My first paddle

[JClearwater]

I saw a nice old Kennebec paddle that I liked so I thought I would try my hand at making a copy. The original was made of Maple. I bought a Sassafras plank at the local mill with nice straight grain which I was able to get two paddle blanks from. Jean used one at the Assembly working with Caleb. Attached are pictures of the paddle I made as well as one of the original. It is sort of a blend of a beaver tail and an otter tail, 6.25" wide, 60" long. The Sassafras plank was not quite thick enough so I glued Walnut on each side to make the grip a little thicker. I cut a slot in the paddle tip and glued in a popsicle stick to help with tip wear. Finished weight is 1.5 lbs. We are planning a couple days trips on Aug 13 & 14 so I will try it out then. For my first paddle I think it
came out pretty good. Jim C.

 

[Todd F]

The walnut is a nice touch. Looks great

 

[Rob Stevens]

It's a slippery slope, Jim. Especially when you start with Sassafras, embellished with Black Walnut.
Many happy returns.

 

[David Marsh]

I really like the walnut accent on the grip.