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Ray Kettlewell has been involved with canoeing and with wood most of his life. Prior to 1970, he worked in the hardwood lumber industry; logging and managing a sawmill and dry kiln in southwestern Ontario. Much of his spare time was spent paddling, on his own and guiding groups of adults and children on canoe trips. Ray earned a canoe instructor's certificate in l973 and 15 years of marathon canoe racing earned him a bushel basket full of trophies.
Ray began making paddles in 1970 to supply himself with the kind of paddles he wanted. After all, he had access to the best hardwoods and years of accumulated knowledge of woods. Since l977, making paddles has been Ray's full time occupation. "All my life I've been amazed by the number of canoeists who make do with truly awful paddles. In my opinion, a skilled canoeist can make a pretty good argument that the quality of the paddle is more important than the quality of the canoe. High quality, solid wood paddles are not easy to find but that's what Ray Kettlewell makes. After using Ray's paddles for a few weeks my clients always want to take them home with them. Several years ago I asked Ray to make me a personal selection of paddles that would last me the rest of my life. If there's a better paddle on the market I haven't seen it and I can't even imagine it. Ray's paddles are absolute perfection!" Alex Hall, Canoe Arctic Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada |