Pine is great for greenland style paddles. On my first paddle, I used a yellow pine 1x6 for the blank, and laminated on aspen strips to build up the loom. The knots in the yellow pine made it difficult to plane, but the whole paddle cost about $15, and everything was available from Home Depot. For the second paddle, the yellow pine was replace with clear white pine, and the aspen replaced by poplar (and Home Depot with Lowes). This paddle was lighter than the first one, carved easier, and was a little better looking.

On the most recent paddle, I did a little experimenting - mostly to obtain a better looking paddle. I started with a 3/4" x 1 1/4" white pine board the length of the paddle. I laminated on 3/4" x 1 1/2" red cedar boards to the ends to get the final dimension of 3/4" x 4 1/4" in the blade area. I then cut out the blades to get the final paddle shape. (NOTE: This gives the same shape as the blank I cut with the pine 1x6 on the first paddles). I then laminated 3/8" x 1 1/4" cedar strips into the loom area, resulting in a 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" loom (I know some instructions call for a larger loom, but I found it uncomfortable), which was rounded off until it felt comfortable in my hands. The 3/8" cedar strips extended 10" beyond the end of the loom into each blade to add strength. The only problem I noticed was that the cedar was soft, so I added 2" glass tape to the tips of the blades, and gave the entire paddle a coat of MAS epoxy prior to varnishing. Problem solved.

The result is a strong paddle that looks really good (my biased opinion) and is very light. Honestly, I wish I had a scale to weigh the paddle accurately. It weighs a lot less than the pine versions, which weigh a lot less than my store-bought paddle (a Bending Branches Journey), which weighs a whole lot less than the plastic paddle I bought with my first kayak. Of course, it's a bit more expensive - mostly because I don't have a planer, jointer, or table saw, so I bought all the pieces ready to assemble. The cedar came from Newfound Woodworks (along with my next kayak) and the white pine was from a local lumber store that caters to cabinet builders. Add the epoxy, tape, and varnish, and the finished cost is $50 per paddle - not much more than that first plastic paddle.

I would not recommend using cedar for the entire paddle - it just seems to lack the strength. But the white pine is only slightly heavier, and offers much more strength. I've used the paddle in some pretty windy conditions and in some shallo, rocky areas, and it has suffered only a few minor scratches.

As for hollowing out part of the shaft to reduce weight, I thought about it. Maybe for a future paddle. I really like the looks/weight/strength of this pine/cedar combination, and plan on sticking with it. Most of the strength in this combination comes from the pine - and it would be the pine that gets hollowed out. I don't know if it would have the strength required for ocean trips, but it would be a blast for flatwater racing.

Turn the computer off, go to Lowes or Home Depot, and build yourself a paddle!

Ken