Paddle Shop
Haliburton Forest Paddle Shop
paddles@haliburtonforest.com
705-455-2684
Weekdays 9 to 5
Hand Crafted, Traditional, Wooden Canoe Paddles.
The Haliburton Forest Paddle Shop is proud to offer one of the largest choices of made-to-order, handcrafted, premium solid wooden canoe, kayak, and SUP paddles in the beautiful Haliburton Highlands, Ontario Canada.
Each wooden paddle is hand crafted in our Paddle Shop using lumber grown and responsibly harvested from sustainably managed forests in Ontario.
Wooden paddles are classic and are unmatched by any other material for natural looks, liveliness, flexibility and warm feeling in your hands. They are often slightly heavier than fiber composite paddles but can be lighter than paddles with plastic or aluminum parts. Wood does require some upkeep, ranging from the occasional / seasonal dab of oil or varnish on a chipped area to a full sanding and refinishing.
The less a paddle weighs, the less fatigue you will feel during a long day of canoeing. But do not choose a paddle based on weight alone — the best paddle offers a good balance of light weight, strength and flexibility. For whitewater canoeing, a short, strong & stiff paddle will hold up to the rigors of the river and provide a quick response in rapids. For flat-water canoeing, a longer, flexible paddle will help absorb shock with every stroke.
Some of our wooden paddles feature wood laminates that can include both hard and soft woods. This combination results in reduced weight and increased durability and strength. These laminated paddles have a layer of fiberglass over the blade for added strength and/or have a resin edge guard to improve durability and help resist abrasion. These laminated paddles have an option to add a resin tip or a resin edge and a layer of fiberglass over the blade for added strength to improve durability and help resist abrasion.
To create your custom wooden canoe paddle, you can choose wood type, length, blade style, resin edge guard and even add laser engravings to further personalize your paddle. Once finished, each Haliburton Forest paddle is a unique wood carving, and work of art. No two paddles are the alike.
Made to Order:
All our products are handmade and can take up to 14-30 business days to make. If you are looking for something that is available quickly, please reach out to us and we will try to accommodate.
Please contact us using the details listed above, or by using this form. We also have an online store here.
Haliburton Forest Paddle Shop is also proud to be a Preferred Vendor for the Ontario Camps Association.
To order paddles for your camp, classroom, or outdoor education centre, please contact us by emailing paddles@haliburtonforest.com or give us a call at 705-455-2684.
Handcrafted from sustainably harvested wood from Ontario forests, you won’t be able to find paddles like these anywhere else. Choose from a variety of species, grips, lengths, blade types, and customization options to make the paddle you buy truly your own.
Wooden paddles are unmatched by any other material for natural looks, flex, and a warm feeling in your hands. To create your custom wooden canoe paddle, you can choose the grip, length, blade style, wood type and even add engravings.
HF Canvas Paddle Bags: All quality Haliburton Forest Paddles (when inventory allows) includes & ships in, a one-size-fits-most, reusable drawstring Canvas Paddle Bag to help protect your paddle in transport or in storage. Paddle Bags are sold separately as well.
*Made to Order – 10 – 25 Business days
Stunning kayak paddle made from a single piece of hardwood. With a cupped blade for power, and a drip notch to prevent runoff down your arm, this is the perfect kayak paddle for any enthusiast. A light & flexible paddle giving you superior warmth & comfort that only wood can offer!
The kayak paddle is carefully carved from wood sustainably source from our own forest, and the blades are finished with a durable urethane the the shaft finished in a 100% all natural Hemp oil for superior comfort.
Made to custom length with 6″ blades and weighs 42.9oz. Please contact us with your requirements.
$250ea (1 pc solid wood).
*Made to Order – 10 – 25 Business days
Both strong and durable, this stunning SUP paddle made is made from a single piece of hardwood. With a scooped blade for power, this blade is light and easy to use & is perfect for any SUP paddler. The blade is a teardrop shape to cut through the water under the board easily.
A light & flexible paddle giving you superior warmth & comfort that only wood can offer!
This paddle is carefully carved from wood sustainably source from our own forest, and the blades are finished with a durable urethane the the shaft finished in a 100% all natural Hemp oil for superior comfort.
Made to custom length, 8″ blade and offset T-grip style of handle. Please contact us with your requirements.
$225ea (1 pc solid wood).
*Made to Order – 10 – 25 Business days
Paddle Holders: Display, protect and organize your paddle collection. These wall mounted paddle racks come in single, double and triple holders. The fun designs will hold your paddles securely, while allowing easy access. The racks are beautifully finished and designed to be displayed out in the open so you can show off your paddle collection. Each holder is crafted from solid hardwood and finished in hand rubbed wood oil. $30 each.
