Description

Each guideboat builder had a signature paddle, called a sneak paddle. It was used to navigate in water to narrow for easy transit with oars, or on days (or more likely, nights) when stealth was particularly important. The guide himself might use the sneak paddle, or a passenger at the stern might use it as a rudder for steerage. As its name implies, this finely dimensioned paddle was used in silent pursuit of game, particularly deer, during the hunt. This was called ‘floating for deer.’ Frequently the paddle would not even be lifted from the water, silence being key. The graceful lines of the paddle made this maneuver all the easier. When Steve was giving a boatbuilding class at the Great Camp Sagamore, a Canadian Free-Style canoeist took up this paddle and admired its lines. “Give it a try,” said Steve. Upon returning, the canoeist pronounced, “About the finest I’ve ever tried.”