Anyone tried one of these out? It looks like it would have a little more surface area than my Grey Owl Guide, being about an inch wider and the same length. I’m thinking about getting one as a compliment/change of pace to the bent shaft I use most of the time now.
Yes
I have one and I love it. My other paddle is a BB Loon which works a little better in shallower water. The Beavertail is a decent paddle at a fairly good price.
BB Beavertail
I use a BB Beavertail regularly as my “beater” blade on rivers. I generally use a better quality handmade paddle and switch to the BBB when the water gets shallow.
As far as comparing it to the GO Guide: The blade is longer and wider – with more width closer to the end than the Guide. The GO Guide also has a substantially smaller shaft size than the BBB. MY wife expropriated my Guide some years ago… it’s her favorite beater paddle. It fits her hand much better than it fits mine.
Both Grey Owl and Bending Branches make decent quality factory paddles at very attractive mass-produced prices. The overall quality control of BB is more consistent than GO’s. I prefer to hand pick GO paddles, but wouldn’t hesitate to “mail order” a BB.
Since this is P.net and some hypercritical twit may be reading please note: The above was just my opinion. Not responsible for bunched panties. - Randall
Yep
Hey Rob,
I got one last year and it is a nice one. My favorite paddle to use. I found out the hard way not to use it in shallow water as I gave it a good lick on a nice rock and put a small crack in the rockguard. Not something for paddling into the upper reaches of Cibilo Creek when you are at Boerne Lake.
Thanks Folks
Got one on order.
Arkay, thank for averting the hysteria :-)!
Brett, I’ll try not to pound rocks with it, but you never know. I caught a real nice bass the other day near that private swimming dock on a certain lake. My regards to that young Maine Guide to be. Did you ever get the Pack canoe back? 
Return of the Pack
Only for a short while. The Junior Maine Guide is now 6’3" and 240 lbs with size 14 feet and still growing. He has appropriated my Penobscot as “his” canoe. I was able to wear down the spouse and now paddle the Prism. Mamma has been converted from the dark side and now paddles the Pack almost exclusively as she is very fond of searching for moose up feeder streams into our local lakes. The Pack is ideally suited for those small waters.
Whoa
Things change in a hurry…its great when they become really good gear haulers!