Wedding Guest Book Paddles: has an oversized blade to offer greater space for signatures; measuring in at 7.5″ wide by 30″ long blade, 57″ overall length. This paddle has an oil finish to allow signatures to be applied directly onto the paddle, this prevents ink from smudging and/or bleeding. The cost includes engraving from provided images, with your chosen date and initials. For additional customization, please contact paddles@haliburtonforest.com. (Each paddle is sold separately). $180 each.
Decorative Mini Paddles: Beautiful hand-crafted keepsakes. Great as seat holders at any celebrations, a reward for campers, skill achievements or for a special recognition. Great as gifts for soon to be born paddlers & fun to have around the house or cottage. Mini Paddles are available in sizes from 18″ to 36″ in length and come in Ash, Birch, Cherry, Maple & specialty woods like Birdseye & Curly Maple. $35 each for 18″ to 24″ & $45 each for 32″ to 36″.
Decorative and Artisanal Canvas Paddles: Looking for a unique and fun art project? Try our unfinished decorative and artisanal canvas paddles. Used by a number of art and creative shops for painted paddles, these would be the perfect gift for the artist you know, or for your own projects.
Paddle Charcuterie Boards: Choose from selection of blade shapes & these boards are hand finished with a food safe wood oil. These charcuterie boards were once meant to be a paddle, though due to some imperfections, they have been repurposed for your kitchen – standing true to our sustainability pledge. $40 each.
Hanky Panky Spanky Paddle: A fun gift idea for that special someone! $30 each.
Raw Wood Starter Bundles: A pack of dimensional lumber will include 5 pieces at 24″ long, 6″ to 10″ wide. $80 per bundle, includes shipping.
Campfire Furniture: Coming soon! A collapsible, High backed, laminated wooden campfire chair with carry handles. Great to lounge around in around the campfire at the cottage or campsite!
Check out our online shop here!
Paddle Style Options
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Beaver Tail with Standard Grip
Traditionally, an all-rounder, suitable for multiple paddling situations. This blade is consistently wide from the tip to the top. Allows for a day long steady pace. Available in Traditional or Modern Style, $140.
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Otter Tail with Voyageur Grip
A finesse style of paddle, suitable for the extra-long days and in turn will be easier. This blade starts out wider at the throat and then tapers off to a narrower tip. Ottertail paddles tend to be longer overall, making it a great choice for the solo paddler. Available in Traditional or Modern Style, $140.
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Husky Tail with T-Grip
A powerful blade designed to move lots of water. Best suited for the stronger paddler or for those that find themselves in moving and/or shallow water, $140.
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Laminated
Straight laminate: + $75 to the beginning total of your paddle.
Feather laminate: + $100 to the beginning total of your paddle.
Add-ons:
Add Fiber Glass, +$60.
Add a Resin Edge, +$50.
Add a Resin Tip, +$30.
Add Laser Engraving, +$15 – $50 (starts with simple text, increases for images etc).
Add Hemp Oil, Wood Finish 1/2 pint (236.5ml), $12 each
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Wood Choices
Ash: Ash is a strong impact resistant wood, which is guaranteed to delight even the most demanding of canoe enthusiasts. The durability of this wood allows for an excellent flex, and is known for its light colour and spectacular grain.
Cherry: A popular wood due to its attractive red grain which overtime, can sometimes darken into a rich, deep colour. In addition to the beautiful colour, this wood is strong and lightweight making for a flexible blade. It is our top selling wood type, and a popular choice with both sport canoeists and recreationalists.
Maple: Maple paddles feature a moderate flex, are extremely durable, and are about the same weight as Ash.
Specialty Wood: Birdseye Maple, Curly/Flaming Maple are currently our specialty woods. Birdseye, Curly/Flaming Maple provides you with the same functionality as Maple, but is beautifully stunning with its unique grain. + $30 to the beginning total of your paddle.
Others: Basswood and Birch
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Fractical Burning
Take your paddle customization one step further with this cool looking process! This option is a special add on. Also known as Lichtenberg figures, this process can burn and leave ‘lightning bolts’ as deep as a ¼”. These grooves are then filled with a marine grade resin epoxy to even the finish out. Colour epoxy options are clear, black, red, blue & green. Both sides, the shaft and grip will be fractal burned in random fashion. + $100 to the beginning total of your paddle.
Finished by Hand
All Haliburton Forest Paddles are hand finished. Our preferred finish of choice is wood oil with naturally occurring mold & mildew protection, which allows us to provide a hand-rubbed durable, matte finish for each paddle.
