Badger Paddles... for those who dig the water.

05/11/2025

To my beautiful mom: If giving you a flower would represent my love for you, I would like to give you all the flowers in the world. Because you mean the world to me.

Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for being my mum!

🦡🛶🌼🌸🌺

05/05/2025

Time to Meet the Wood Shop Crew!

📷 Left to right: Doug, Wayne, Alister, Stephen, Austin

Over the past few years, Mike has been busy building a strong woodworking team in Gravenhurst and we're super excited to introduce them to you!

From first cut to final coat - and from socking paddles to printing tree certificates - these are the guys who help us make it all happen (along with plenty of wood shavings…).

🌲𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗚 – A cornerstone of the shop. Older than most of the tools, and twice as wise.

🛶 𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗡𝗘 – Meticulous in every sanding detail. Smoothest finish in the West. Never wastes a rag.

🪚 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 – New talent with a bright future. A rookie with rockstar energy.

📊 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗡 – Reliable, dedicated, and essential. A freak in the (Excel) sheets. If he left, we’d panic.

🪵 𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡 – Woodworker extraordinaire. Pulling his weight and then some. Sawdust in his veins.

Whether they’re helping to shape paddles, sort logistics, oiling, tagging, or portaging through paperwork, we’re super grateful for their time, effort, and one-of-a-kind contributions.

This is a team that knows how to dig in and keep things moving smoothly.

And we really couldn’t ask for a better crew—thanks for helping to make it all happen, guys! Also a big paddles up and special thanks to Bill Swift (not pictured) for believing in us and for supporting our paddle making vision too. We wouldn’t be where we are now without all of you!

🦡🛶🙏


Thanks,

04/28/2025

Doesn’t matter what boat you float. Just remember to get out and VOTE!

🦡🛶😉

#🇨🇦

04/28/2025

Doesn't matter what boat you float,
Just remember to get out and VOTE!

🦡🛶😉

04/27/2025

The lakes are opening and the trails are clearing…. 𝙄𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚?

Before you dip your blade into the water this season, make sure to give it the care it needs well ahead of your first trip. Oil needs time to pe*****te and cure properly for the best protection.

Here’s the 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿 method:

𝘾𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙉 — Remove any dirt, grit, or debris.

𝙎𝘼𝙉𝘿 — Lightly sand rough areas with a 220 grit sandpaper if needed.

𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙇𝙔 — Rub in a fresh coat of 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙊𝙞𝙡.

𝘽𝙐𝙁𝙁 — Let the wood soak it in, then gently buff with a wet proof 400 grit sandpaper.

𝙒𝙄𝙋𝙀 — Remove any standing or excess oil with a clean cloth or rag.

𝘾𝙐𝙍𝙀 — Allow time for the finish to fully cure before paddling.

🦡🛶A little early-season maintenance keeps your paddle protected, beautiful, and backcountry-ready for the journeys ahead.

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤:
[https://badgerpaddles.com/canoe-paddle-maintenance/]

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥-𝙗𝙮-𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚: [https://badgerpaddles.com/canoe-paddle-maintenance/ ]

𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙖𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙐: 𝙋𝘼𝘿𝘿𝙇𝙀𝙎> 𝙈𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙉𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀

04/25/2025

We had to dig deep into the archives again for this one! That’s me (Fiona) in my early twenties at the first Canoe Symposium in Merrickville (with my dog Tundra🥹).

For those who don’t know, I painted my first wilderness scene on a canoe paddle as a teen. With some encouragement from family and friends, that one piece sparked a little art venture. I tried traditional canvases but found myself more inspired by unconventional surfaces—rocks, fungi, old saw blades, and especially, wooden canoe paddles.

Through that paddle art, I met Bill Swift, who invited me to paint live in the Swift Canoe & Kayak booth at the Toronto Sportsman Show. It’s also where I met Mike for the first time. The rest is nearly 30 years of paddling history. (Just writing that sentence gave me three new grey hairs.)

