N E WS


INSIDE THE BUSY WORKSHOP OF BADGER PADDLES


Walk into any paddling store or outfitter and you’ll be greeted by a large rack of canoe paddles. Some are long, some short, some wide, some narrow. They come in all shapes, shades and grains. Husband and wife team, Mike and Fiona Ramsay, founded Badger


Paddles in 2009. Born into a family tradition of woodworking, Fiona grew up around woodcraft, her father owned Badger and Son’s wood refinishers business. Mike and Fiona had both been involved in the paddling industry working for canoe manufacturers prior to starting a paddle making business, but Badger Paddles was a way they could continue to continue that passion, they say. Like most start-up businesses, Badger didn’t just sprout overnight.


Many hours were spent perfecting shape and material. The evidence of all this hard work, the successes and failures, can be seen in the fin- ished paddles mounted in the Ramsay home in Huntsville, Ontario. Badger’s research and development can also be seen throughout their


16 PADDLING MAGAZINE


HANDMADE CHARM


workshop, where prototype shapes and styles hang, ready to be tweaked for production. “We are lucky to have a lake within portaging distance from our shop.


It’s a great way to test new designs or just get out for an afternoon paddle and relax,” says Mike. Mike is the man behind the woodworking. After sourcing local lum-


ber, he cuts out and shapes each Badger paddle by hand. This personal attention to detail is what separates Badger’s paddles from many larger paddle manufacturers. After the paddles are complete, Fiona uses local- ly sourced hemp oil to give a finish that will last. The Ramsays are com- mitted to keeping their product and process as eco friendly as possible, which is why the products used to finish the paddles are non-toxic. The Badger paddle line consists of four blade shapes in various lengths. Learn more at www.badgerpaddles.com. —Matt Stetson


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82