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I was paddling at the local lake here in Los Angeles when another canoeist showed up (literally the only other person I've seen with a canoe around here!). I was scooting around the lake with a plastic river paddle, and he was gliding around seemingly effortlessly with a Ray Special, or maybe it was his ottertail, can't remember. Either way, he let me try his paddle out for a few minutes and I was instantly hooked. The beauty and craftsmanship was like none other and it just felt so good in the hands.

Fast forward a few months and my parents got me one for my birthday. The box showed up with everything packed nicely and the presentation was great! I really like the burned in logo and the customized protective sock he put on the blade. Unfortunately, it looked like the shipping company ran a forklift through it and put a serious ding in the shaft... I guess fortunately it wasn't all that bad, it's not in a spot I grip and purely a cosmetic ding... I'll just hold it on the power side of the paddle and nobody will ever notice except me ;-). I emailed Greg to let him know and let me tell you, he's great to work with and has excellent customer service. I can't say enough good things about him, honestly! I'm keeping the paddle because I love it even though he offered to exchange it for a new one, and will be buying another one soon for my wife.

I got the half oiled and varnished paddle, which is great because it gives a nice comfortable feel on the hands. I'd get full varnish if you like a smoother feel, oiled if you like a more 'woody' and breathable feel to it.

I was holding off posting this review because I wanted to actually get out in the lake and paddle with it first. Vacations and Covid got in the way this summer, so I made it out to paddle for the first time this labor day. What an excellent paddle! It is so comfortable and relaxing to paddle around in and I really like the deep blade for the calm lake trips. I also gave solo canoeing a try with it and it has great control and power, and it glides through the water easily during the recovery.

Full disclosure upfront, I have an older version of this canoe built with Royalex. It is significantly lighter than this one, but I assume the same shape and design. I think mine weights ~42 lbs. If you can find an old Royalex one, I highly recommend it due to the weight. I can easily portage it around by myself.

Anyway, I very much like the finished wood for the seats and yoke. The plastic Thwarts with integrated handle make for a very easy to handle canoe. It tracks pretty straight and is a good tandem boat. It has plenty of space for us to put our kids in the middle and/or gear for a trip. We often pack a picnic and paddle around with the kids, then stop for lunch at the park and paddle back.

If you're solo canoeing, It's a little bit of a beast to maneuver, but do-able. For soloing, I do like the seat design, as I can sit comfortably and not need to get down on my knees to paddle around.