Snow in November

Well, we had over two feet of snow dump on Winona a few weeks before Christmas that we are still digging out from. But before that storm hit we took a November canoe trip up to the BWCA and it snowed on us up there too!

The first night we drove up and stayed in our friends cabin outside of Ely, MN. A nice gas stove and heater work wonders in a small a-frame cabin. It was toasty warm that night!

In the morning we drove a few miles and put in on the Kawishiwi River. We stayed on the Kawishiwi for most of the trip except for a few jaunts up to other lakes. That morning though we were paddling up the river. The many small rapids were an adventure to try and paddle, pull or portage around. Luckily we had nice weather that day.

We camped a few nights and on the last night snowed somewhere around 5 inches, got windy and cold. We quick packed and ate breakfast that morning and trucked it back out - down the rapids that time. Even though we were going with the current it was a tricky day with all the slick rocks, snow falling, cold temps and low water. The rapids weren’t very treacherous but since the water was so low the rocks were all barely submerged and we were hitting all of them.

We made it to Ely in time to eat lunch and catch the Bears-Vikings game-(the first one). Wish that could have turned out differently!

We stayed another warm night in the cabin and headed home. A great trip!

Greenland Arrival

Our new Greenland-style kayak paddle is finally here! We’ve been working really hard over the past few months ironing out the design, learning the skills, testing and then reworking everything until we were satisfied this paddle was up to Sanborn standards. And we’re really happy with how it turned out!

I know it’s a little weird for a canoe company to make a kayak paddle, right?! And to tell you the truth before we began developing this paddle and testing it and learning we really didn’t have a lot of experience with kayaking. But I would have to say that I really fell in love with kayaking over the past months! I think a cedar-strip kayak is definitely going to be in the works once it warms up!

Learn more about this paddle - and maybe buy one - click here.

New Logo

We felt that the logo needed a little updating. What do you think? This is also what our product tags will look like in the upcoming year. We’re looking around for a great printer to get them done for us!

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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…"