: When I was blending the shaft into the paddle blade I have cut into the
: hollow part of the shaft. . .
: . . . I was thinking that I could probably plane the shaft down
: quite a bit opening the gap even more, then stuff a piece of wood with a
: bunch of thickened epoxy into the hollow part, and then laminate another
: piece of wood back over this. I would probably also add a bit of glass to
: the shaft in this section to add a bit of extra strength.

You shouldn't need to do any extra planing just to open up this hole. Just do whatever planing you really need need to do to make the paddle. Then, get a cork, coat it with a bit of waterproof glue or epoxy resin, and tap it into the hole. After the glue or resin harden you can smooth down the cork with sandpaper or a rasp. If you like to see woodgrain, then glue over a thin shaving from your planing, and sand lightly to remove any rough edges. (Think of this as a simple veneer patch) Then coat the area with another coat of resin. If you want to throw a small patch of glass over it, then fine, go ahead.

Of course you can whittle a wood plug from some light, soft wood like cedar, balsa, or even pine, and install that the same as a cork.

: Any thoughts?

Keep going on the paddle and don't look back. Oh, and don't try to hit any major league pitches with this

Hope this helps

PGJ