: Hi Brian,
: Sorry to here the watco didn't work out.

Well, I haven't given up completely, since I'm pretty much committed to it on this paddle. It will be interesting to see how it works going forward.

: I think you will be happy with
: varnish. I have had good luck with varnish on the paddles I have made. I
: have found that it's nice and easy to repair dings with a little varnish
: applied with a rag.

That's what I liked about oil. The paddle may look like hell, then one minute later it's beautiful again.

As far as slippery/sticky surface you an make it
: either way by either sanding and polishing or if you want it a little
: sticky unsanded works pretty well.

That's sort of what I did with my current paddle. I only sanded it through 150 grit, in order to maintain a bit of texture, at least around the loom.

I just finished Ricks paddle yesterday
: with 6 coats of Spar varnish and rubbed out to a nice smooth finish. I'm
: going to weigh it this morning.

If you're going to be at the pool Saturday, I'll check it out then. I'll be making another one soon. I plan to carry more wood into the tips of blades, similar to what you do, in the hope that it will reduce flutter somewhat. I just need to get my new (used) band saw tuned up first.