It sounds like 27-29 oz is reasonable for a hollow-core, using cedar, basswood, and ash edges. These paddles have glass tips, which I will not do again. I found that measuring on 1:1 ratio with water is quite accurate, although I see my conversion factor was a few thousandths off. The accuracy depends on the container in which you put the water - the best I can find on the shelf is marked in 50 ml incriments. I'll keep looking. Thanks Risto!

Superior's advertised weight is 32 if I remember right - I thought they felt heavy. I was talking to Mike Hanks yesterday, who commented that the greenlanders dont really look at the weight as an issue. Seems to me lighter is better, given equivilant stiffness and strength.

I'm liking this hollow-core, I think it makes good paddles. I tried soaking one to make the varnish/oil penetrate further, and that seems to be a success.

: Don, having read about your newest paddle weights I went back to my
: "floppy archive" on greenland paddles and found Greg's posting
: from Feb 2001: Posted By: Greg Stamer
: Date: Saturday, 17 February 2001, at 11:21 p.m.

: I received email asking about the weight of my favorite cedar paddle, so I
: borrowed a triple beam balance and observed the following: Solid Western
: Red Cedar (homemade, oil finish)....................31.1 ounces
: Betsie Bay Storm, laminated (older model, never refinished).......33.6 ounces
: Betsie Bay Greenlander, laminated (older model, refinished once)..36.2 ounces
: Maligiaq Padilla's '98 Championship paddle, solid pine............37.3 ounces
: Superior Kayaks (unshouldered) laminated pine, oil finish.........45.5 ounces

: Some other postings in the same archive quote weights in the upper twenties,
: for narrow (OK?) paddles or thin (not so OK?) ones. So if you have built
: solid ones as I trust you have ... In fact, some of the carbon euros I
: have reliable info on are around 28. The one I have is about 29, and it is
: the lightest (just barely) one I currently have.

: Inspired by the idea of using water I then built a balance using two 1500 cc
: plastic bottles (with handles), a 110 cm beam, and some string. That was
: easy! It also appears that by balancing the dry apparatus (two bottles)
: before hanging the paddle ... well, it looks pretty easy to get say +/- 1%
: accuracy.

: My greenland paddle came in at 31 oz which is not bad for spruce with thick
: epoxy at tips and three coats of paint. In fact, it is the same as Greg's
: homemade oil finished WRC paddle which we must take for a standard in
: these matters. And hasn't Greg been praising it's light weight in many
: postings!?

: Looking at that list above the Betsie Storm at 33 oz really stands out. They
: do however quote 30 oz for their new Greenlander and 26 for their
: Graflite. Maybe these are the realistic limit? What do you think?