: Here in Queensland, such items as cedar, pine (the pine that is available is
: a quick growing breed ... very very poor quality) and other good
: kayak-type woods are almost non-existant. I am building a Guillemot using
: spar quality Oregon Pine (the Aussie name for Douglas Fir) and don't like
: that wood much either. I got it at a great price as the wood was off-cuts
: from a boat yard and already cut in perfect sized strips. Waste wood for
: them, I was glad to take it off their hands.
: However I'll have to do some searching for adequate lumber for paddles. Your
: comment about closet poles caught my eye. My question is, how did you
: acquire the 60 or 70 degree offset Nick recommends for the paddle blades?
: How does one reach that offset ... for once Nick's explanation left me
: totally puzzled.
: Thanks

I recently read an older book by Skip Snaith. He used a closet pole to make a feathered shaft. On one end of the shaft plane a flat spot to fit the blade against. On the other end do the same after turning the shaft 60 or 70 *
You could make the blade any shape , he used a long narrow shape like an Alut.

Hope this helps Terry