I own two beautiful Shaw & Tenney solid ash beavertails. They are very strong and stand up to incredible abuse. In my opinion they are perfectly designed with an exquisitely tapered beavertail blade. They have outstanding craftsmanship, great wood, great design. Shaw & Tenney make truly great paddles. I use mine almost exclusively.
The Penobscot is dead silent in the water. That helps when you want to creep up on stuff After a couple of years, I did put some fiberglass on the tip of my favorite paddle... just to give it a little boost since I am a little bit irresponsible when it comes to caring for this paddle. Nuf said... they are inexpensive and a superior product. Buy one.