Skip to product information
Touring Kayak Paddle
1/2
  • Touring Kayak Paddle
  • Touring Kayak Paddle
Touring Kayak Paddle
Kayak Paddles

Touring Kayak Paddle

$514.00 USD
WoodSpruce

Our double blade paddle is a reproduction of the one designed by L. Francis Hereshoff, the famed naval architect. It is a very efficient way to paddle both canoes and touring kayaks.

Longer than a conventional kayak paddle, available from 7 ½ feet to 10 1/2 feet, it provides a much more horizontal stroke. That, in conjunction with the flexibility of wood, makes this paddle easy on your shoulders and very efficient. 

With an extremely fine blade it sheds water beautifully for a dry paddling experience. Our custom brass ferrule allows the blades to be offset at any angle. 

We generally recommend a length 2 ½ feet to 3 feet taller than your height. Go longer for more power, shorther for better handling.

All our oars and paddles are made-to-order. Please anticipate a lead time of three to five weeks in the off season, and up to five to eight weeks in the height of the paddling season.

Oar Sizing

How to Size Your Oars

To find the correct oar length for your boat, start by measuring the span, the distance between the port and starboard oar sockets. Then use the Shaw & Tenney formula below to calculate the oar length that gives you the ideal 7:18 leverage ratio (7/25 of the oar inboard of the oarlocks, 18/25 outboard). This ratio works well for rowing almost any boat.

When your oars are sized correctly:

  • Your hands will be 1–3 inches apart at the finish of each stroke
  • You'll be pulling directly toward your abdomen

Signs your oars are too short: If you keep popping out of the oarlocks while rowing, your oars are too short.

Overlapping grip: If you prefer this style, add 6" to your calculated oar length. Overlapping allows you to row with a longer oar, increasing the outboard portion, givng you more power and speed. The draw backs are less control, heavier oars, and more hand-eye coordination is needed.

Multiple rowing stations: If your boat has more than one rowing station, measure each one separately. They'll usually call for different oar lengths.

  • If you'll row tandem, it's fine to have two sets of oars sized for each station.
  • Otherwise, you'll need to pick a single compromise length.
  • If you row in one station more than 75% of the time, size your oars for that station.

Not sure what you need? Email us, we're happy to help you choose the right oar length and blade style for your boat.

The Original Shaw & Tenney Oar Length Formula

We've used this same formula to size oars correctly since 1858:

  1. Measure the span: the distance between the center of the port and starboard oar sockets.
  2. Divide the span by 2, then add 2. This gives you the inboard loom length.
  3. Multiply the inboard loom length by 25, then divide by 7. This gives you the oar length in inches.
  4. Round to the nearest 6" increment. Round up for more power round down for more control.

Oar Size Chart

Span Oar Length Order Size
36 71 6'
38 75 6'
40 79 6'6"
42 82 6'6"
44 86 7'
46 89 7'6"
48 93 7'6"
50 96 8'
52 100 8'6"
54 104 8'6"
56 107 9'
58 111 9'
60 114 9'6"
62 118 10'
64 121 10'
66 125 10'6"
68 129 11'
70 132 11'
72 136 12'
74 139 12'

Paddle Sizing

For traditional wooden paddles the ideal length for the stern paddler is up to the bridge of your nose, or six inches less than your height. For the bow paddler, we recommend that the paddle reach the cleft of your chin, or nine inches less than your height.

For our Racine paddle if you are over 5’6” tall select the 63-1/2” length and the shorter paddle if you are under 5’-6”tall.

When paddling solo we typically recommend a bow length paddle. For Canadian style solo most paddlers prefer an even shorter paddle.

For paddling canoes when standing, a 69 inch or 72 inch paddle is usually about right.

Select Your Wood
Ash

Ash

Our workhorse hardwood, ash is extremely durable and tough, and well suited to a wide variety of paddling and rowing conditions. A heavier wood with moderate flex, ash holds up well to whitewater and rocky conditions. Open grain of the wood makes for a very attractive paddle or oar.
Spruce

Spruce

Our lightest and only softwood, spruce is an excellent choice for an all-around, every day paddle and almost all rowing oars. We don’t recommend spruce for whitewater, or for conditions where the paddle or oars comes in contact with rocks and other obstacles. Spruce is only available in a varnish finish.
Soft Maple

Soft Maple

A durable, closed grained hardwood with a moderate flex, soft maple is usually slightly lighter than ash, and therefore excellent in a wide variety of conditions.
Cherry

Cherry (Premium Wood)

Few woods rival the beauty and characteristics of cherry. A deep red, closed grained hardwood, cherry is strong and durable for virtually every paddling condition. Reasonably light, with very nice flex, cherry is one of our favorites.
Bird's Eye Maple

Bird's Eye Maple (Premium Wood)

With strength and flex attributes nearly identical to curly maple, bird’s eye maple features a distinctive pattern that resembles tiny, swirling eyes. And like walnut, bird’s eye maple boasts a beautiful visual appeal both on and off the water.
Curly Maple

Curly Maple (Premium Wood)

Sometimes called tiger or ribbon maple, curly maple features a translucence that can only be described as radiant. Grown here, in Maine, curly maple is also a hard wood — often lighter than ash, and often more flexible. A durable option, curly maple is only available in a varnish finish.
Mahogany

Mahogany (Premium Wood)

An imported hardwood well suited for boathooks and inlaid tips on oars and double blade paddles. Most often selected when your boat is trimmed in Mahogany.
Walnut

Walnut (Premium Wood)

Similar to cherry in its weight and flex, walnut’s deep chocolate brown, with beautiful grain, make it an attractive choice both on and off the water.
Sassafras

Sassafras (Premium Wood)

Favored most by the paddling craftsmen at Shaw & Tenney, sassafras is nearly as light as spruce, but as a hardwood, is far more resilient. Valued for its wonderful flex, sassafras continually darkens over time, and always maintains its beautiful patina.

Our History

While technically founded in 1858, this hand painted sign dug up from the archives shows that the company was actually doing business two years before that. Either way, we're still the second oldest manufacturer of marine products in the United States today.

From our simple workshop on the banks of the Penobscot River, we still employ time-honored manufacturing traditions. Here, a long time Shaw & Tenney craftsman sculpts an oar on a drum sander that’s more than 100 years old.

Our oars and paddles are all made to order right here, in our Orono, Maine workshop. Meticulously hand sewing oar leathers takes years (and years) of practice.

We’ve been dipping our paddles the same way for over 100 years. Of course there are probably easier ways to do it, but we’re convinced there’s no better.