Description

The La Bonga features a tear-drop shaped shorter, wider blade profile making it practical for both deep water and shallow water canoe tripping. Designed to efficiently pull though the water smoothly and quietly.  This paddle was named in honour of George Bonga, a famous fur-trader from long, long ago. Badger Paddles believes in tradition, using old fashioned methods to handcraft their paddles from single pieces of wood. Every Badger canoe paddle is a unique wood carving and a work of art as no two paddles are the same. Constructed from solid cherry with a hand-rubbed oil finish. Made in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. Each Badger Paddle includes its own Paddle Sock to protect your paddle in transport or storage.

CHOOSING YOUR PADDLE SIZE

While In-Store

When you come into the store we fit paddles in a few different ways.  For some paddles it’s as easy as standing up straight with the paddle blade on the floor in front of of you.  The grip should be somewhere between the top of your sternum and chin.  For other paddles we may have you hold the paddle as if you were about to take a stroke, and then put the shaft on top of your head.  If your elbows are at 90 degrees you have a good fit.

Ordering From Home

If you can’t join us in the store and see the paddles in person, the following is the best technique to get the correct size. The overall paddle length should be determined by the shaft length from the top of the grip to the throat of the paddle (where the shaft meets the blade).

To determine the paddle size you need, sit up straight on a chair and measure the distance from the surface of the chair to your chin.  Add 6” for the approximate distance the canoe seat would be from the waterline.  For example, a person whose chin to chair measurement is 26” would add 6” to arrive at a 32” shaft length.  Looking at the specifications for the La Bonga (below) you would find the best fit would be a 54” paddle. A one or two inch variation really will not have much effect in usage, just try for closest shaft length. Remember to consider that canoe seat heights vary as might a ‘comfort range’ that you might feel more suited to.

Due to the nature of handcrafted work these measurements are approximate and could vary.