2011: Post 27 - My new Greenland sister paddles

A while ago I posted a picture of my newest paddles that I started earlier this spring. Here they are again... one was carved and the other was waiting to be...

I had finished carving out the second since and they have been waiting patiently for me to sand them and apply the tung oil finish....

On Friday a friend came to borrow one of my paddles for the week. I had made three last spring and had re-shaped and sanded one of them earlier this spring to thin out the blades and to take weight off of it.  I decided to finish it off so I could give it a test on the next days paddle (see previous post).

After our paddle yesterday Clyde asked if I had any spare ones, he wants to give the GP another try.  I do have a couple solid spruce ones (my second and third paddle) but one is heavier and the other has less shoulder, and I do not find they paddle as well as my cedar/spruce laminated ones.  If I am going to loan one to someone I would prefer they use a better, lighter one so as to get a good experience... okay, I admit it, Sean has recruited me and together our goal is to convert all euro-bladed paddlers to using the Greenland paddle....  Sorry, Sean, but the truth has to come out...

So after I got my gear put away I decided it was time to sand down the two newest ones and get them finished off...

So here are the newest GP sisters to add to my collection.

Meet paddle #7 and #8
(still need a couple more coats of tung oil finsih)

Here is a shot of all my creations (except the loaned out one) since converting to the Greenland paddle in March of 2010...

Starting from the right side... The unfinished one is the very first one I tried to made.  I used a piece of 2x6 spruce and, as you can see it twisted and bowed; it looks like a propeller!  The next two are made from a well-grained piece of 2x10 spruce (at a cost of under 10 bucks).  I used them for a little while until Neil held a GP making workshop during which I made three spruce/cedar laminated ones for about 80 dollars in wood and glue.  These are the forth and fifth ones in the picture and the third of the three is the one I loaned out.  The last two are my newest ones.

Here are a couple shots of my first GP endevour showing the bow and twist - anyone have a single prop airplane?  I have a propeller for you...

 I decided not to epoxy the ends of my paddles.  Although I do not try to abuse them, my intention is is to use them.  They are wood and inexpensive to make (about 30 bucks in wood and glue for a laminated one) so I will just use them and resand and refinish as required. 

They do get chewed up after a while...

these are the solid spruce ones with limited use...

The chewed up one in the center is the one I mainly use.
This is what the ends look like after more than a full year of good use 

The beauty of a wood GP that I make myself is that I can reshape and refinish them if they become worn too much.  I can cut about a 1/4 inch off the ends when I feel they have been worn down too much and could even fill in any gouges with wood filler. Then refinish and get a lot more use out of them.  If they become too short for my liking I can just refinish and reshape them and give them to someone else who would use a smaller paddle. 

GP forever, man!!! Sorry, that isn't politically correct....

GP forever, people!!!