Pete,

What do you mean most guys don't paddle with gunstocks. Given the right situation anybody will paddle with a gunstock. I once broke both my paddles while paddling into very stiff winds to retrieve ducks and paddled out of the marsh with a Remington 870 Wingmaster. I would venture a guess that your greenland paddle, like it or not, paddles like a dream compared to an 870.
I now have a Golden Retriever and better paddles but if I'm going into the marsh the pretty guns stay in the guncase and 870 gets the call.

Thanks for stirring up some memories of the good ole' days.

Ken

: Any particular reason not to use it on strips? With or without steam?

: Thanks for the tips.

: Hmmmmm... Some thoughts here, but not much to back them up. I carved a
: Greenland paddle out of Doug fir several years ago, but we all hate it so
: much that I (not so) secretly wish it would rot into oblivion. No such
: luck, even without finish of any kind. Four years later the shaft is still
: smooth, no slivers, no cracks or checks. It's no thing of beauty, but
: makes a good spare, I guess.

: In a prior lifetime I dabbled in custom gunsmithing, and used a good bit of a
: product called Tru Oil. Now rifle stocks are made to be rained on without
: warping the barrel and shooting funny, but most guys don't use them for
: paddles... 8-) Anyway, this stuff is simply high quality linseed oil with
: driers added. The first couple coats mostly get absorbed into the wood,
: but more coats actually build a film, like varnish. Might be worth a try,
: at least on a scrap.

: Then again, if you want your paddle to look like a high-gloss Weatherby rifle
: stock, I have the inside track on their catalyzed lacquer...