce is the primary material for our oars. At Shaw & Tenney we understand that a great paddle or oar starts with the best material. In this case we have chosen clear eastern red spruce.
This is the same spruce that you could buy locally at your big box store, except that it’s clear of knots and other blemishes. It is significantly stronger and much lighter than any other North American softwood; a 7' oar tips in at less than 2-1/2 pounds. Only one out of every 2,000 boards that come off the line at the mill are considered clear. There are currently only two mills in North America grading for clear spruce.
If you are going to be rowing for pleasure we recommend spruce as a wood species choice for your oars. If you envision the oars sitting at the bottom of the boat getting stepped on and stuck with fish hooks, then ash is a more durable choice. Ash is certainly heavier and less pleasurable to row with. Because spruce is a soft wood we do not recommend it for use in whitewater conditions or situations where the oar or paddle may come into contact with rocks and other obstacles. Again, look to ash for use in whitewater conditions. But if your goal is to have the lightest pair of oars that are enjoyable to row select spruce.
Engraving on our Wood Species
Almost 35% of our products are engraved here at our shop in Orono. The best wood species for engraving are cherry, curly maple, and soft maple.
The choice is yours and we are happy to help you select the perfect wood for your needs. Feel free to give us a call anytime, we love talking about wood!
