Parts of a Canoe Paddle

parts of a canoe paddle

One of the most exciting aspects of backcountry camping and bushcraft is the art of paddling a canoe. But it is not all about trying frantically to get your boat going up a stream or a river. The first lesson you should learn about this skill is to identify the basics of a canoe paddle. Don’t underestimate its important because knowing which part belongs to which can help you a lot when  you need to communicate with someone on the water or fix your paddle. If you have insufficient knowledge of it, then you could be, well, up a creek without a paddle.

The Parts of a Canoe Paddle Video

Learn the Parts of a Canoe Paddle

Basically, a canoe paddle consists of six parts:

  • Grip: the top of a paddle. The two most popular shapes are the T-grip and the pear grip. The paddle shown in the video has a T-grip. It is mostly used for whitewater and wilderness tripping while the pear grip is used for general paddling.
  • Shaft: below the grip and acts as the handle of the paddle. To ensure the maximum speed and control when paddling, you should do so with one hand covering the grip and the other hand on the shaft.
  • Throat: the part of the shaft which widens into the blade. Immediately below it is the shoulder of the paddle. Beginner paddlers should keep your hand away from the throat when paddling because the sides of the canoe are hard and rough enough to cause injuries.
  • Shoulder: the shoulder is the area between the throat and the blade of the canoe paddle.
  • Blade: the wide, flat end of the paddle that wades through the water when paddling.
  • Tip: the end of the blade. It may sound tempting to shove off or store your paddle by the tip but this is a bad practice. Doing so can create small little cracks through which the water can dribble into the wood and eventually destroy your paddle from inside out.

As you can now see, the parts of a canoe paddle are easy to learn and also likely easy to remember. Now, the next time you're out on a paddling trip you'll sound like an expert as you help new paddlers learn a few basics of canoeing.