Mitchell Paddles - Is Wood Good?

[NickParker]

...if you don't get the sleeve, the shaft will be damaged after only a few months....

Surface damage, structural, or both?

[gumpy]

what happens is, whatever the shaft is finished with wears through from pries, then it's just bare wood against gunnels. so the wood gets wet and starts to soften and splinter. i've personally messed up a wood paddle this way, and all the damage happened on one run. had to take the paddle in for repairs-the addition of a dynel sleeve & refinishing. best to buy the right paddle the first time. i ended up paying much more, and it didn't take long to happen. so to answer your question, both surface & structural damage are possible, even likely, or inevitable depending on what kind of boating you do.

[marclamenace]

...if you don't get the sleeve, the shaft will be damaged after only a few months....

Surface damage, structural, or both?

Surface but it chips kinda quick and you start worrying about the structure eventually.

I just got my echo refurbished last month. Initially I asked for no dynel on the shaft and no aluminium tip. The composite tip lasted better than the wood shaft so this time I asked Andy to put both dynel and aluminium.

My favorite stick is now really bomber, but the dynel on the shaft has taken away a good part of the flex I liked so much about my wood shaft... Still happy about it and I guess there was no other way around at that point... But next time I'll go all carbon for some extra bucks I think.

[Longboatin]

I second Gumpys suggestions, he is absolutely spot on. Save up a little more and go custom builder. And go ALL wood. An all wood stick allows you infinite repair. Sure it might seem that throwin down $350 plus on a paddle is steep, but its really economically conservative and green also. I mulled over the decision for a long time. Being someone highly adverse to putting large sums of money toward equipment, I wasnt sure what to do.
This year I went ahead with a build from Kenny Kiley at Blunt Family Paddles. What I got? a precise tool that works like I need and want it to, awesome looking (all wood is), the hand work of one person, and my money stayed in America. Kenny, Jim Snyder, and Walt at Polar Paddles are guys that put time into their craft. They each apprenticed with Backlund. Get one of those guys working on a project for you, and you will wonder why you didnt do it sooner. I know I did.

[PAC]

......

you will wonder why you didnt do it sooner

ditto

[RodeoClown]

Peter Mitchell told me that the key with the aluminum tip is to file it down when it starts to mushroom from hitting rocks. That way, it won't spread the reinforcements apart, which is what causes the tip to come loose. If you don't have a file handy, a concrete curb or sidewalk works well. (you only have to take off the parts that are mushrooming, back the the original thickness.) With any wood paddle, you'll be doing some maintenance of one form or another. My Jimistyk k-1 paddle is on it's 3rd set of tips- I still consider it a great paddle. I know both Jim and Peter, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of their paddles, but I like the shape of the Mitchell better.

I've also found that it helps a lot to not stick the tip of the paddle into cracks in rocks when paddling. That does bad things to any paddle.

[Todhunter]

For folks with aluminum tips that have problems - is the aluminum tip a sheet of aluminum that is wrapped around the core (wood?) of the paddle? Or is it a solid, thick piece of aluminum that is embedded into the paddle?

My Zap Paddle is of the latter - a solid piece of aluminum embedded in the tip of the blade. I don't treat it special, and haven't had any mushrooming, or anything that looks like it is coming out of the blade.

[old and in the way]

Nothing but a wood shaft Mitchell, ever!

[jatakasawa]

Cheeks...all the 'wood lovers' (ha) are gonna hate me for this but...2-3 hundred bucks for a paddle that you A) might lose, B) might break or C) will need some refurbishing at some point?

I like the look of the wood paddle and can't argue that it isn't warmer than synthetic ones but my AB Edge has been by my side for 2+ years now and it only cost me 90 bucks. There's nothing wrong with it at all. When it cracks, I'll get another one and still be under the cost of a wood or fancy carbon one.


If money ain't a thang, get the wood...it looks awesome. Unfortunately, it seems for me, money always be a thang so I'm staying with my AB's.

[ezwater]

My Mitchell slalom paddle is over a dozen years old. The aluminum tip is still solid in the end of the blade. The FG facing over the curved wood slats gives the blade the ability to bend, and to survive accidental river bottom contact.

The shaft is carbon, and is more flexible than any of my wood shaft paddles, except for one I made myself out of solid ash. Mitchell put 18" of vinyl sleeve on the shaft to protect the carbon from nicking.

I have two Clinch River paddles, both curved blade. The one with an aluminum tip has stood up very well. The phenolic tip has worn quite a bit. One paddle has a carbon/Kevlar shaft, protected with a vinyl sleeve. It is somewhat flexible. The other has a laminated wood shaft, and is stiff. The wood is protected with a Dynel sleeve and epoxy, but it wore through and started a cycle of psoriasis in my hands that requires treatment all the time.

I think the hype about Dynel is just that. It's a weak cloth, and using it for paddle edging is weird, because the edges of a paddle are not subjected to much friction. I've edged paddles with strands of Kevlar and glass, and that works well. My 13 year old Mitchell is edged with ash, has worn very little, and is easier to repair than any alternative you can name.

