Stewart Coffin, maker of Iliad paddles, canoes & the first whitewater kayaks in the U.S., and wilderness author

Jake ffield said:

The iliad paddle was not designed by Coffin at all it was designed by my father John Ffield. If you look at the label on the yellow shafted paddle with the grey handle the lable will say nothing about Mr Coffin. That paddle was made in my father's basmet i68 Circuit st. Norwell Ma. To be exact ..pre 1975. Stu Coffin had nothing to do with the design or molds of the iliad kayak or canoe paddles,or my fathers canoe design.

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I just pulled my Iliad paddles from the rafters for a closer look. Iliad Inc 168 Circuit St. Norwell, Mass. 02061
Blade width 9” Blade ht. 27.5”. 1 is 56” the other is 53.5”. Just posting this for further info. A bit different shape than the grey shafted one shown in the previous post.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Since it's hard to find a picture of one, here it is:

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Mine have gray grips, not red. The one pictured says "Sunbright Tennessee" under the Iliad name. That was where Bluehole Canoes were made. I was wondering whom Coffin sold his Iliad molds to in 1968. Not sure, but it seems that they might have ended up with Bluehole in the 70's or 80's.

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Mr Coffin didn't make the iliad molds my father John Ffield did that and founded the company. Coffin's paddles were the reason my father founded iliad. He knew he could do better.

Jake ffield said:

Mr Coffin didn't make the iliad molds my father John Ffield did that and founded the company. Coffin's paddles were the reason my father founded iliad. He knew he could do better.

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Can you give us some history on your father and the company? When did he start it? Did he only make paddles? How long did he own it? Why did he sell it? Did he sell it to Stewart Coffin or someone else?

Alan

Glenn MacGrady said:

Since it's hard to find a picture of one, here it is:

View attachment 127197

Mine have gray grips, not red. The one pictured says "Sunbright Tennessee" under the Iliad name. That was where Bluehole Canoes were made. I was wondering whom Coffin sold his Iliad molds to in 1968. Not sure, but it seems that they might have ended up with Bluehole in the 70's or 80's.

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The iliad molds and design were not Mr. Coffin. John Ffield was the founder and designer.

An Iliad paddle was used by Nolan Whitesell in the only open canoe run of the Niagara Gorge, ever, in 1987. His spare paddle affixed over his rear bag is an Iliad with yellow shaft and gray grip. The paddle he paddled with also could have been an Iliad, although it also could have been a Norse, which were very similar in construction. The best views of his two paddles are in the part of the video that shows the hike to the put-in. Nolan had an Iliad when I and @TomP paddled the Chattooga (section 4) and the Ocoee with him earlier in 1987. I bought a Piranha canoe from him after those runs and drove it back to New York on top of a rental Ford Taurus.

Jeez. He must have had a helluva bilge pump! And was that a squirt kayak (and probably a Dancer)?. I wonder what he could do with a modern Blackfly! He's my hero's hero.