About our Exotic Woods:
PADAUK
Prized for its rich, crimson color and excellent durability, Padauk is an excellent hardwood. Reddish orange when freshly cut, it matures over time to a bright red with darker red and purple streaks. It is hard, heavy and makes a very durable paddle. We really love the orange red color of padauk.
MAHOGANY
Mahogany is strong, yet light, and beautiful. The color matures from a salmon tone when freshly cut, into a rich light brown or brown with age. The grain varies from straight to curly, sometimes producing highly attractive figures. Light weight and strong this makes a very easy paddle to handle.
CHERRY
A long time favorite for its rich color and excellent tone. The wood leaves the sawmill with a pinkish, rosy tone, and continues to darken over years to a deep, lustrous soft red. The narrow sapwood has a creamy color, similar to Hard Maple. Our Cherry paddles are solid hard working performers with wonderful natural tone and feel.
PURPLE HEART
True to its name, purple heart boasts vibrant purple heartwood, and a fine, satiny texture. Initially a dull brown, it takes on its brilliant purplish tone shortly after the wood is cut. The sapwood is creamy, pinkish cinnamon. It has exceptionally high bending and crushing strength, is stable, and is extremely resistant. This is the heaviest hardwood we make paddles from and will feel very strong and powerful in your hand.
WALNUT
With its gorgeous chocolate tone it’s easy to see why Black Walnut is often regarded as the classic American wood. The heartwood varies from light grayish-brown to deep chocolate brown, occasionally approaching an almost black or purplish-brown. The grain is slightly open and usually straight, but is famous for its sometimes stunning figure. A very pretty dark brown paddle.