Want to make some money off of us?

Do you have a paddlesports blog or website? Do you want to make some money on us? Check out our affiliate program.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Do you have a blog or other website devoted to the outdoors, canoeing or paddle-sports? Would you like to make money by driving people to our site?

HOW IT WORKS
You sign-up for our affiliate program which will walk you through how to post specific affiliate links to our products. Once these links are on your site you will earn 10% of all sales when someone clicks through the link on your site, and makes a purchase on our website. We handle all the sales and shipping and everything. Then at the end of each month we will send you what you’ve earned. It’s that simple!

· · SIGN-UP is FREE

· · EARN 10% on every sale

· · EASY - Use the easy set-up and once the links are on your site your work is done!

· · PAID Monthly! We’ll pay you at the end of every month for all purchases made!

· · CUSTOMIZABLE - Know a little something about code? Create your own look for the links!

· · TRACK your sales with your earnings report!

WANT TO JOIN?

Click here for detailed instructions about how to join and set-up our Affiliate Program!

Little Jo Toddlers Paddle

Product Description:
The 'Little Jo' is our toddler’s wooden canoe paddle. Constructed of beautiful light-weight Western Red Cedar laminated together these little beauties are a great way to introduce the great outdoors to your child at an early age.

The idea is similar to when a dad goes out and buys a baseball mitt for his kid before they're even born. You want to teach your children to love camping and canoeing and all that...so get them started early.

What’s with the name? The reason for selling toddlers paddles came when one of the Sanborn guys made a little paddle for his daughter Gladys Jo. She loved it! Mostly because she could toss it out of the canoe in the middle of the lake and make daddy turn the boat around to go retrieve it. So we named it after her. The Little Jo. Hope you all have as many great times out on the water with your children as we do!

Specifications:

Length: 28”
Average Weight: 1/2 lb.
Blade Dimensions: 5 1/2” x 11"
Wood Type: Western Red Cedar
Laminated Shaft and Blade
Finished with SPARurethane to entire paddle
‘Sanborn Canoe Co.’ is branded onto one face of blade

Paddle Care Tips

This is a page from our website about Paddle Care. I thought it would be informative here. Take a look. Tell me what you think. Taking care of your gear will ensure that your gear is useful for a long time.

PADDLE CARE
I know that when we go on our treks to the Boundary Waters our paddles take a beating. There’s just so many rocks and stuff up there! So how do you keep your paddle looking great for years to come?

PREVENTATIVE CARE
There are a few things to keep in mind while using a cedar paddle that will greatly extend their life. First try and keep the banging on the gunwales to a minimum. Cedar is a soft wood and even though there is quite a bit of epoxy and polyurethane protecting them the repeated friction this causes eats away at your paddle. Second remember that the rock guard is there to protect inadvertent jabs on the rocks. If you repeatedly use your paddle to dig into rocks and even get it twisted between things this will jeopardize the longevity of your paddle. Now if you do any of these things inadvertently or occasionally it probably won’t affect your paddle. It’s when you do these things repeatedly over months and years of use. So practice good paddling discipline and technique!

RESTORATION
Even the most careful paddler with the most durable paddle will need to do a little up-keep. So what does it take to restore the finished beauty to your paddle you may ask? Most things are easily restored with a minimum amount of work involved. First you need to identify where and what needs a little spit and polish -

Does your paddle have minor scrapes and scratches to the surface?
Once a year you should re-poly your paddle. I find the best time to do this is when the season wraps up the late fall. All you do is locate the places that require a little finishing and give them a diligent sanding - don’t go overboard with sanding. Just sand enough to give a little tooth to the surface. Use something around 200-grit sandpaper. Then brush on a marine varnish or polyurethane. For better results brush on two—three coats, sanding in between each coat. Follow directions on product. (Note: we use satin-finish to finish our paddle)

Is the damage a little more than just scratches? Can you see the fiberglass cloth poking out anywhere?
If you have gauged into the fiberglass cloth anywhere you won’t be able to get a good finish with just re-varnishing. You will need to apply some epoxy resin to the area to wet-out the fiberglass. This isn’t too much work, but does require some know-how. If any of the following talk isn’t making sense or you need more instructions please shoot us an email and we’ll help you out!
Here’s the quick version. You will need to sand the area. Make sure you sand out the varnish around the problem area. Around 200-grit sandpaper will work great here. Then you will mix the epoxy/hardener according to the product and apply a thin coat to the area - wetting it out. After this dries you will be able to sand the area again and proceed with re-varnishing the area.
(Note: epoxy resin is highly toxic and sanding uncured epoxy is even worse. Take the necessary precautions!)

