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There's a guy about an hour from my house who has a pair of Clement paddles, older but in terrific shape. They are 56" tall and are #267 which I guess is a model number. The blades are 8" wide I think. I'm getting to the point where I need to replace my main paddles, which are solid cherry, about 30 years old, and made by a guy who had a place on the road into Kearney. I had to repair some splits last year, plus they are heavy, and in recent years have been working on my elbows a bit. Thing is they are big beaver tails, about 7.5" wide, and they move a lot of water. I've been using some pretty ancient wooden paddles more lately because they are light, but they don't move much water, and that's making me think the Clements might work for me. BUT, before I drive an hour there and back to see I thought I'd ask if anybody knows anything about them. Mostly interested in weight, but anything else would help, balance, durability, your derision or love of Clement, etc.. Someday maybe I'll get a composite paddle or something, but I just really like wood for a paddle. Feels right. Oh - I should say - these Clements have a pretty traditional grip. I have seen some with "T" tops.
Thanks -
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I bought two Clement paddles about 1970 and they're still used at times today. Mine are seven inches wide so maybe less blade area with different paddling characteristics. My Clements were light and durable but today they aren't as comfortable or pleasant to use as an ottertail... sorry I can't say that I like them but after using a more refined hardwood paddle, they do feel sort of clunky. Others however, do feel comfortable with a wide-bladed paddle and might find them acceptable. IIRC, the cover of Bill Mason's Path of the Paddle shows Clements being used in whitewater but which size they were isn't known.
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Like frozentripper, my wife Diana and I bought two Clement paddles in the early 1970s. They were a reasonable / good quality tripping paddle of their era. As I remember, they were constructed of spruce.
A "267" has a blade length 26" long by 7" wide (nominal - actual dimensions, slightly less). The 26" is from the tip of the paddle to the very top of the throat. (so the blade area is less than 26 x 7.)
Diana's Clement is still her favourite paddle 40+ years later. I've moved on to other paddles but I'm harder on my equipment than she is. Also my preference now is for much shorter paddles than it was back then.
We also have a couple of T-grip Clements with 8" blades for white water. They have a spine down the middle of the blade at the top which renders them unusable as a yoke for portaging - not that anyone does that any more!
If I had the opportunity to purchase a couple of Clement paddles in good condition, I would probably pass as they are a little clunky compared to modern equivalents (Grey Owl). But Diana would probably go for it.
Last edited by rgcmce (8/27/2017 1:54 pm)
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