Carving My Own Paddle

[Miley]

Ok, so I might not take it that far, but carving a paddle would be an interesting task. Does anyone else have a hard time, finding the perfect paddle? I am kind of short, and find paddles that are too long or just feel awkward. I am afraid to order online, because I would hate to buy another paddle I won't use. How did you find the best paddle?

[dinosaur]

I made it.

[wvbreamfisherman]

I'm in the process of laying out a Greenland-style paddle for my kayak. I'll hog most of it off with a bandsaw and finish it with a plane and spokeshave. There are some good videos out there on the process for kayak paddles, never looked for canoe paddles.

[ppine]

I have built several paddles. My favorite is mahogany with a white ash stringer down the middle. My friend in ID is a woodsmith and glues up scraps for me. Then I rough them out with a saw and use a drawknife, planes, rasps, files, and sandpaper. It is useful to have a design to refer to for details like the grip. It is fun and very rewarding to paddle with something you have made in your hands all day. ( I once used a coal shovel to paddle a canoe in an emergency.)

Some of the best paddles in the West are made with ponderosa pine (PPine), Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce. They are light and strong for their weight. Hardwoods are more durable but heavier, ie walnut, ash, cherry, and mahogany. You can reinforce the end of the blade with fiberglass cloth or a strip of tin or copper.

[Bumpkin]

Originally Posted by Miley

Ok, so I might not take it that far, but carving a paddle would be an interesting task. Does anyone else have a hard time, finding the perfect paddle? I am kind of short, and find paddles that are too long or just feel awkward. I am afraid to order online, because I would hate to buy another paddle I won't use. How did you find the best paddle?

I think you should take it that far, Miley! It would probably be a fun project and you could customize it however you want. Find yourself some nice wood and let us know how it goes!

[catspa]

Take a too-long paddle and cut it down an inch at a time and try it to find the perfect lenth for you, maybe cut inches out of the middle of the shaft and sleeve it back together. Then you'll have a pattern. You think buying the wrong one is bad, think if you spent 50 hours making one and then didn't like it.

Parker

[waterydude]

A good rule of thumb for height of paddle is. when standing the paddle in front of you, the handle should come between your chin and nipple height. if your doing lake (slow, long distance) then it should be closer to your chin height. If you prefer to have better acceleration and easier strokes but not top end speed you should go for a shorter paddle, close to you chest/nipple height. then depending on your use of the paddle lakes/long distance or WW, short distance, good acceleration then you would want a different type of blade. the longer the blade and narrower the better it is suited to longer distance where turning quickly is not really an issue. if you want a paddle that gives you grip and turning ability focus on a wider blade that isn't too long. I am a canoe instructor and would be happy to give you further info if you would like. there are a range of names for the different types of blades also so most people go for the commonly known one but you can mix it up. look forward to your questions, Tadhg

[ppine]

Who likes bent shafts?

I usually bring one for long flat stretches of rivers or lakes, as they are more effecient. They can be pretty short and still work well.

For design ideas, I like Grey Owl and Bending Branches.

[wvbreamfisherman]

I've only had very limited experience with bent shafts, and I wasn't impressed. However, the ones I used didn't fit me very well, so I'm still very open to the idea. Newanderthal posted some pics of bent paddles he had custom-made that looked intriguing.

[Newanderthal]