If anyone can link to evidence that there is a "new" Dynel that has real structural strength (at least equal to E-glass), I would appreciate it. I'm not going to buy any---- I have S-glass and polyester.

[philcanoe]

......

you will wonder why you didnt do it sooner

ditto

ditto

Having bought more expensive paddles, both wood and carbon you really can't go wrong with the carbon covered wooden Premier Mitchell. I get mine with the synthetic insert, instead of aluminum. As I don't pamper or baby it at all. It's my steep creek and low water paddle. I do opt for the dynel sleeve on the shaft.

A couple years ago after breaking most every thing I could get my hands on (not to mention brands). I took inventory of what I had left, and low an behold there was my trusty old wood (non-carbon) Mitchell. So after being left up the proverbial creek, once too often I decided to return to the fold. Have a break down carbon also, for a just in case dependable spare. Although once you get use to the feel of a wooden paddle, it's can be addictive. For the joints of my shoulders, arms, elbows like the give. And like previously stated they can be rebuilt for a reasonable price; however I just do my own maintenance.

[marclamenace]

Cheeks...all the 'wood lovers' (ha) are gonna hate me for this but...2-3 hundred bucks for a paddle that you A) might lose, B) might break or C) will need some refurbishing at some point?

I like the look of the wood paddle and can't argue that it isn't warmer than synthetic ones but my AB Edge has been by my side for 2+ years now and it only cost me 90 bucks. There's nothing wrong with it at all. When it cracks, I'll get another one and still be under the cost of a wood or fancy carbon one.


If money ain't a thang, get the wood...it looks awesome. Unfortunately, it seems for me, money always be a thang so I'm staying with my AB's.

I AM a wood lover but have to admit you do have a point. Not only for the price but their carbon paddle DOES feel good to me also, except for the handle. Wonder if they will ever fix that. But the paddle has good catch, flexes nicely but not too much like their (now discontinued) plastic version used to. Slices well under water, light enough...

It would be pretty hard finding anything better for the money, really. One of my friends ordered a longer one, cutted off the T-grip to install a straight dowel and I was pretty jealous to see it the other day. Pretty sexy for such a cheap date.

[Larry Horne]

haven't ever seen or used an aquabound, but i'm all about plastic blades too. The h2o team c1 is by far my favorite paddle. It finishes above the 2 mitchells, 4 galasports and a few others. The Mitchells were always in the shop getting the tips reinserted or shafts replaced. The galasports were always simply broken. The Bandit is very solid and dependable...never broken but it just feels boring. Others are too old school to mention.
To me, the feel of a paddle when you jamb it full on into a submerged rock has become more important than the feel in the water.. not that the h2o is bad in that way.
one word...plastics

[Mike W.]

Mike W - I didn't know Jim did squared off blades...now I want one! My dad has a Jim Snyder stick and it is absolutely stunning - almost a shame to use it. His has a burly maple t-grip that is beautiful.

Jim will make just about whatever you want. I showed him my Mitchell & told him what I liked & what I didn't. I also looked/played w/ a couple of his paddles & told him what I liked & what I didn't. I wanted a little more flex/less bite in my old age. His paddle is probably a hair heavier than my carbon shaft/wood blade Mitchell, but the balance is better. My grip is Curly Hickory. I didn't want the dynel sleeve, but he didn't want to send a paddle out without it.

[philcanoe]

Three posts up

Cheeks...all the 'wood lovers' (ha) are gonna hate me for this but...2-3 hundred bucks for a paddle that you A) might lose, B) might break or C) will need some refurbishing at some point?

I like the look of the wood paddle and can't argue that it isn't warmer than synthetic ones but my AB Edge has been by my side for 2+ years now and it only cost me 90 bucks. There's nothing wrong with it at all. When it cracks, I'll get another one and still be under the cost of a wood or fancy carbon one.


If money ain't a thang, get the wood...it looks awesome. Unfortunately, it seems for me, money always be a thang so I'm staying with my AB's.

I AM a wood lover but have to admit you do have a point. Not only for the price but their carbon paddle DOES feel good to me also, except for the handle. Wonder if they will ever fix that. But the paddle has good catch, flexes nicely but not too much like their (now discontinued) plastic version used to. Slices well under water, light enough...

It would be pretty hard finding anything better for the money, really. One of my friends ordered a longer one, cutted off the T-grip to install a straight dowel and I was pretty jealous to see it the other day. Pretty sexy for such a cheap date.

Granted if you can not tell the difference. However once you get used to how a (well made) thicker blade feathers on recovery... The feel of an oval wood shaft, for it's more intricate feel and inherit flex... Plus the undeniable warmth of a wood paddle.... then value becomes more intrinsic in nature and up to the buyer to determine.

As for pushing a dollars and scents approach for purchasing an AquaBound Edge, then a Carlisle would be a much better value. For it has a equally as good of feel, if not better on underwater recovery. And it is much more durable than a AB-E, if not near indestructible. While it may seem like we are comparing apples to oranges for some, or lemons to limes for others, to me these two (AB to Good Wood) are like comparing bananas -to- coconuts; when you really wanted kumquats.