Joe O'Blenis

Well the Christmas season has come and I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, or at least the best possible in the current world we are in.
Now that Boxing Day is here, it is time to put our paddles on for the lowest prices of the year. 

There are also some changes coming in 2022 and we will talk about that later in the post as well.

Our Greenland paddles, both the one piece and our #1 selling two piece paddles, are marked down. All "In Stock" Greenland Paddles are marked down even further (very limited supply). Storm Padles, both in stock as well as special order are all at the lowest prices of the year.

Canoe paddles, the Neebing, the MacKenzie and the Ottertails are all on special pricing as well.

To view the full selection of our paddles (whether "In Stock", or for custom orders to your sizing specs), check out our Web Store from the Menu bar at the top of the page.

To check out some of the special "In Stock" paddles, click  the "In Stock Paddles" from the Menu bar at the top of the page. 

If you are not sure on what size paddle to get, we have videos on YouTube with some sizing guidelines to help get you started. We can also tweak the numbers with you by email of course.
For sizing a Greenland Paddle, check out the video below:

If you are interested in a new canoe paddle, or even making one yourself, here is or sizing guideline for canoe paddles. And no, it has NOTHING to do with your height.

Now for the bad news...advance warning. Due to the incredible increase in the price of wood over the last year or so, some of which has more than doubled, I am likely going to have to increase some prices a bit in the early stages of 2022. Just last week when buying another load of western red cedar, prices were up again, roughly 20% higher than my last load of wood. I'll keep prices down as much as possible but, inevitably, there will be some small increases coming.

Now, on the positive side of the news, we have a few new things in the works for 2022 so stay tuned for that over the next couple of months. This will include our Canoe Paddles, Greenland Paddles and...Canoe Poles. Ever heard of canoe poling? Look it up on YouTube, it is pretty cool. And just prior to the local waters freezing up, I did finish and test out my first 3 piece collapsible canoe pole. 

So yeah, 2022 is going to be an interesting year.

For those of you thinking of ordering one on my paddles next year, it will be best to order soon. Now at the lowest price of course, but in the first 3 or 4 months of the year for sure. Once summer arrives, I am likely taking a lot of time off for canoe tripping, bicycle touring etc throughout much of the summer and fall. Well, at least that is the plan right now, early on in our 2021/ 2022 winter.

Photo below is from a Fall camping trip along Lake Superior, down in Jarvis Bay.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year and, hopefully a 2022 that starts to become a little more like what we remember from before. 
Do any of you have any cool paddling adventures in the planning stages yet for 2022? Love to hear about them in the comments section.

Cheers...Joe O'

"Your Friendly Neighbourhood Paddle Builder"

   Paddles. Let's talk about paddles.

   As many of you know, I have built a lot of kayak and canoe paddles over the years. Everything from straight shaft canoe paddles, bent shaft canoe paddles, SUP paddles, 1 and 2 piece Greenland Paddles etc. But right now, we are going to talk about my three favourite paddles that I did NOT make.

   The paddles I talk about in the video are a Zaveral carbon fiber bent shaft canoe paddles, the one I used in my solo Cross Canada canoe trip in 2004. Zaveral was my paddle sponsor back before I ever even made my first paddle.
   Another paddle I talk about it my Epic Mid Wing paddle by Epic Kayaks. I do mainly kayak with Greenland paddles only now but hey, I do still like to go out and "Wing it" now and then as well. Nice to have variety afterall.

  The thrid paddle on the list is the very first Greenland paddle I ever really tried out. This was back in 2001 and it was a paddle my Dad had built. And that paddle, which he then gave to me after I quickly got hooked on them, that is the paddle that later led to me building them myself starting in 2005 and I've never looked back. I still have that paddle and you will see it in the video.

This video is on my favourite 3 paddles that I DID NOT make myself. I talk about each one and why they are important to me and what these paddles mean to me and why. Below the video, there will be links to a couple of the paddles as well as to the Clipper canoe mentioned in part of the video.

Epic Wing Paddle:

https://www.epickayaks.com/mid-wing-paddle

Zaveral Canoe Paddle:

https://www.zre.com/whitewater-canoe-paddles/

Greenland Paddle (from my Dad in 1999)

Clipper Sea 1 Canoe:

https://www.clippercanoes.com/products/sea-1

Current In Stock Paddle Specials (changes on a regular basis):
https://www.joeopaddles.com/paddles-in-stock

Extra Link... click beelow to view some of the paddles that I build and sell:
https://www.joeopaddles.com/apps/webstore/

If you enjoyed this, feel free to click on the (Beer) Link below to buy a beer for Your Friend;y Neighbourhood Paddle Builder:

https://www.joeopaddles.com/apps/webstore/products/show/8244645

   So, let's talk about Greenland Paddles.
The different options between non-shouldered, shouldered and soft shouldered paddles.
And also a bit about the two different loom & ferrule sizing options on our 2 piece Greenland Paddles.