Are you questioning the integrity of your paddle? Does if have splitting or cracking or something?
There are any number of things that happen to paddles over time. If it is getting into this grey area between a functioning paddle and toxic kindling send us an email and we’ll try to help you out with fixing it.

Paddle Junkie Reviews our Paddle

Earlier this summer we sent one of our Gunflint Paddles to the guys over at ThePaddleJunkie.com to test out for us. After a vigorous testing over the summer they wrote this review for us. You can check it out and more over at their website too - http://www.thepaddlejunkie.com/ - but I posted the main part of it below. Thanks for the kind words guys!

From The Paddle Junkie: Check out the review here.

"The sheer number of choices you have when choosing outdoor gear has grown to staggering heights. In a time where science and technology have invaded every facet of our lives, there is something refreshing about handling a product made from natural materials. Carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass all promise increased strength and durability while reducing weight. These are all good things, but they seem remarkably alien when against the rugged backdrop of canoe country.

The guys over at Sanborn Canoe get this, while yet taking advantage of the advances available today, when appropriate. I had the opportunity to try out their Gunflint paddle this summer and it did not disappoint. This 14 degree bent-shaft paddle, designed to provide powerful strokes, helped me battle through some of the nastiest weather I have seen from inside a canoe.

When you first pick up the Gunflint you can’t help but notice how light it is. At just 18 ounces, it’s nearly 20% lighter than similar paddles from the major competitors. Strength was not an issue for this stick either. I banged it off of rocks and logs, pushed off boulders in the Horse River and used it as a third leg while trying to drag myself up a muddy rocky portage, all without any significant damage. An Epoxy blade tip, 4oz. fiberglass wrap and sparing use of epoxy add toughness without weight.

More importantly it still looks and feels like a wood paddle. It is not drenched in epoxy or marine varnish, allowing it to keep a warm natural feel. Made from red and white cedar, the color contrast in the laminates is great. Every inch of this paddle has been worked by hand and you can tell.

Not in love with the Gunflint design? Choose from any of Sanborn’s four other designs, or for a little extra you can get a custom paddle made just for you. They even have one for the kids…"

Beyond Cedar: Hardwood Baby

Product Description:

In our Minnesota line of paddles we have ventured beyond using just cedar into using hardwoods. We feel the added ash on the edge of the blade will provide added durability as will the Mahogany that sandwiches the cedar along the length of the shaft.

Our Minnesota line of canoe paddles is especially designed for the types of paddling plied in our great state - any and all types of paddling! It has a beautifully constructed hybrid blade shape. The rounded narrower tip will slip in and out of the water with ease, reducing fatigue and stress on your body, as would a traditional beavertail paddle. But flaring out towards the middle this blade will still give you the power to plow through the toughest wave or current.

The blade is sheathed in fiberglass and a hard epoxy tip is added to ward off pesky logs and rocks. And the dedicated Gunflint grip, indexed shaft and thin blade are all designed to remove stress from your hands and joints.

Choices. Choices. Choices. You can choose to get the Minnesota 14 degree bent shaft or get our Minnesota 7 which is a 7 degree bent shaft. Same great design, just a little different bend.

Great name! Our state of Minnesota has everything from canoeing on the Mississippi River to Voyageurs National Park to the one and only Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We feel this paddle is well designed to handle those and any other conditions. So we felt Minnesota was a fitting name for a well rounded canoe paddle.

Be Looking For...

Wow. It's been forever since I've updated this thing I guess.

