VonDohln Bros Paddles

[farrell33]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to track down an original Von Dohln Bros. canoe paddle, particularly any models or custom builds associated with early Olympic or ACA racing competition.

As many of you know, Fred and Ike von Dohln operated out of Edgewater, NJ starting back in 1905, building a long legacy with the American Canoe Association and regional Hudson River racing. Given their history with competitive paddlers, I am very interested in finding a surviving paddle crafted by their shop. My wife is a VonDohln. After Hurricane Sandy her cousin Joe VonDohln was forced to sell the VonDohln Marina

I’m looking for two things:

1. To Purchase: If anyone has a Von Dohln Bros. paddle in their collection that they would be open to selling or trading, please let me know details on condition, length, and pricing.
2. Historical Information / Photos: If you own one, or have photos, shop marks, dimensions, or catalog/archival references related to their racing and Olympic-tier paddles, I would greatly appreciate any insights or pictures you could share!

Feel free to reply here or send me a private message. Thanks in advance for any leads or history you can pass along!

Best regards,

John Farrell / farrell33

 

[Dan Miller]

I have a Von Dohln double paddle, though probably not a racing paddle per se.

Here are a couple of photos:

 

[farrell33]

Wow! The family will be excited to see this. Where are you located? I'm sure my cousin Joe VonDohln will want to make an offer.
Jack Farrell - farrell33@gmail.com

 

[Dan Miller]

I live in Almost Canada. (In other words, northern New York).

 

[farrell33]

I will be in Plattsburgh next week. How did you happen to come by these paddles?. There was a big fire in the 70s and all the paddles and canoes were lost,

 

[Dan Miller]

Plattsburgh is 3.5 hours from me (Cape Vincent).

The paddle came with a lot of canoes and paddles I bought sometime before 2008. I sold an Old Town double paddle to a friend and kept the VD.

 

[patrick corry]

Hello John, are the paddles in question always marked in some way? I have two double blade paddles- one segmented and one laminated to be one piece- that came with a canoe I bought some years ago. The canoe was purchased shortly after WWII I believe, and the gentleman from whom I bought it mentioned the Van Dohln Marina as a place he frequented, or perhaps that's where he purchased the canoe as a teen.

Seen here with the canoe and mast for a sailing rig.