   We build non-shouldered paddles, shouldered as well as soft shouldered Greenland paddles.
Our carbon fiber ferrules for our #1 selling 2 piece Greenland Paddles are 14" in length and we use two diffeerent diamters. The standard version is approxiamately 1.25" in diamet, while our "XL" version is 1.5" diameter. We cover all this and more in the video.

   The video below goes over the differences and choices for the paddles I build. And I've built a lot of them and have shipped worldwide.

    To check on any current In Stock paddle specials, click on th link in the menu bar for "In Stock Paddles".

   This Blog entry is also something of a test to see how many view it as I conider doing blog entries on a somewhat regular basis going forward into 2022 and beyond.

   Going to post this now, then it is time for Your Friendly Neighbourhood Paddle Builder to head back out to the woodshop and get some work done.

Cheers... Joe O'

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Paddle Builder

   So over the last couple years, I've got back into dehydrating food sagain, the types of things I often take with me for canoe tripping, sea kayak trips or backpacking etc.

   Today, I've decided to do a blog post, the first of several, on some of the food dehydrating I have been doing. This one, on bell peppers, is one of my favorites. I love bringing them with me on my trips, as well as using them throughout the year at home in a wide variety of soups, sauces etc.

   For bell peppers, I like to cut them into pieces roughly 1/4" to 1/2" at most. They can also be cut into longer, narrow strips if you prfer. Ideal temperature is 135 F, or around 55- 60 degrees C.
  

   I place them spread out on the trays of my dehydrator, in this video i'm using my Salton Vita Pro 5 tray dehydrator.

Interested in this dehydrator? Check it out through the links below for Amazon (I am an Amazon Affiliate and receive a tiny commission on purchases through the below links...your price does not change however).
Amazon Canada:

Amazon USA:

https://amzn.to/3dJOWml

   It typically takes anywhere from 10 to 15 hours to dehydrate, it can vary a lot depending on the dehydrator you have, the humidity, how many you are doing at once etc. They are not "Done"...until they are DONE....meaning completely dry and crisp. You should be able to break them apart almost like a potato chip once dry.

   I usually store mine in mason jars for home storage though I put them into ziploc bags for use on wilderness trips.

   Check the video below for the full process. Thanks for watching.

For a preveiw of what is likely my NEXT dehydrator, click on the links below:
Canada:

USA:

https://amzn.to/3k7LO5T

   Mission accomplished!

   At 8:22 Pm Saturday evening, Sept. 04th, 2010, exactly 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes after launching my kayak in Nanaimo BC on Vancouver Island, I returned to the same location and reclaimed the speed record from British paddler Sean Morley. And yes, this entire trip was done with a pair of my hand crafted Greenland Paddles, proving that the GP's are indeed very efficient for long distance cruising and can set, and maintain, a very good pace. I would not have even tried this expedition with any other type of kayak paddle, the GP is what made it so easy on my body and allowed such full recovery overnight throughout the full journey.

   The entire expedition went by in a blur and I'm still trying to sort through my thoughts and memories from the entire event. I leave today to travel eastwards once again and during the trip (by Via Rail for a relaxing way to end the journey), i'll work on the photos and on doing a bit of a trip report which will be posted on the website and blog next week sometime.

   Hope to also have a small slideshow ready by the following weekend for my friends back home as well as, later on, a few slideshow presentations back in BC.

   A HUGE thank you to the many, many people who helped make this happen and to those who encouraged me along the way. Far too many people to list here but a few of the folks at the top of the list include Diane Hogan, Helen Wilson, Chris Hudema, Dawna & Rolf, my parents back home, Robin & Karen Thacker of Atlantis Kayaks, Nigel Dennis of Seakayakinguk, Tahe Marine kayaks, Kokatat, John Kimantis & Wavelength Magazine/ Wildcoast Publishing, Speedstroke Gym, Kayakpro and many, many more. Also, a very LARGE thank you to my friend Sean Morley who raised the bar so high in 2008 that I just had to come back and take another shot at this thing. Thanks Sean, you rock buddy!

