I use a pair of rawhide shoe laces tied around the blade about 14" from each shoulder. I leave a 1"-2" "pigtail" pointed down. Paddling with a quick cadence and giving the paddle an upward flick at the end of the stroke will shed much of the water before it has a chance to run down the paddle. This is done with the top edge of the paddle canted forward about 30-40 degrees and also adds a bit to forward thrust. My hands are typically very dry in flat water unless I start using sliding or extended paddle strokes/braces. In rough conditions, everything gets wet. For me, the raw hide doesn't seem to interfer with sliding or extended hand positions. I occassionally lose one, but it is easily renewed.

Craig

: Hi - This summer I built my first paddles, in a couple different traditional
: styles. They're light, and a lot of fun to use...easier on my joints than
: my commercial broad-bladed paddle. However, I'd like to install some sort
: of drip rings, because they drip a lot of water down the blades, and my
: hands get soaked. I've looked at internet sites that sell standard drip
: rings, and it appears that you need to have a take-apart paddle to install
: these. Has anyone figured out a way to add drip rings to a one-piece
: paddle?