: I made some euro paddles several years ago - one for me, one for my buddy...
: the last time I attempted a self rescue with it I heard the cracking of
: wood. I let-up and opted for a less elegant re-entry. Anyway, I want to
: reinforce it. I've sanded away the varnish. I figure I'll sheath the shaft
: and blades with 3.2 glass. Problem is: there are still some residual dark
: areas from the varnish and I'm hesitant to remove much more material. Will
: the dark areas blend when I wet out the glass or should I take it down all
: the way?

The darker areas will just look like darker growth rings and give a stronger wood grain effect, but sand them out anyway.

Since you heard something cracking, for your repair you want to reduce the diameter of the shaft by about 1/4 inch at least. This way you can wrap a 1/8th inch thick layer of glass and resin on, and effectively enclose the wood with a fiberglass tube that has a wall thickness of 1/8th inch -- and not change the final diameter. That size tube should give a lot of strength, but probably only add 4 to 6 ounces of weight.

You might also see if you can find some penetrating epoxy sealant. A primer coat with this, or a thinned epoxy, will soak into the pores of the wood which your sanding has opened, and you'll get some epoxy bonding of the wood fibers which you heard cracking. This will enhance the strength of the core of your paddle's handle.

A homemade vaccuum bag and warmed (thin) epoxy might work, too, if it could soak in deep enough to do some good.

PGJ