   For now, you can view the posts from throughout the expedition that my better half, Diane added to the website here: Vancouver Island 2010

   What's in the future? Too early to tell but... after swearing off another speed run around the island last week, I must say that the temptation is still strong to do it again, for speed, but in a different manner. Time will tell but here is a hint at what may be to come in 2011....

   More coming in a week or so once comfortably back home.

Cheers.. Joe O'

It is finally time to get on the water and start the expedition around Vancouver Island to reclaim the speed record. After having to postpone it by a year last summer due to not being able tokeep up with orders for my paddles as I expanded the little home grown business, I thought I'd be on the water in June for this expedition. 

But as the season approached, I was again overwhelmed with orders and had to once again postpone, this time though only for a couple of months.

I finally arrived back on Vancouver Island Monday afternoon and am now ready to get out on the water and take a quick little trip around the island.

The goal for this nearly 1200 kilometer trip is just 16 days!

You can follow my progress by clicking the link for my SPOT Mesenger on the Vancouver Island 2010 Expedition page.

Eventually we will post full results, a day to day journal, Google Maps, photos etc...once I'm back home again.

I'd love to write more but I'm exhausted as it is and need some sleep before launching in roughly 8 hours time.

Full report coming in just over two weeks!!

Cheers...Joe O'

   Well, just under one month to go before launching the expedition to reclaim the speed record for circumnavigating BC Canada's Vancouver Island.

   The goal for the roughly 1150 kilometer trip is 16 days.

   Just booked my ticket today to British Columbia and I'm aiming for a launch sometime in the third week of August. Time to get to work and finish up the food lists, gear list etc and pick up the new Spot Messenger and a new VHF Marine Radio in the next few days.

   Going to be a good time for sure, I can hardly wait to get out there and have a little fun!!

As I type up this latest Blog Entry, I am sitting in the woodshop with the laptop in front of me. Surrounded by Greenland Paddles in various stages of construction, i am happy to announce that I will be supplying Helen Wilson (the 2008 Greenland Rolling Champion) with some of my handbuilt paddles.

The new sposorship has just come together over the past few days and I am pretty excited  about getting my paddles into the hands of somebody like Helen. When it comes to rolling a sea kayak, she is the BEST!

In 2008 Helen took First pllce in the solo rolling competition. First place in Group Rolling. First place in Harpon Throwing for Distance. Based in Arcata California, she travels North Americ and the world teaching kayaking skills. To learn more about Helen, visit her WEBSITE and check it out.

Joe 

A few days ago, Victoria BC resident Nick Castro launched his attempt to set a new record for sea kayaking around Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, as of yesterday, Nick has withdrawn due to a severe case of tendinitus in his left arm.

Apparaently the injury flaired up on day 2 and quickly worsened, forcing Nick off the water early on day 3 after about 25 kilometers. He had paddled roughly 65 kilometers on Day 1 and about 45 on Day 2.

The goal was around 80 kilometers per day  in his attempt to break the existing record which was set last fall by Sean Morley who broke my record circumnavigation from the previous year. My own attempt to reclaim the record is still set for this September.

You can view a thread on the Vancouver Island Record at www.wavelengthmagazine.com on their Forums Page.

That being said, it is time for me to have a heary breakfast and then get ready to hit the water on Lake Superior for another training session.

    Lots of news on the local paddling scene here in Thunder Bay Ontario. Teaming up with the good folks at Quetico Provincial Park, the Superior Kayak & Canoe Club is co-hosting the "Paddle Your Friends Canoe or Kayak Symposium" on July 5th. 

    Preceeding this event is 4 days of marathon canoe racing in Quetico Provincial Park. More details will be psoted online with in the next few days, both on my Blog and on my Club Pages for the paddling club.

    My new Greenland Paddle Bags are now in stock and going fast. I currently have Black; Black & Blue; and Burgundy to choose from. Nicely paddled, these are awesome bags for protecting your Greenland Paddle. See the webstore for more information.

    Regular club paddles start up in May. Tuesday Night Race series is also set to resume in late May (I'm anxiously awaiting arrival of my new 18'6" kevalr marathon C1 solo race canoe to arrive. 26 lbs of speed and fun).

    Also, rumour has it that several new Nigel Foster designed sea kayaks are set to arrive in Thunder Bay next month. The all new Whiskey 16 and the Whiskey 18...designed by Nigel Foster, built by Point 65 North of Sweden. I'm happy and excited to be bringing in these fine sea kayaks to the waters of Lake Superior.

    Lots more news coming soon, check back often!

Cheers...Joe O'