: Risto,

: I cracked my first Greenland Style paddle. I kept thinning the blades to make
: it lighter. Kind of experimentinting as to how thin I could make it. I had
: it very thin, I had removed the ridge all the way back to the loom. The
: paddle was a little oversized, too long and too wide. It weighed less than
: a Whetstone carbon fiber paddle, but I don't know the exact weight. I am
: guessing that I cracked it while attempting a screw roll. I started
: hearing the creaking noises after that, but other people had used my
: paddle That same day (R2K), so I don't know for certain. The crack was in
: the center of the blade. It is still strong in one direction, but don't
: want to use it for fear that it might fail when I need it. I have thought
: about repairing and glassing it, but may just clean it up, varnish it, and
: make it a decoration.

: Mike

I had a friend brake a new commercial kayak paddle doing a fast muscle roll. It was a fairly cheap all wood paddle. Broke at the paddle/shaft. A flaw in the wood. But the problem is that a lot of guys use all muscle to roll instead of hip technique and that's when you'll brake a paddle. You'll never have someone who can hand roll brake a paddle rolling.

I build an Aleut native style paddle. The paddle is quite flexible which is very kind to the body and joints. The flex also allows power to be loaded into the blade in quick sprints and rolls. It is very nice to get a little kick of power at the end of a roll from power loaded with the paddle flex.

I build this paddle by gluing up a paddle blank made from northern white cedar and mahogany. I prefer this method because it allows me to select totally clear cedar because of the smaller dimensions. I use hardwood to strengthen the paddle and add visual interest. The placement of the hardwood on the paddle shaft is very important. The hardwood must be positioned on the shaft so that it is parallel to the blade surface orientation. This creates an I-beam like structure that is much stronger than a shaft made of one piece of softwood. Making a paddle of laminated pieces allows any defects in the wood to be eliminated. By gluing up the blank I can reduce the amount of stock removal and visualize the paddle proportions sooner. Also the edges of the blank are flat and regular, so it is easy to draw lay-out lines to guide stock removal. The finished weight of my paddle comes in at about 32 oz.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com