Gear Patrol - Gunflint Paddle

Check out what Gear Patrol had to say about our paddle...

From Gear Patrol: 
"Made, by hand, in Winona, Minnesota (yes, we’re all about Minnesota), two year old Sanborn Canoe Companyhas been creating some of the best looking wooden canoe & kayak paddles we’ve encountered. Founded by a cadre of enthusiasts looking to play a closer role with the products they used, Sanborn Canoe Co now produces an assortment of well-priced wood paddles we can’t decide if we want to mount on our walls or hit the water with. Our favorite: the Gunflint Paddle ($125). Made from western red and white cedar, the Gunflint isn’t just a hunk of wood that moves water. It features a slightly wider span and 14° bend for more powerful strokes, hard epoxy tip for protection from underwater nasties, and an indexed shaft to preclude hand and joint stress. The fact that it looks like a million bucks is just icing.

Buy Now: $125"


Check out Gear Patrol's Website.

Could be Coming Soon

I thought some of you would be interested to see what may be upcoming at Sanborn. We've been working on a new paddle design. We're really excited about this one. At this point it is just a project paddle that I made for the start of spring. But we've has many nice things said about it already so we're exploring the possibility of taking it further.

Some of the features of this paddle:
Hardwood tip: Instead of our usual epoxy-mixture tip this paddle has an Ash tip.

Oil: Instead of varnishing the entire paddle, like we do on all of our canoe paddles, the shaft and grip of this paddle are oiled. And let me tell you it feels wonderful!

Oil Me Please

With the arrival of our Greenland paddle we've felt the need to educate the virtues of a nicely oiled paddle. Even though it might take a bit more work an oiled paddle just feels so much better gripped in your hand. Here is a copy of the content on our 'Oil Me Please' page.

If you’ve purchased one of our oiled paddles please take care to keep up with its care. It’s really a simple and enjoyable process. Oil may be a bit more work, but it’s well worth it to have the very best paddle finish!

What to use? Tung Oil vs. Linseed Oil

Tung Oil: If you use Tung Oil make sure that what you buy has actual tung oil in it. Some products are sold as ‘Tung Oil Finish’ These are not actually tung oil. Look at the ingredients on the side of container. If it doesn’t say tung oil look somewhere else.

          Pros: Highest quality oil for finishing paddles.

          Cons: A little trickier to work with than is linseed oil. (Tends to gum up a little faster)

                   More expensive.

Linseed Oil: This is the cheapest and easiest to use.

           

          Pros: Easier to work with.

                  Cheaper.

          Cons: Less water resistant. Poorer quality finish.

Application: Oiling a paddle is a very simple process.

Step #1: Make sure you have a smooth paddle surface. Lightly sand with a high grit sandpaper #220 or higher or #000 Steel  Wool until all surface particulates are gone. You’re not trying to sand into the oil too much. Just get the surface dust and dirt off.

Step #2: Wipe off dust with damp cloth.

Step #3: With a lint-free cloth wipe on oil.

Step #4: Wait about 10 minutes and wipe off excess oil with other side of cloth.

How often: The common rule here is…

   -Once a day for a week.

   -Then once a week for a month.

   -Then once a month for a year.

   -As need after that.

If you’ve purchased one of our oiled paddles we’ve done the ‘Once a day for a week’ for you. So continue from that point. I find it easiest to apply oil after every trip in the summer (I go on a trip about once a month) Also at the end and beginning of the season.

April Newsletter

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Hello everyone. April is here and with it has come even warmer weather (and, yes, yesterday even some snow!). That’s living in Minnesota for you. But orders are still flying out the door.

Road Trip

We had a great weekend over the 8^th and 9^th of April. We took a little road trip to deliver paddles to Duluth Pack and Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply. Great to connect and get to know some new folks and put faces to email contacts. We also got to sit in on a great 'Wilderness Canoeing' seminar by Cliff Jacobson. Let's just say WOW! Such a vast collection of valuable knowledge and enormous energy packed into one man! I learned better compassing skills, how to talk down a bear, what portaging means in the Canadian wilderness and some great tips for canoe trip packing. Great weekend.

April Paddle Giveaway

As you may know this is “The Year of the Paddle” and we’re giving away one paddle a month for the entire year! Get in on ourApril Paddle Giveaway! 

Don't keep this to yourself...Please tell your friends and neighbors about our Paddle Giveaways!

New Dealer – LakeSUP.com

Our newest dealer hails from our very own great state of Minnesota and is also our first Stand Up Paddle dealer. LakeSUP.comdeals in Stand Up Paddleboards, paddles and other paddleboarding supplies. And do a great job promoting the sport of Stand Up here in the Midwest. If you’re interested in Stand Up Paddlesports make sure to check out LakeSUP.com!

You can find us on Facebook too!

Want to learn more about us and see more photos? Check out our facebook page!

April Paddle Giveaway

I know. I know. I'm a little late in getting this on the blog. The month is over half over!But there's still plenty of time to sign-up for our April Paddle Giveaway.

A random drawing will win someone one of our Gunflint bent shaft canoe paddles. All we need from you is your name and email. Click here to sign-up!