Ray Special

Beautifully Made

Was looking for an alternate to my beaver tails for quiet paddling in deep water or as a change of pace on long days. It has a smooth consistent forward slice on in water recovery stroke. Blade is very well balanced and I noticed no change in slice with either edge forward. Though it is a narrow width, the length of blade gives it a good overall surface area and considerable bite. I added upgrade leather wrap and like the extra cushion for gunwales/shaft. Looking forward to stacking up some miles with it on my next week long trip.

Functional Art

The Fishell-Ray Special is amazing. The weight is distributed perfectly throughout the paddle which is clearly felt in its swing weight throughout a stroke. The paddle balances a smooth "catch" and gentle glide throughout each stroke. Lastly, Greg's craftsmanship is very impressive; it's clear that Greg has developed and refined his craft over numerous years. As I shared in the title, the Fishell Ray Special combines performance, feel, and aesthetics. As I shared in the title of this review, it is "functional art".

A beautiful paddle, both in looks and performance. It has a slight flex which gives life to it. The best analogy I can come up with is to that of a racing cross country ski, the liveliness makes paddling seem effortless. I was right on the cusp of a sizing break and wasn't sure if I had ordered the correct size. Greg was willing to exchange, but I decided to keep, as I was already addicted to it.