When I got to work this morning there was a long, skinny box in the receiving bay.
For the record, long, skinny boxes in the receiving bay mean paddles. I like paddles, therefore I like long, skinny boxes. And this one…especially so.
Here they are…they turned out great. Some fine tuning, but the basics are there. They are lighter than I expected which is great, and the flex pattern is as good as you’re going to get without going to the $250-$350 hand-carved beauties. No hinging in the blade, and the top grips are pretty good. We hit the right price ($59.95 for the smaller one, now known as the Meadowhawk, and $79.95 for the big one, now known as the Dragonfly), came in under weight, and I think we have a winner.
A far cry from this:
After a long and difficult day, I gotta say it feels good to hold something in my hand that came out of my brain by way of some really talented people at Bending Branches in Osceola, Wisconsin. Thanks to the guys who put in a Saturday to get these entered into the CAD and CNC programs, so that it would get done without screwing up the assembly line. I owe you a case of Leinies, the official barter currency of the Northwoods, eh?
Respectfully submitted,
Canoe(paddle)lover