There are a couple companies out there with home made products right here in the US. Sawyer Paddles is one of them. American made and hand crafted canoe and oar paddles since 1967 and now a focus on paddles for the fastest growing watersport in the world. All of the SUP paddles are designed in house and the chief designer just happens to be the owner of the company. Zac Kauffman tells us that "most of our designs come mainly out of trial and error, but with many paddlers in the company it's quite simpler to design, build and test."
What's new for Sawyer is a focus on racing and after picking up new team rider Mo Freitas they have definitely starting to make a name for themselves in the SUP world. There racing paddles are the best of both worlds really, a mixture of wood and carbon fiber for both power and longevity, not to mention lightness and the prestine look of wood itself. Sawyer paddles is the definition for craftsmanship in the paddle industry.
The TSR is there product of choice for overall performance as well as racing featuring a carbon fiber blade with laminated Western Red Cedar and an edging similar to ABS called Dynel Toughedge. It also features an oval carbon shaft and an ultralight wooden grip. What is unique and different than other paddles is the angle of the blade itself. While the industry standard seems to be around 10 degrees +/- 2, Sawyer has gone with a 7 degree flat blade design. "The seven degree bend came primarily from our canoeing background" says Zac. "We wanted to keep the angle slight for a smooth catch and release on each paddle stroke."
Be sure to check out Sawyer at paddlesandoars.com for more info.
Mo Freitas at Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando.