Sanborn Nessmuk Ultralight Bent Paddle

Nessmuk Ultralight Bent Shaft Canoe Paddle-Sanborn Canoe Company

The Nessmuk paddle is an all-purpose lightweight canoe paddle with a smaller blade designed for additional finesse and endurance. Copping the pen-name of George Washington Sears, Field and Stream writer in the 1800s, this paddle is designed to follow his philosophy of saving weight to make your canoe voyage more pleasant.  The paddle’s wide profile makes it adept in shallow water situations, and in deeper water the smaller surface area of the blade is especially suited to paddling in a faster cadence, or sustained paddling over longer periods, with less fatigue and less steering correction needed than with a larger paddle blade. Each Nessmuk canoe paddle is entirely hand-crafted in Winona, MN from locally grown Alder, Basswood, Aspen and Black Walnut hardwoods.

Perfect for those looking to move fast and light, the Nessmuk provides a very different paddling experience from our other offerings. The first thing you’ll notice is the weight, or rather lack of it. Despite being hand-shaped from high quality hardwoods, the Nessmuk is shaped as thin as possible before being reinforced with composites on both the front and rear of the blade, fiberglass and carbon fiber respectively. This approach keeps weight to a minimum while still  giving a more forgiving flex than a comparable all-carbon paddle. The tip is reinforced with an epoxy rock-guard, so while you should be avoiding the rocks, you’ll still be covered when you find one. Additionally the wide taper and short blade length means that while the acceleration won’t be as strong as with a larger blade, each stroke delivers much less resistance in the water, making for sustained paddling at a higher cadence or over an entire day (or week) will be less physically tiring.

The Nessmuk features a 12° bent shaft, reinforcing your forward propulsion on the back end of each stroke. It features a super ergonomic asymmetric grip, helping to maintain a solid hold on the paddle even in tricky conditions, while still allowing easy rotation across the palm for corrective strokes. The grips are also unvarnished and should be oiled. An oiled grip feels warmer and smoother in the hands and is less prone to cause blistering.

DETAILS:

• Blade Length: 15”
• Blade Width: 7.75”
• Approximate Weight: 14oz
• Wood: alder, basswood, aspen and black walnut hardwoods
• Bare Grip
• Made in Winona, Minnesota
• Blade is fiberglassed with the backside carbon fiber

Paddles are oversized freight. One to three paddles ship for $29.95. Additional charges on 4 or more.