Also, we offer a rugged polyurethane gloss varnish finish with UV protection for those high use situations or combine the 2 so that you get a hand-rubbed polyurethane varnish on our paddle blade along with an oiled shaft and grip. Paddles are also available unfished or ‘raw’ as well. We also offer a natural stained/ tinted paddle known as ‘Ebonizing’. Ebonizing wood is the effect of darkening or blackening a naturally lighter colored wood to appear more like black ebony wood. Ebonized wood can be created with a reactive process or other means to color the wood darker or black, like ebony, while still allowing the wood grain to show through. Favorite wood to ebonize: Ash, Cherry because of the higher tannins.
Custom & Personalized
We can even personalize your already unique paddle with initials, names, logos or crests with our state-of-the-art Universal Laser Systems laser engraver. The creative options are endless!
Paddle Care & Maintenance
Keep your paddles looking and performing their best by ensuring routine maintenance and proper storage.
MAINTENANCE
Most of our solid wood paddles come with a traditional hand-rubbed oil finish (100% All Natural Hemp Seed Oil). It is very easy to maintain the finish on our oiled paddles and maintenance can be a good cure for those post-trip blues.
Disclaimer: This guide provides a general outline of the steps, however, be sure to carefully read labels, follow manufacturers’ directions and use appropriate safety equipment for all products you are using.
What you will need:
- Hemp oil or any other drying oil of your choice (e.g. Boiled linseed, Tung, etc.)
- Mineral spirits
- Clean, lint-free rags or blue shop towels
- 400-600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
- Nitrile or rubber gloves
- Safety equipment (as required)
Directions:
- Clean and wipe down the paddle with some mineral spirits.
- Wait until the mineral spirits has dried (usually 10-15 minutes).
- Put a small amount of boiled linseed oil on a rag*. You need just enough to dampen a small area of the rag.
- Apply it directly onto the paddle to create an even coating of oil.
- Wait about 5-10 minutes. Then use a 400-600 grit sandpaper* with the grain on the entire paddle. This will effectively drive the oil into the paddle and fill small voids in the finish.
- Buff the paddle down with a clean rag, in a circular motion, with & against the grain.
* Rags and sandpaper soaked with boiled linseed oil, varnish and other drying oils can spontaneously combust if they are not disposed of properly. Please ensure that you carefully read all product labels and instructions to properly dispose of any used materials as recommended by the manufacturer.
STORAGE
To get the most out of your Haliburton Forest canoe paddles, we suggest the following care instructions:
- When not in use, store your paddle in a cool, dry space, away from any heat source or high moisture areas (e.g. furnace rooms or basements).
- Store your paddle upright and off the ground, preferably in a paddle holder. If you do have to lean your paddle, it is suggested resting the blade on the floor with no more than a hand’s width from the wall to the blade.
- After the season, clean and oil your paddle and store it. This will prevent your paddle from drying out and will keep it well seasoned for your next adventure.
Haliburton Forest Paddle Shop sells Hemp Oil for your paddle care projects, $12.
Keep your paddle looking great, while protecting it from the elements!
– No harsh fumes, no chemicals added
– Environmentally friendly
– Penetrates deeply, hardens to a satin-like finish
– Naturally resistant to mold and mildew
– Food safe
– Soap and water clean-up
– Breathable, nontoxic, and biodegradable
How Long Should Your Canoe Paddle Be?
There are more variations of canoe paddles available than you can imagine. So many that it can be intimidating to choose. But in general, you want to get the shortest paddle that lets you submerge the blade of your paddle into the water, without having to bend unnaturally to stroke and paddle.
More specifically, most people paddle with their upper grip hand at about chin to nose level. The quickest way to estimate the distance from your chin or nose to the throat of your paddle where it enters the water is to measure your torso length.
To do that sit in a chair and measure from the flat surface of the chair between your legs to your chin or nose, depending on if you want your hand a little lower in front of you when you paddle, or not.
Once you have that measurement, below is a quick sizing guide for recreational paddle lengths.
Note: Blade dimensions affect paddle length. Longer and narrower bladed paddles will require that your optimum paddle be longer in overall length. Shorter and wider paddle blades will require shorter overall canoe paddles in order to fit & work correctly.
| Torso Measurement | Straight Paddle Length |
| 20″ | Youth 36″ |
| 22″ | Youth 42″ |
| 24″ | Youth 48″ |
| 26″ | 51″ or 52″ |
| 28″ | 54″ |
| 30″ | 56″ or 57″ |
| 32″ | 57″ or 58″ |
| 34″ | 60″ |
| 36″ | 62″ |
| 38″ | 64″ |