My wood selection process

My wood selection process

Rivr Styx Ash Selection Process Stalker, Pennsylvania~ Keith Backlund’s home place~ late 90’s Crunch crunch CRUNCH! The collapse of the ice crusted snow punctuates our every step in the otherwise-silent forested hillside on a bright January day. Keith is hunting for...

The Lure of the Realm

The “Realm” is our name for where we roam.  We just go around for a little while and then come back to the real world.   And the Lure is strong. “Just one more good one” , and “One more like that” ARE good enough reasons to get frazzled to the point where you’re not...

Paddle Anatomy

The anatomy of a paddle is pretty simple really. There’s only a few terms  to learn. Shafts are usually made in two halves which are “scarved”  together and made of three pieces each. “Plated shafts” have a lighter  duty core- like spruce...

The Feather Rap

Everyone is fishing for the right feather. My ideas… I was the original proponent of 45 degree feather paddles, beginning  around 1981. Up until then 90′ feathers were pretty much the only  available commercial feather based on old European theories about...

Stroke Theory

What follows is a discussion of my ideas about stroke dynamics. It’s an  evolving science with abundant subjective input and assertions ruling  the day. My ideas come from studying what makes powerful strokes and  what it takes to paddle hard all day- in...

Trik Style

What’s this “TRIK STYLE” blade shape all about and why do I feel it is the  best configuration I make? Trik style means the blade is centered on the shaft- like a canoe paddle. It means the paddle will do equally  powerful forward and backward...