Just wanted to update y'all on what's been going on here at Sanborn. We had a busy summer. We sold a lot of paddles. Thanks!

We're starting to gear up for the upcoming season of paddling already! It seems like the last one just ended(for some of us! We actually just returned from a trip to the BWCA. It snowed about 5 inches on us, But still a great trip!) Some quick things we're working on for next season are kayak paddles, stand-up paddleboard paddles and we're starting to dabble in soft goods! Be looking for hammocks and things to help you with hammock camping to be rolling out soon...

I'll leave you with a few photo's of our early stages of kayak paddle designing...

Thanks to Bryan Hansel for the photo's! Find him at the great website he runs over at http://www.paddlinglight.com/

Busy, Busy, Busy...

It looks like it's been a while since I've updated our blog. That's because it's been a little crazy around here with orders, new designs and everything...

We had a winner of our March contest. A few people submitted the winning name of Wapasha Beavertail. There were some great entries. We went with Wapasha because of the historical significance to our little region of the globe. Chief Wapasha was the father of Princess We-no-nah for which our home of Winona, Minnesota is named.

We've also added a number to our growing family of dealers. I'll post something soon about each individual dealer, but in the meantime check out The Canoeist, the Duluth Pack Store, Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply and Three Rivers Outdoors.

Also stay tuned for some great new paddle designs coming out soon!

March Contest

Name that paddle - WIN THAT PADDLE!

Our newest beavertail paddle is currently without a good name. We'd like you all to help us with that! Submit your name ideas at the link to win one of our new beavertail paddles!You can submit your name ideas and see the official rules on this link - March Contest.

North Shore Visit

Over the past weekend a few of us Sanborn guys took a business/camping trip up the North Shore of Lake Superior and into the Boundary Waters.
On Friday we stopped at The Duluth Pack Store, The Canoeist and Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply and talked paddles. Thanks you Tom, Erik, Mike, Bryan and Jack for the great day. Great people and great shops.
Also on Friday we were able to check out a couple Langford canoes. Those are some beautiful canoes. I especially liked checking out the rib and plank cedar canoe. Great lines and craftsmanship go into every detail!
Then it was on to the camping portion of our trip. On Friday night we slept along the shore of Lake Superior near Grand Marais. Beautiful sunset and bright moon! It never really got dark that night.





On Saturday We put on our snowshoe's and hiked up the Onion River, thanks Bryan for the advice, and had a great morning exploring.

After our morning hike we drove up to Sawbill Lake. We hiked across Sawbill and onto Alton Lake, camping there on Saturday night. We slept in snowcaves we dug out that day and even made a snow-fort-type-thingy.

We had beautiful weather...it was as warm as it could be! Any warmer and everything would have been wet from melting snow.

New: Newsletter

Starting next month we will be starting a newsletter for all of you who'd like to know more about us. We'll keep it simple - a once-a-month newsletter about what's going on at Sanborn Canoe Co. We'll throw in some discounts/promotions that are exclusively for our newsletter subscriber's!

Sign up here!

Here's a couple great winter photos to round off this post.

2 New Dealers!

We are thrilled to introduce our two newest dealers. Gear to Go Outfitters and Voyageur Canoe Outfitters are carrying our paddles in their online stores'.



Gear to Go Outfitters is run by Kevin Rosenberg and located in Brooklyn, NY. Here's a little bit about them from http://www.geartogooutfitters.com/ -

"Gear To Go Outfitters was founded with the idea that, for most people, spending thousands on outdoor gear doesn’t make sense when you only get to use that gear once or twice a year. Some try to borrow from friends and family but that often leads to your neighbor digging that old external frame pack or that old Army Tent out of a dusty corner of their closet. Gear To Go Outfitters offers up to date rental gear at a fraction of what it would cost to buy the same gear and to make things even better, WE DELIVER. As a bonus, if you decide that you would like to buy the gear you rent, buy from us within 30 days of your rental return and we will apply 50% of your rental fee towards the purchase price of a new item of the same type. If you decide that you would rather own your gear we can serve your needs as well. Leaving for a trip in two days and realize you need some new gear? Don’t waste money on overnight shipping when we can deliver it to you, often the next day (Delivery Area Map). Gear To Go Outfitters provides only the best in outdoor gear. While many outdoor retailers carry every product ever made, at Gear To Go Outfitters we only carry what works. Need some advice? Send us an email or give us a call and we will be more than happy to help out. WE ARE EXPANDING OUR PRODUCT LINE AS WE GROW SO CHECK BACK SOON."



