Werner Paddles just announced their new SUP racing paddle line called the Grand Prix which will come with three blade shapes in both straight and bent shaft (12 degree bend) designs.

The straight shaft weighs in at an unbelievable 15.5 ounces and of course that light weight comes at a price. The MSRP is $389 for the straight shaft while the bent is going to be approximately $465.

Look for it at your local paddling shop mid-March.

More info: wernerpaddles.com

Werner Paddles has added a new warehouse and shipping facility to support their growth. The new facility located in Monroe Washington is just a few miles from the production factory in Sultan. This new facility has more than doubled the space allocated for storage of paddles. Additionally, Werner’s Shipping Department is now located in this space which will allow more room for staging orders. The old warehouse space in Sultan will be used by the Production team to house new machinery and improve production flow.

The implementation of the new facility to Werner dealers has been seamless. All correspondence and return shipments will continue to ship to the production address in Sultan, Washington. The only visible change is that Werner will not be shipping any paddles same day as the order is placed. All in stock paddles will ship the next day.

“The addition of the new warehouse and shipping facility really show our dealers how we continue to invest in our infrastructure to support the growth in our business. The cornerstone of what we do; providing the world’s best paddles and outstanding customer service, will now be better supported by our facilities.. We are looking forward to a great new year with the best paddle delivery in the business,” says Jim Miller, Werner Paddles Marketing Manager.

Werner Paddles is the leading manufacturer of high quality kayak, canoe, and stand up paddles, operating near the banks of the Skykomish River in Sultan, WA. For more information call 800.275.3311 or visit us at www.wernerpaddles.com.

 

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is pleased to announce that Werner Paddles has joined our organization as a Vendor Partner.

Over forty years ago, founder Werner Furrer Sr. saw a need to design and build his own kayak paddles. His goal was to give his family more enjoyment as they explored the waters of the Pacific North West. Today, a short distance from where the first paddle was built in the family garage, Werner Paddles now calls Sultan Washington home.

It is here that the employees of Werner’s design and production team handcraft the world's finest kayak, canoe and stand up paddles. These folks pour their pride into every paddle to give their customers more enjoyment on the water. This pride and quality workmanship is evident every time you pick up a Werner Paddle. You see their unsurpassed attention to quality and feel it with every stroke. 

The employees at Werner believe Advanced Designs and a Great Fit are the key ingredients to achieving Ultimate Paddle Performance. “Advanced Designs” mean much more than great blade designs and light weight construction. It includes maintaining bomber durability, shaping comfortable grips and providing amazing features to ensure all these features work together as a whole to create a well-balanced paddle. 

Doug Ragan, Director of Sales shared his thoughts on Werner becoming a vendor partner with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance: “We are excited to be a part of Grassroots and looking forward to growing closer with its many members. Grassroots provides a super platform to partner with some of the smartest and strongest outdoor dealers in the industry.”

With such high product standards and a history of producing fine, quality products, Werner Paddles seems a natural fit to the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. Ed McAlister, owner of River Sports Outfitters and Chairman of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance’s Paddle sport Vendor Committee, shared his thoughts on Werner Paddles: “Werner is the best paddling manufacturer in the industry and we could not ask for a better company in terms of quality product and staff to partner with. We’re thrilled to have them on board.” 

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance unites independent outdoor retailers as a strong voice to protect and promote the experience of outdoor enthusiasts across the United States. To learn more about Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, visit our website at www.grassrootsoutdoors.com.

I saw this posted by Sea Kayaker Magazine on the old Facebook so I wanted to pass it along just in case you hadn’t seen it.

[blockquote]ALERT - PADDLES & DRY SUITS STOLEN
This really sucks. Recently Northwest Outdoor Center had 23 Werner paddles and 10 Kokatat dry suits stolen. Obviously the thieves will try to move the goods. The cops have a feeling the stuff has left the area, but if you see good deals on Craigs List or your favourite paddling message board, be aware. Please contact the Seattle Police Dept or NWOC, mail@nwoc.?com 206-281-96?94.[/blockquote]

Update: User, irened over on the Professor Paddle forum posted an update with a bit more information about what was taken:

[blockquote]Yes it was a break-in, after the July 4th fireworks I guess.  Herbie said the suits (12 actually) were 3 cobalt and 4 mango Gortex, and 5 blue Tropos, all men's except for one - plus the 23 paddles.  Thanks again![/blockquote]

Congratulations to Werner Paddles who were voted as the second best company to do business with in the outdoor industry. The survey was part of the annual SNEWS Outdoor Retailer Dealer Survey which you can read if you are an SNEWS subscriber.

The SNEWS full survey lists the best and worst vendors to do business with and Werner landed right behind Patagonia who took the number one position.

I would agree with the survey that Werner is great to work with. That being said, I am a sponsored paddler with Werner so you could be thinking that of course I’m going to say that. The thing is that I used Werner paddles for many years before joining their team and they were always a pleasure to help me out anytime I ran into a problem.

Nice work gang!

At the Georgian Bay Storm Gathering a couple of weekends ago, Werner Paddles rep, Mark Scriver had a bunch of fridge poetry magnet kits specifically for Werner Paddles he was handing out. It has lots of good paddling terms but not enough prepositions so it’s a little tricky for anything longer than haiku sentences.

My wife came up with the gem above. If you can't read it you can click on the image for a larger version of it. According to my kids, its Jonas Brothers approved. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

Werner Paddles has lunched a new Bent Shaft Stand Up Paddle aimed squarely at the fastest growing categories of Stand Up Paddling, cruising, fitness and racing.

“Our new Bent Shaft SUP is the best choice for dedicated paddlers who want to gentle to their bodies while getting more power for the same amount of effort,” say Jim Miller, Werner’s Marketing Manager.

According to this video put together by famed paddler, Paul Mason, there is no reason in the world why you should paddle anything but a Werner Paddle.

Between you and me, I kinda believe him….

 

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following companies for their ongoing support of both PaddlingInstructor.com and myself as a professional sea kayak instructor. Without them, my job would both be a lot harder and a whole lot less fun!

The companies below represent the best gear you can buy in their particular area. I have been using their stuff long before taking them on as a site sponsor so I can honestly vouch for them.

Site Sponsors:

Strategic Partner:

Werner Paddles will make a check presentation to the Surfrider Foundation at the Surf Expo Trade Show in Orlando Florida the night of January 16th. Werner Paddles supports several non-profit partners, including the Surfrider Foundation, through its Healthy Waters Initiative. Healthy Waters, a first of its kind program, allows Werner customers to direct dollars to a non profit of their choice. It works like this; the consumer, post purchase, goes to www.wernerpaddles.com and chooses the Healthy Waters button. This takes them to a short questionnaire about their demographics and purchasing decision. At the end of the questionnaire they can choose from a list of non profits and Werner will make a donation in their name. "We are very proud of our commitment to the natural world. Healthy Waters is a great program for differentiating our product from the competition while giving the customer the ability to support a non-profit whose focus is access, water quality or education. This is a win for our customers, our dealers, our non-profit partners and for Werner Paddles," says Jim Miller, Werner's Marketing Manager.