four conoe paddles

[eric e]

As threatened, photos of my four paddles

http://imageevent.com/webdiva/canoepaddles

2 Northwood style from patterns in WoodenBoat article of several years back. Old growth Douglas Fir. "Bristol Finish" brand name 2 part on blade, oil finish on shaft.
Long paddle 67'' overall, 1090 grams, 38.5oz.
Small one 60", 688g, 24.2oz.

2 "Gilpatrick" style paddles. Ash, WRC, 6oz glass, epoxy, varnish.
Long one 61.5" overall, 653g, 23oz.
Small one 55", 507g, 17.9oz.

Now we paddle a while to compare.....

Eric

[Glen Smith]

Hi Eric, the paddles look good, enjoy them.

[canoeblderinmt]

Eric,
A very nice collection of paddles. Bet they paddle as good as they look!



Greg

[pawistik]

Let us know what you think of them, which grips and blades you prefer. Just as a note, don't be too quick to dislike a paddle, sometimes it takes time to develop a relationship or get the feel for a certain paddle. As a case in point, I built a voyageur style paddle from Gilpatrick's book. It came out well, but it was just too long of a blade for my liking. This summer I was forced to use it on an 8 day trip after my main paddle (a bent shaft) went missing for a while (loaned out and not returned to me). Whenever I did try to use that paddle previously, I always had the option of switching back to the bent shaft I was more familiar with so never gave it much of a chance. This summer after using it for hours at I time I grew to appreciate how well it sliced through the water. It excels at various feathered angle strokes. Being laminated from ash & maple, it is strong, light, and flexible.

Cheers,
Bryan