Hi John..

Aerospace Composites has various tubes (carbon, carbon/fiberglass). They also have carbon braided sleeves which you can use to make your own tubes, including tapered tubes...

http://www.acp-composites.com/ACP-CAT.HTM

also Reid Tool has the the same snap buttons as Valco, but in addition they have a "bullet" spring loaded button that would work in the male part of the ferrule if it's solid (the spring steel snap buttons assume hollow male part of the ferrule). Don't know if it's SS or not, I guess this is an important detail.

the Reid Tool URL is www.reidtool.com and the snap buttons are on pg 52 of their catalog.

please keep us apprised of your progress, I need to build a ferrule myself.

cheers

Les

: First a confession- I am really a single paddle guy. I am looking to build a
: double paddle,as a second paddle,because my canoe is too tender to use
: sitting (vs kneeling) unless the seat is near the bottem and also because
: my favorate single paddle needs 3 ft of water to work properly. The
: commercial plastic doubles are ugly and the wood ones I have seen are
: heavy and loose at the ferrule. Besides I am a DIY'er so please do not
: give up me yet.

: I want to make a double like my favorate single (hashwaakpaddles.com worth a
: look because unique and they make doubles). I know the blades are going to
: get beat up in shallow water and have to be replaced maybe one to two
: years.

: So my proposal/question is why not use a carbon shaft(for light weight and
: stiffness) and hardwood blades epoxied to the shaft.Perhaps by drilling
: out a blade or cutting of an inch of shaft I can get 4 paddles out of one
: carbon shaft.The only source I know of for carbon shafts is Zeravel( any
: others?).

: The hardest question is how to do a non-wobble ferrule.I have no idea how to
: do one of the spring loaded buttons like in a commercial shaft. One way to
: do a non wobble shaft is a bolt and a speed nut (Veritas, very ugly). Any
: sugestions?