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I worked at Swift Canoe and then Wilderness Dreams and Mid-Canada Fiberglass in Temiskaming Shores, designed catalogs and built the website for Scott Canoe, and created magazine ads for Scott Canoe, Bluewater, Impex, and Pyranha kayaks. From paintbrushes to pixels, my love for paddling was always at the core of my work.

I don’t paint many wilderness scenes these days. Caring for our son Makobe, who has autism, and running a paddle-making business with Mike keeps me super busy. Thus, my time for intricate art is limited.

But thanks to all of you and your custom paddle orders, I’ve stayed creatively challenged and deeply inspired. Helping you bring your artistic visions to life gives me life too.

What started as a love for paddles has become a calling. For the past 30 years, because of your trust and support, those paddles have become my love letters - to you, and to the paddling world.

Thank you for letting me keep writing them. And thank you for digging Badger Paddles!



🦡🛶🙏❤

04/19/2025

😍 Cherry… ‘Nuff said.

Beauty new paddles from our friends at .paddles 😍!

04/19/2025

The Near North remembers…
The pull of spring, the crack of ice, the call to paddle. The new season is almost upon us. Be ready.

Are you GAME TO ROAM?

03/17/2025

View of “Badger Boulevard” at the Wood Shop.



#🦡🛶🌲

03/10/2025

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱: 𝗛𝗮𝗽 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻

There are moments in life when everything comes full circle. Seeing the fabled Hap Wilson walk through the store when I worked at Wilderness Dreams in Temiskaming Shores decades ago, I never imagined that one day he would not only admire our work - but become an official Ambassador for our canoe paddles! Seriously, I was even fangirling a little bit that day. And yet here we are years later, and this renowned explorer is helping to make our wilderness dreams a reality.

But Hap is more than an explorer. He’s a cartographer, conservationist, author, artist, and a true icon in the paddling world. For over a decade, his paddle of choice has been a Badger, and now… we’re working on something special together.

“𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙙𝙨… 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙮𝙚𝙩.” – 𝗛𝗮𝗽 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻

How’s that for a wilderness dream come true: there just might be a Hap Wilson signature paddle in the works. Paddles up to that!

Thank you for digging our paddles, Hap! We are honoured to be working with you and are grateful for your friendship and support.

https://badgerpaddles.com/hap-wilson-a-legendary-ambassador/

» Click the link above to discover more about Hap’s journey, his new paddle prototype, and his legendary impact on the wilderness.

🦡🛶💦

Hap Wilson - Eco Trailbuilders

03/08/2025

Dig this video from Nova Craft Canoe of ALL CANADIAN GEAR!

🦡🛶🇨🇦

06/12/2024

We had to dig pretty deep into the archives for this one! Here is a 19 year old Mike working at the Swift Georgian Bay Waubaushene store. He was a student then, already in love with paddling and focused on a career in the outdoors. He was also just one year away from meeting the second love of his life… me!😆😍

For those keeping count for Mike, that’s just a little over 30 years of slogging canoes and canoe paddles… a lifetime of passion, dedication and experience.

From Canoe Trip Program Leader at Camp Towhee as a teen, to graduating from the Outdoor Recreation Technician program at Seneca College, to outfitting paddlers throughout Ontario with Bill Swift, to Monod Sports pro shop in Banff, to woodworking and finishing at Badger & Son, to driver to kayak builder to North American sales at Scott Canoe, to Algonquin Outfitters canoe trip guide, and then on to working with wood again with the launch of Badger Paddles, in addition to being the current Operational Manager at Swift Canoe… Mike has never lost his love for the paddlesports industry.

I suppose one could say that getting people into boats and into the backcountry has never really been a job for him. It’s just his way of life- he is devoted to it - and always will be.

🦡🛶🌱🌲❤️

Swift Canoe & Kayak Swift Outdoor Centre