I have just finished my second Greenland paddle. I have it drying with the latest coat of pure Tung Oil. I decorated it with wood burnings out near the ends of the paddle, and also added the year and my makers mark on the center of the handle. I did blade edge protection with an application of west systems 655 Gflex thicken. I just did the edge not the faces of the blade ends. It adds a nice brilliant amber highlight when the sun shines through it. I am applying the Tung oil with 1200 grit wet/dry sand paper. letting it dry and doing it again I have 6 or 7 coats on it now. Here are a few photos.
Castoff, that’s a gorgeous GP. And elegant. I was shopping for a suitable WRC board yesterday. The lumber yard had some Cypress, way up in the high racks. I thought about it - but wondered about the weight.
How does the Cypress compare in weight to WRC or s-p-f (from a big box store)?
Thanks! It is a little bit heavier, but also tougher. I could lighten it a bit more because I could remove a bit more wood near the handle, but that may increase the flex a little bit I suspect. White Cedar, Spruce, Fir would also work. I think Black Walnut would be very nice. If you want really light Basswood or Linden would be good but soft. I don’t know how strong it is, but it is a great wood for carving. A friend had some local Cypress and let me have a board I made 2 from.
I do, and of course I had to burn it too. I also used the 655 Gflex on the edge of it as well. Here’s the charred remains of the Red Cedar paddle you gave me.
Artic small whales hunted from qajaq (kayak).
Now you need a SOF Greenland style boat. And a harpoon. I can see the headline , “Upstate Man Harpoons 14’ Gator”.
That story should be good for at least an hour around the campfire.
You could use Balsam with a spine of carbon fiber down the middle with a light coat of epoxy and a bit of edge protection. for really light weight. However the weight isn’t much even with the cypress instead of red cedar.
Try some Paulownia if you want to experiment with ultra-light solid paddles. I have made several and they are actually lighter than some of my carbon GPs. Trick is to find quality quarter-sawn pieces (necessary for stiffness and strength). Weaker than even Western Red Cedar, so I don’t use it in the surf, for rescue practice, etc, but I have two that have been going for years. Jim O’Neil has been making and selling Paulownia GPs in the Naples, Fl, area.
I had not thought of Paulownia. I have cut branches from it for making Native American style flutes before, and it is light weight. I understand it is a very stable wood that doesn’t warp easily.
