Mackenzie Canoe Paddle
CA$225.00
Mackenzie Canoe Paddle
A powerful, versatile straight-shaft paddle with a blade shape rooted in a 6,000 km journey across Canada.
The Mackenzie has long been Joe's favourite straight-shaft canoe paddle — and one of our strongest-selling canoe paddle designs.
Its relatively short, wide blade provides plenty of power while maintaining a compact profile. And unlike a blade shape chosen simply because it looked good on a drawing board, the Mackenzie's design has some serious miles behind it.
A Blade with 6,000 km of History
The Mackenzie features an approximately 18" long × 8" wide blade, with a shape very similar to the blades Joe uses on his bent-shaft canoe paddles.
That design has roots stretching back to 2004, when Joe completed an approximately 6,000 km, six-month solo canoe journey across Canada.
For that expedition, Joe paddled with a Zaveral carbon-fibre bent-shaft paddle, supplied by Zaveral as one of the expedition sponsors. After thousands of kilometres of real-world use, Joe came away with a pretty good appreciation for that compact, efficient style of blade.
When he later developed his own bent-shaft canoe paddles, that proven style became one of the influences behind his own blade design. Joe then carried that experience into the Mackenzie, giving it a blade shape very similar to the one used on his bent-shaft paddles.
More than two decades after that journey, Joe still owns the original Zaveral paddle that helped provide some of that inspiration.
Handcrafted from Premium Woods
Each Mackenzie is individually laminated and handcrafted primarily from carefully selected Western Red Cedar, with complementary hardwood accents used in many paddles.
The blade, shaft and grip are shaped and sanded by hand before being finished with multiple coats of 100% pure Tung Oil.
Natural variations in the wood and laminations give every finished Mackenzie its own individual character. No two are exactly alike.
Why "Mackenzie"?
The paddle takes its name from the Mackenzie River, Canada's longest river and one of the great waterways of the Canadian North.
It's an appropriate name for a paddle whose design has its own connection to long-distance Canadian canoe travel.
Built by a Paddler
Joe O'Blenis has handcrafted and sold more than 2,000 paddles, drawing on a lifetime of canoeing, sea kayaking and expedition paddling.
The Mackenzie is a particularly personal design. Its blade has roots in lessons learned from equipment Joe trusted for thousands of kilometres during his 2004 solo journey across Canada — and today, the Mackenzie remains Joe's favourite straight-shaft canoe paddle.
These aren't simply paddles made in a woodworking shop. They're built by someone who has spent a lifetime using paddles.
The Mackenzie Blade
Blade length: approximately 18"
Maximum blade width: approximately 8"
Style: Straight shaft
Shorter and wider than the Neebing, the Mackenzie provides a compact, powerful alternative for paddlers who prefer that style of blade.
Handcrafted in Canada. Built by a paddler, for paddlers.