Here's what Voyaguer Canoe Outfitters has to say: http://www.canoeit.com/

"We are Mike and Sue Prom, owners and operators of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and year round residents of the Gunflint trail on the edge of the wilderness. We are here to introduce our guests to the special joy of wilderness paddling. Relaxing at a campsite, enjoying abundant wildlife and paddling the crystal clear lakes which is the core of your adventure. Once you paddle through Voyageur you will never want to outfit anywhere else. We are confident that you will completely enjoy your time with us and we guarantee your satisfaction. Think about it, life is too short and vacations are even shorter. It makes the best sense to go with a sure thing."

Affiliate Program

We're excited to announce that Sanborn Canoe Co. now has an Affiliate Program for you blogger and website people out there.

Do you run a blog or other website devoted to the outdoors, canoeing or paddle-sports? Would you like to make money by driving people to our site?

We are offering product specific affiliate programs for the four paddles listed above and a "Common Hop-Link" option with a link to our front page.

HOW IT WORKS
You sign-up for our affiliate program which will walk you through how to post specific affiliate links to our products. Once these links are on your site you will earn 10% of all sales when someone clicks through the link on your site, and makes a purchase on our website. We handle all the sales and shipping and everything. Then at the end of each month we will send you what you’ve earned. It’s that simple!

· SIGN-UP is FREE
· EARN 10% on every sale
· EASY - Use the easy set-up and once the links are on your site your work is done!
· PAID Monthly! We’ll pay you at the end of every month for all purchases made!
· CUSTOMIZABLE - Know a little something about code? Create your own look for the links!
· TRACK your sales with your earnings report!

WANT TO JOIN?
Click here for detailed instructions about how to join and set-up our Affiliate Program!

www.sanborncanoe.com

New Year...New Website

Check out our new website design!

Shortly after launching our original website we realized the limitations inherent in a fully flash-based website. It was slow and hard for search engines to register...

So we set to work to create a better experience for all involved. This new site should load faster, be easier to use and create a better environment for Sanborn Canoe Co. online. Let us know what you think of the new site...and let us know any bugs we need to work out. Thanks!

New Paddle Design

We'd like to introduce our newest bent shaft paddle design...

It's named after the beautiful Saganaga Lake in the BWCA, and we're calling it the 'Sag'. We went simple on this one. One piece on either side for both the blade and the grip, letting the beautiful dark grain of the cedar to define this paddle.



Product Description:
Taking it’s name from Saganaga Lake, one of the wonderful areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, every Sag canoe paddle is handmade from beautiful western red and white cedar to be both lightweight and extremely durable. The slightly narrower and longer blade alleviates stress on the joints while the 14 degree bend at the throat allow for a powerful stroke. The blade is sheathed in fiberglass and a hard epoxy tip is added to ward off pesky logs and rocks. And our very own fox-head palm grip, indexed shaft and thin blade are all designed to remove stress from your hands and joints.

Specifications:
Length: 50", 54", 56"(Custom lengths available upon request)
Average Weight: 17oz.
Blade Dimensions: 7 1/2" x 20"
Blade Thickness: 3/16” – ¼”
Shaft Style: Bent Shaft: 14 Degree Bend
Grip Style: one-sided fox-head grip
Grip Width: 3 1/2”
Wood Type: Western Red and White Cedar
Laminated blade
5-piece laminated shaft
Extra 1/4" epoxy blade tip
Blade is sheathed in 8oz. Fiberglass
Entire paddle is coated in epoxy
Three coats marine grade polyurethane to entire paddle
'Sanborn Canoe Co.' is branded onto one face of blade