Welcome to Thomas Paddles! I offer hand built Greenland style kayak paddles, custom fit, just for you.
Developed by paddlers, informed by tradition, and built by an honest to god, dyed in the wool (boat) builder, the expertise of each is merged into a paddle of outstanding function and durability.
A special combination of shape, materials, finish, and craftsmanship creates a paddle that’s more than the sum of its parts, and considering you’ll swing this thing ten thousand times in a three hour paddle, it makes a difference you’ll feel. Let’s take a look:
Shape: The blade is designed to give you a quiet entry, flutter-free power stroke, and ending with a lively feel as the blade flexes, cleanly exiting the water. A strong transition from blade to loom ensures the paddle won’t snap during must-make, extended paddle maneuvers. Symmetrical inline blades, pronounced shoulders, and rectangular loom makes blade indexing simple, allowing easy setup for rolls, sculls and braces. The paddle itself teaches you how to use it!
Materials: I use western red cedar and black locust. Western red cedar provides the shape for the lightest possible wood paddle. Its virtually rot-proof, strong enough, and beautiful to boot. Black locust is brutally strong, absurdly resistant to splitting and cracking, won’t rot, and just happens to look great next to the cedar. Locust tips are joined to the cedar body with a mortise and tenon joint, which is glued with epoxy or polyurethane. The result is light and tough, like “push off the rocks” tough.
Finish: Sanded silky smooth, then hand rubbed with several coats of traditional “boat soup”, this provides the most durable natural finish available. Boat soup is a shop-mixed natural finish consisting of pure, raw tung oil, pine tar, and turpentine. Other hallmarks of this centuries-old finish are renewable materials and easy maintenance. Once a year (or as needed), replenish your paddle with a coat or two of "soup" applied with a rag. Wipe off the excess. To spiff up your scratched paddle, just sand, then add more soup. Try that with your epoxied, varnished, fiberglass-tipped piece of paddle furniture! A paddle should be easy to maintain.
To order, contact me at tmoen01@gmail.com. Please include the following information:
- your name and shipping address
- height and hand size
- what kayak you paddle
- what conditions you paddle in
- how often you paddle
Please specify whether you want:
- Plain cedar: $150 -With black locust tips: $190 - With black locust tips and
edges: $230
- With black locust tips, edges
and center spine: $300
Once I receive your info, we’ll want to briefly discuss sizing and a little about the paddling you do. I accept payment by paypal, check, or money order. Add $30 for shipping to the lower 48, or $50 to ship to Canada. Every paddle you purchase from me is 100% guaranteed to fit your body and paddling lifestyle, or you can return it for a full refund. Thanks for considering my Greenland paddles!
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"...absolutely the nicest paddles I've ever seen, meticulous finish, perfect shaping, intelligent combination of materials. I build kayaks and paddles for a living and I still lust after Tom's paddles, just gorgeous!" - Brian Schulz, Cape Falcon Kayak
"I am a proud owner of a couple of Thomas Moen works of art he calls paddles. I am a 58 year old man who has been paddling for 25 years. Like many my age our parts are wearing out. Tom's paddles have kept me in the boat longer than I thought possible. There is a quality about these paddles, light, balanced, buoyant and 'alive' that I've never experienced before. They are easy to place splash-free and silent as well as getting the boat up to speed with less stress. Give yourself the gift and feel the difference of a hand crafted natural wood paddle." - Martin Starr
“...looks and feels great. I thought I had seen the best Greenland paddles, but yours look and feel better.” - Mike P.
"I received the paddle today, It is BEAUTIFUL!...truly a work of art. It looks so good I almost don't want to get it wet... - Joe F.
"Hi Tom, my paddle arrived last week. I love it. Its a masterpiece, and it smells really good too. - Felix S.
"Tom, I got to use the paddle this weekend. It was great! If everyone got to try out one of these paddles, the big paddle manufacturers would go broke. I cannot imagine going back to a non-greenland, non-wood paddle. The paddle feels like it was made for me. It fits great. -Jay B.
"Gorgeous paddle! They don't come better than this!!! -Robert H.
" Tom, I just wanted to let you know that the paddle arrived and its a great example of craftsmanship. You were spot on with the measurements. I've been able to get a few sessions on the water with it and am very impressed. Many thanks. - Karl C.
"The fit is 100% on the money, outstanding workmanship, and a great design. It moved through the water like a wing. Tom, this is the best paddle I've ever used..." -Marty M.
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