About me

I was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. My dad worked for Parks Canada and my mom worked for Environment Canada, so a life in the outdoors seemed inevitable. Our family vacations involved tent camping all over the US, so it's fair to say I spent most of my childhood in the outdoors. From the sequoia's in Yosemite to the glaciers in Denali, I'm thankful for everything I got to experience in my youth.

When I was 11 my parents offered to send me to a canoe tripping camp in Algonquin Park. I said yes. Years later, I still make the drive up hwy. 60 from Ottawa to Algonquin, the very same drive my parents did 16 years ago to drop me off at Camp Pathfinder, an experience that no doubt changed the course of my life.

Throughout all the adventures and endeavours in my life, one thing has remained a constant. The camp on an island in the middle of Source Lake. Whenever I needed, it was the place I called home. I won't dive into what life on Source Lake has meant to me over the years, that's a story for another time. However, I will say that naming my company after the Lake where it all began was a no-brainer.

Surprisingly, my start in woodworking had nothing to do with canoes, paddles or anything related to the outdoors. In fact, it was quite the opposite. 

I went to school for music. I started playing the piano at age 4 and in high school I picked up the oboe. I made the decision to pursue a career in orchestral performance. I studied four years at the University of Toronto, graduating with a B.A in Oboe Performance. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and had surreal performing experiences, however, I think deep down I knew I needed to be in the outdoors. 

One thing about playing the oboe at a high level is the ability to make one's own reeds. Playing a double reed instrument has a whole unknown underworld of complex machinery linked to making the perfect reed. So while half of my degree was spent practicing my scales the other half was spent learning to manipulate wood on a microscopic scale. 

Over the years, I accumulated so many tools related to reed making that without knowing it, I think I became a woodworker cosplaying as a musician. I will always claim that making a good reed is harder than making a good paddle. 

When COVID hit I was one of the fortunate few who got to make the trip up to Source Lake. This is when my interests shifted from music to carpentry. I got to spend my time building, renovating, and working on canoes. At the end of the year, part of me knew that I wanted to find something in that field.

In the winter of 2022 I made my first paddle out of cedar, a tester paddle to see if I could do it. Having paddled so many days with various paddle shapes from different companies I knew what I was after. I wanted to create something different, something better, cleaner and crisper. A paddle that reflected my experiences paddling the lakes and rivers of Ontario and Quebec. Paddles that would be cherished and cared for but that also cared for YOU when on long days out in the wilderness. Paddles that responded quicker and more efficiently.

   - Ergonomic and powerful, beautiful and durable. 

So I got to work.  
  
I made the leap and bought more Cherry than I could really afford at the time. For two years I refined my system. I would make a couple paddles in the winter then work at Camp for the summer and see if people liked them. People showed interest so I kept working and kept getting closer to what I was after.

My process has changed a lot in those couple of years and I learned a lot. The tools have definitely been upgraded and the quality of my paddles has as well, but somethings have stayed the same. The time spent handcrafting each paddle is still there. While I am much quicker than I used to be each paddle I make still gets my full attention. Nothing about my process has been automated, every part is made by hand; today and always. A canoe paddle is too special to be made any other way.

I have been fortunate enough to paddle some of the best Ontario and Quebec has to offer. These trips have shaped me in ways I can't describe but they have also shape what has now become Source Lake Paddle Company. I hope you will trust me to make your next paddle and let it take you wherever the lakes and rivers flow.

-Simon McNamee

Pipstone -Winisk - Hudson Bay (2013), Temagami - Lady Evelyn (2015), Petawawa River (2017)  French River - Georgian Bay (2020 and 2023), Lake Superior - Michipicoten - Missinaibi - James Bay (2021), Dumoine River (2021), Kattawagami - James Bay (2022), Lake Superior - Agawa Bay (2022), Madawaska River (2023), Killarney (2023) along with countless other trips throughout the Algonquin backcountry.