: well im starting to glass the inside of my guillemont, going to buy the foot
: braces today, time to start looking for paddle material, sitka spruce is
: not readily available in bellingham, does anyone know where I might be
: able to order some from. or what other wood would be an exceptable
: substitute

You can order sitka spruce from Newfound Woodworks. If you try a web search, you may be able to find something closer to you.

Substitutes include pine and cedar. Cedar is the lightest weight, and you probably have some left over from building the boat. The only problem with cedar is that it has a lot of flex. Actually, it's not really a problem, it is just a different feel, and will seem strange at first. Pine is heavier, but somewhat more difficult to plane than cedar - and it is much stiffer. Pine and cedar laminations work well - the light weight of the cedar and the stiffness of the pine are a good combination.

But if you use pine, make sure it's eastern white pine - lighter and stronger than the less expensive yellow pine.