: How much of the subsequent coats soak into the wood? In other words, if the
: concern is simply to protect the wood from water then are the first two or
: three coats sufficient?

My first coats contain a lot of turpentine to help the finish soak into the wood, so three coats would be quite thin by my method. I simply oil until I find the finish pleasing. I may skip the finish entirely for my next paddle.

I am curious how much water weight an unfinished paddle will really gain during use, as you would be hard-pressed to find a finished paddle in Greenland. There isn't much endgrain exposed on a (vertically grained) Greenland paddle, and a paddle in use isn't constantly immersed, and dries after use, unlike a waterlogged stick. Even an unfinished paddle gets surface hardened over time and some folks swear that salt-water exposure hardens many woods (some skin boat owners rinse their frames in salt water after extended fresh-water use). Body oils (or seal oil in Greenland from mittens) will also be rubbed into the wood over time.

On my next paddle I'll leave it unfinished, weigh it, and then weigh it again after ten or more miles of paddling.

Greg Stamer