About Our Company

Echo Paddles grew from two passions: for paddling and for making finely crafted wood paddles. In response to the lack of high quality, Canadian-made wood paddles on the market, Andy Convery began to make his own in the early 1990’s. Word soon caught on that these were fine crafted, exceptional paddles and outside orders started coming in, resulting in the formation of Echo Paddles in 1998.

Over the past ten years the paddles have undergone many changes, introducing new materials like carbon fiber and Dynel, working with tapered laminates for strength and durability as well as aesthetic concerns, and introducing new designs each year. However, the original premise remains: a light weight, stiff and well balanced paddle produced in a sustainable manner.

Echo Paddles has two goals. The first is to provide high end, well crafted and aesthetically pleasing wood canoe and kayak paddles. The second is to be a company that models environmental sensitivity, keeps its impact low, and supports education around craftsmanship and environmental stewardship.

In recent years we have taken some large steps forward toward these goals:

We have moved from reclaimed wood from outside sources to managing our own woodlot on 36 acres of land through the Forest Stewardship Council. We now use wood from our own land almost exclusively, further reducing our environmental footprint by a major reduction in shipping of wood and selective cutting to benefit the health of our forest.

The Echo Paddles workshop is now off grid, using power from the sun. Our solar panels provide electricity, and the passive solar shop provides us with heat and light. We are not completely sustainable yet, with some dependence upon a backup generator and woodstove, but each year we get closer to complete sustainability.

We have had the pleasure of teaching others about paddle making through an apprenticeship program. Andy has been involved with the outdoor education program at a local high school, making paddles for a yearly canoe trip, as well as taking on high school and university coop apprentices. Please see our Community Involvement page for details.

Paddling remains a passion as well, and we continue to support various paddling events along with introducing new paddlers to the joys of the canoe through on water instruction. We hope to see you on the water at one of these events, or just simply on a local lake or river.