> i have made a kayak paddle from ash,cherry,butternut,walnut. the shaft is
> laminated and i am wondering whether i should fiberglass the shaft? OR
> just coat with epoxy?, OR simply coat with varnish?.

> P.S. i have already glassed the blades. Surprisingly i enjoyed the paddle
> making process more than the S&G kayak process, probably because i was
> creating the contours to my liking.

> appreciate any tried and true advice, Craig.

As an 11 yr old Boy Scout I heard the `conventional wisdom` that varnish on an axe handle would lead to blisters. Sure enough, every time I used a axe with a varnished paddle I had blisters at the end of the day. I also got blisters on my hands from paddling canoes with varnished paddles, and made the mental connection that varnish = blisters.

So, when I got older and began buying my own axes and paddles the first thing I would do is sand down all the varnish.

Blisters did not totally disappear, but were greatly diminished. This could have been the result of unvarnished wood, or it might have been because the skin on my hands was older and tougher, or perhaps this was from better technique as a result of years of experience. Regardless, I am superstitious enough to NOT want varnish on my paddles. With no pretection from water and sun, the handles have greyed and weathered. As a result, I have a bunch of comfortable, but ugly-looking paddles -- and I am afraid they are going to start splintering.

Knowing that epoxy soaks in anywhere from 1/16th to 1/8th inch, I have considered coating with epoxy and then sanding to remove all surface resin. This would give me the wood feel I enjoy (and hopefully no blisters), while the epoxy that had soaked in and saturated the wood fibers would bind them to prevent splinters and help prevent water absorbtion. This is the route I think best.

However:

I have considered using plain linseed oil and letting that soak into the wood. Similarly I have considered using tung oil, walnut oil and similar natural oils that would soak in. If anyone has tried these materials I'd be interested in hearing about it. Since you have 'glassed your blades I wonder if oil on the shaft would soak in and migrate under the end of the 'glassed area -- perhaps causing delamination at that point.

I have not played with poyurethanes and may try using one or two coats of a thinned polyurethane instead of the epoxy resin. I'd have to see how well this worked on a test panel first, and I would still sand off any surface material (my old prejudice here) and rely on whatever soaked into the wood for protecting it.

If the shaft is strong enough to not need the added fiberglass cloth, I would not put any on it. If you are using a light, hollow shaft -- then the glass might be needed for structural strength. I would avoid the latter approach because of my dislike of `plastic' feeling surfaces, and use a heavier paddle.

Hope these thoughts are of some use to you.

Paul Jacobson