> It came in at 3 lbs; ouch! It will be like paddling with a
> barbell.

Hi Ross, You have gotten some really good advice - a few items I'd like to reemphasize.

My first paddle was Douglas Fir. Big, stout, built directly from Chuck's plans. It was very heavy, but other than that, by far the most comfortable paddle I have ever used as far as grip and its lack of flutter through the water. But, it was just too darn heavy. (and noisy - splash splash)

My current paddle is red cedar. So light (I've never weighed it) my paddling partners often borrow it on long trips. It started out much like my first paddle but I shaved the loom down a little thin so the grip in not as comfortable.

I went on a club trip once and one of our members had a very thin greenland paddle. One side of his blade was flat, and the other side of the blade had the center ridge. Using the flat side as the power face resulted in a very powerful stroke, but had a bit of flutter in it. Flip the blade over and it floated easily through the water with no flutter at all, but a bit less power.

I went home and shaved down one side of my blade. For the next 3 trips I paddled with this guy I went home and took off more and more wood. The paddle has a little spring in it, and the blade edges are much thinner (the thin edge will help reduce the splash the paddle makes as it enters the water, especially if you use the 3/8" thick edges in Chucks plans).

When I'm out exercising, I use the flat side. It is more powerful but I also have to paddle with it a bit before my hands naturally counteract the flutter. Not sure how it works, it just goes away. If I'm out on a long lesurly paddle, I use the arched side as the power face. Much easier on my joints, and a higher cadence. Cutting down the one side helped with the weight a bit, but by far the biggest improvement was starting with a light blank.

I've recently started taking down one side of my first paddle. It'll never be as light as my cedar, but I've never been able to duplicate the way the first one feels in my hands...

As for finish, I've tried several. I've sanded them all off and switched to linseed oil. Varnish was ok, but I grew tired of the constant 'squeek' in my hands.

Woody

P.S. I almost forgot. My cedar paddle 'sings' in the wind. Anyone else have a paddle that does this? It's bizzar, but I would swear the sound comes from the loom, not the blade tips. The sound when it starts, remains constant to the wind speed despite the blades dipping in the water.